Australian Museum Trust

Our 11 Trustees play a valuable role in monitoring the performance of the Australian Museum (AM), assisting with strategic planning processes and acting as advocates for the institution. They are appointed for three year terms with a maximum of nine consecutive years of service. The Governor of NSW, in consultation with the Minister for the Arts, appoints our Trustees.

Brian Hartzer (President)

Brian was appointed President of the Australian Museum Trust in January 2023 after appointment as a Trustee in January 2021. He also chairs the Building and Development Committee and is a member of the Audit and Finance Committee.

Brian is an experienced executive, leadership mentor, and investor. He is currently CEO of Quantium Health, Chair of Beforepay, a Sydney-based Fintech startup, and Chair of Reejig, an HR technology startup. He is also an angel investor in and advisor to several other early-stage companies.

Brian served as CEO of the Westpac Banking Group from 2015 to 2019. Prior to his time as Westpac’s CEO, Brian spent 15 years in senior executive roles at major banks in Australia and the UK. Prior to his banking roles, Brian spent ten years as a financial services strategy consultant at First Manhattan Consulting Group in New York, Melbourne, and San Francisco.

He has previously served as Chair of Save the Children Australia, Director of the Financial Markets Foundation for Children, and Chair of the Business Advisory Committee of the Australian National University.

He graduated with a degree in European History from Princeton University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Brian served as Chair of the Australian Museum Foundation from December 2020 to December 2022.

Emeritus Professor Shirley Alexander AM

Emeritus Professor Shirley Alexander AM has more than 30 years experience in the education sector, spanning K-12, TAFE and higher education with a particular focus on STEM. Previous role held for 15 years was as Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Education and Students) at UTS with overall responsibility for the university’s key priorities in teaching and learning, the student experience, and the use of data analytics in all aspects of the university's work.

Shirley is an experienced board director having served three terms as a Trustee of the Powerhouse Museum with particular contributions in learning and technology, a member of three successive Australian Government teaching and learning committees. Shirley is currently the Deputy Chair of the GROK Academy and a non-executive Director of the board for seven Australasian Navitas Colleges.

Shirley was appointed to the Trust in January 2023 and serves as the statutory Trustee appointed for her knowledge of, or experience in, education. Shirley is also the Education Committee Chair, a member of the Audit and Risk Committee and a member of the Building and Development Committee.

Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO

Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt is a Eualayai/Gamillaroi woman and the Laureate Fellow at the Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning at the University of Technology, Sydney. She is a graduate of the UNSW Law School and has a Masters and SJD from Harvard Law School. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and a founding member of the Australian Academy of Law.

She has published numerous textbooks on Indigenous legal issues. Larissa is an award-winning filmmaker and novelist. She is a board member of the Sydney Dance Company and Chair of the Community Spirit Foundation and a Board Member of the National Library of Australia. Larissa was awarded the 2009 NAIDOC Person of the Year Award, 2011 NSW Australian of the Year and an Order of Australia in 2020 for her work in the law, education and the arts. She is the host of Speaking Out on ABC Radio.

Larissa was appointed to the AM Trust in August 2019 and serves as the statutory Trustee appointed for her knowledge of, or experience in, Australian Indigenous culture. She is also a Trustee of the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation.

Professor Kathy Belov AO

Professor Kathy Belov is Pro-Vice-Chancellor Global and Research Engagement and a Professor of Comparative Genomics in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences in the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney. Kathy’s research expertise is in comparative genomics and immunogenetics of Australian wildlife and she has played a leading role in deciphering the genomes of the iconic koala, bilby, platypus, echidna, wallaby and opossum.

For the last 20 years her research team has played a pivotal role in bringing the Tasmanian devil back from the brink of extinction through its work on devil immunity, genetics and population management. Kathy co-edited the book, Saving the Tasmanian Devil: Recovery through Science-based Management, and has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, including in Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science and PLoS Biology.

Kathy is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and has received two Eureka Prizes, the Crozier Medal and the Fenner Medal from the Australian Academy of Science for her research. She is a scientific advisory board member of the Taronga Conservation Society of Australia, a former member of the NSW Koala expert advisory committee, a past president of the Genetics Society of Australasia and a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW. She is a board member of Science Australia Gender Equity. In 2024 Kathy was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Science from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, in recognition of her ongoing commitment to research excellence and her work to foster impactful research through international collaborations.

Kathy joined the AM Trust in January 2021 and is the statutory Trustee appointed for her knowledge of, or experience in, science. Kathy is also the Science Advisory Board Chair.

Brett Clegg

Brett Clegg is a Senior Managing Director at global corporate advisory and governance firm Morrow Sodali. His career has spanned professional services, investment banking, publishing and the technology sectors. Brett spent more than two decades in senior executive and editorial roles in the media industry, responsible for some of Australia’s leading news brands including The Australian Financial Review, where he rose from cadet journalist to the position of CEO and Publisher, as well as The Australian and The Daily Telegraph.

