About › Our Board

Our Board

Linden New Art is managed by a skilled group of volunteers who each contribute their skills, knowledge and networks to ensure Linden is governed by the highest standards.

Ann BYRNE AM

Chair

Ann brings to Linden a passion for its work and experience as a director. Until 2013 she worked in the finance sector particularly in the management of superannuation funds as well as advocacy around the need for effective management of environmental, social and governance investment risk to achieve long term sustainable performance. Ann Byrne has board experience with private companies, not for profit organisations and international organisations. This experience ranges from airports, forestry, theatre companies, aid and development and investment management. Ann is also a long-term resident of the City of Port Phillip.

DAVID HAGGER

Deputy Chair

David Hagger is a Naarm/Melbourne based curator, consultant and project manager. For nearly two decades he has worked with Australian and international artists to realise projects for private and public galleries, art fairs, festivals and institutional, government and corporate stakeholders. David partners with ambitious clients, delivering strategic planning, specialist advice and project management services that enable collaborative, culturally driven creative outcomes. He has successfully delivered significant public artworks, most recently for the Museum of Contemporary Art, City of Parramatta, Knox City Council, Mansfield Shire Council and Pellicano’s Ballarat Railway Station redevelopment. He has curated exhibitions across public galleries including the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Benalla Art Gallery, Gippsland Art Gallery and Wyndham Art Gallery. David has long ties with Linden, having curated numerous exhibitions at the gallery since 2014. He joined the Board of Linden in May 2023.

RIDA JAFRI

Treasurer

Rida is a Chartered Accountant and founder of Social CFO, bringing over 18 years of financial leadership experience across industries ranging from retail and FMCG to not-for-profits and social enterprise. She began her career at Ernst & Young and has since worked with organisations as diverse as Unilever, GSK, Target, and Kmart, as well as grassroots startups and purpose-led businesses.
In 2025, Rida left the corporate world to found Social CFO - a fractional CFO practice dedicated to helping purpose-led organisations, social enterprises, and not-for-profits access the kind of strategic financial guidance usually reserved for large corporations. Her mission is simple: level the playing field.
Rida is passionate about the arts, sustainability, and building a more equitable world. When she's not crunching numbers, you'll find her with a paintbrush in hand or completing her Master of Economics of Sustainability through Torrens University.

PAUL DULDIG

Paul is Chief Executive Officer at State Library Victoria. A graduate of Columbia University New York, The University of Adelaide and the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Paul has extensive experience in leadership, governance, service delivery and change management. He also has studied Art History at Masters level and is developing an emerging visual art practice. As CEO Paul has responsibility amongst other things for the substantial art collection of the Library, and exhibitions of the State Collection. Paul is also a board member of Art Monthly Australasia and a past board member of the Australian Dance Theatre.

DR. MEENA THURAISINGHAM

Meena is Founder and principal at BoardQ, an advisory practice specialising in top team and board effectiveness. Prior to that she has held several senior corporate and consulting roles across multiple sectors and geographies. Over her 30-year career she has been a lead consultant on a number of high profile complex organisational transformations for both for profit and not for profit entities. She is a non-executive director at The George Institute for Global Health, a research institute specialising in non-communicable diseases. She is also a non-Executive Director at Shared Value Project, a think tank that promotes shared value as a strategy to deliver social purpose profitably. She is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Australian Psychological Society. Among her many passions is collecting contemporary art and is actively engaged in the performing arts scene in Melbourne.

Mayor Louise Crawford

Louise Crawford is a dedicated community leader currently serving her third term as a Councillor for the City of Port Phillip. Having previously held the positions of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, she has been a steadfast supporter of the arts within local government.

With a professional background in performance and over 20 years of experience in the hospitality sector, Cr Crawford brings a well-rounded perspective to her advocacy, grounded in a deep understanding of the creative industries and the challenges they face. She has been a strong proponent of sustainable arts funding, which included the introduction of multi-year support for local organisations to foster stability and long-term growth.

Whether working within Council or contributing to community initiatives, Cr Crawford approaches her role with integrity, empathy, and a strong commitment to public service. As the City of Port Phillip’s representative on the Linden New Art Board, she remains focused on supporting bold, inclusive, and locally connected artistic endeavours.

Andrea Frank

Andrea is a partner at Minter Ellison. Andrea has an extensive corporate practice advising across a range of legal issues, predominantly focussing on mergers and acquisitions and capital transactions in the real estate, hospitality and private wealth sectors as well as acting for international clients in relation to their Australian investments. Andrea also manages a number of Minter Ellison’s pro bono relationships. Andrea joined the Board of Linden in 2021.

KIRSTEN FREEMAN

Kirsten is the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of Aeon Media, an international for-purpose publisher and events company based in Melbourne, with offices in London and New York. Her career spans arts, international cultural relations, and higher education in marketing, programming, income generation and leadership roles. She was the long-term deputy director for the British Council in Australia, and has held previous roles at Monash University and at Arts Centre Melbourne. Kirsten has served on the boards of the Emerging Writers’ Festival and the Centre for Contemporary Photography. Kirsten spent over a decade of her young-adult years as a resident of the City of Port Phillip and has had a long-standing appreciation for the work of Linden New Art and its contribution to community and contemporary art in Melbourne’s south-side. She is excited to be returning to the City as a resident in 2027. Kirsten joined the Linden New Art Board in May 2026.

graham seldon

Graham is the Founder of Seldon Rosser a specialist recruitment firm that operates across Australia, New Zealand & Asia. He is also a passionate art collector of Australian art across all mediums but with a particular focus on paintings and ceramics. He has been associated with Linden New Art for a decade, both as a member of the nominations committee and a supporter of the gallery. His prior board experience includes being Chair of the Board of a Melbourne not-for-profit, focused on assisting the long term unemployed to gain work and a Board Member for a Victorian Regional Art Gallery. He lives in the City of Port Phillip. He joined the Board in May 2025.

LISA DOWLING

Lisa Dowling is a marketing and communications leader with over 25 years’ experience shaping brand, audience and engagement strategies across Melbourne’s creative industries, government and consumer sectors. As General Manager of Helsinki Agency since 2012, she has led multidisciplinary teams and delivered high-profile public campaigns that are part of the cultural fabric of Melbourne, building connection, shifting perception and increasing participation.

Lisa holds a Master of Communication from RMIT. She has a passion for travel to experience private and public art collections both locally and globally and is a supporter and collector of contemporary Australian art. A long-term resident of the City of Port Phillip, she joined the Linden New Art board in May 2026.