He is a Patron and former Chair of Sydney Dance Company, one of Australia’s premier performing arts organisations. In his role at Sydney Dance Company, Brett led the capital campaign to fundraise support for its contribution to the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct and helped steward the organisation through the challenges of COVID-19 with an acclaimed return to the local and international stage.

Brett specialises in strategic communication, issues management, business innovation and capital markets transactions. He has extensive Board and governance experience, including in the technology and education sectors.

Brett has a Bachelor of Business with Distinction from the University of Technology Sydney and a Masters in Advanced Finance from the University of NSW. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Brett was appointed to the Trust in January 2023. He is also a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Jennifer Dalitz

Jennifer Dalitz is an experienced board director and audit and risk committee chair, currently serving as Chair of Qudos Bank and Non-Executive Director of iPartners. Her previous executive experience included management consulting roles in various global and boutique firms and senior leadership positions in the financial services sector.

An internationally recognised champion of inclusion and diversity, Jen has held CEO and advisory roles to corporate, government and professional services organisations focused on increasing female representation in leadership ranks. Outside of her corporate experience, Jen founded three businesses in the online, consulting and agricultural sectors and, with this, brings an ownership mindset to the organisations she works with.

Jen holds an MBA, BA(Accountancy), is a Fellow of CPA Australia and Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a graduate of the Women's Leadership Program at the Darden School of Business (UVA), and an accredited coach with the Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership.

Jen was appointed to the Trust in January 2023 and is also the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee.

David Feetham

David is Deputy Chairman of Gresham's corporate advisory business, Gresham Advisory Partners Limited and was previously CEO of that business for 19 years.

He has a BEcon and LLB from Sydney University and has worked as a solicitor and investment banker. He has 38 years' experience in mergers and acquisitions with leadership of a wide range of large and complex transactions.

He has served on not-for-profit boards for 20 years including as a director of a girl’s school and on the board of CARE Australia.

David was appointed to the Trust in January 2023 is also the Chair of the Australian Museum Foundation Board.

Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM

Dr Foley is an internationally recognised Australian physicist and served as Australia’s ninth Chief Scientist from January 2021 to December 2024.

Prior to this, she had an extensive research and management career at CSIRO and was CSIRO’s Chief Scientist from 2018-2021, and is a current CSIRO Board Director.

Dr Foley’s scientific excellence and influential leadership have been recognised with numerous awards and fellowships, including election to the Australian Academy of Science in 2020, and an Order of Australia for service to research science and to the advancement of women in physics.

She received the Australian Institute of Physics Medal for Outstanding Service to Physics in 2016. She is a Fellow of Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering (2008) and an honorary Fellow of the Australian Institute of Physics (2019).

Dr Foley has been a strong advocate for women in STEM across the globe, focusing strongly on equality and diversity in the science sector.

While working at CSIRO, Dr Foley made significant contributions to the understanding of nitride semiconductors and superconducting electronics. Dr Foley and her team’s most successful application is the LANDTEM sensor system used to locate valuable deposits of minerals deep underground, such as nickel sulphide, silver and gold.

Dr Foley’s scientific excellence and influential leadership have been recognised with numerous awards and fellowships, including being elected to the Australian Academy of Science in 2020, being named an Officer in the Order of Australia in 2020 for service to research science and the advancement of women in physics, receiving the Clunies Ross Medal of the Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering in 2015, and receiving the Australian Institute of Physics Medal for Outstanding Service to Physics in 2016. She was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering in 2008.

Dr Foley’s previous roles include membership of the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council, President of the Australian Institute of Physics, President of Science and Technology Australia, Editor-in-Chief of Superconductor Science and Technology journal, and a council member for Questacon.

Dr Foley is committed to helping Australia realise the transformative potential of critical technologies and meet the climate challenge. She is an inspiration to women in STEM across the globe and focused strongly on equality and diversity in the science sector.

Dr Foley joined the Australian Museum Trust on 1 January 2025.

Josephine Sukkar AM

Josephine is co-owner and Principal of construction company Buildcorp, founded 34 years ago with her husband Tony.

She is a professional company director and serves on a number of private, public and not-for-profit boards, including Washington H. Soul Pattinson, Growthpoint Properties Australia, the Green Building Council of Australia and the Buildcorp Foundation.

Josephine was formerly the Chair of the Australian Sports Commission, Chair of the Sport Diplomacy Advisory Council (DFAT), a non-executive director of The Trust Company, the Property Council of Australia, Opera Australia, the Centenary Institute of Medical Research, the Parramatta Park Trust and the YWCA NSW.

Josephine served as Chair of Australian Women's Rugby Union, was a member of the Nominations Committee of Rugby Australia and the Australian Rugby Foundation and through Buildcorp has financially supported the rugby community for over 32 years.

She is a Fellow of the University of Sydney and in 2017 was made a Member of the Order of Australia.

Josephine was appointed to the Trust in January 2019 and is also a member of the Building and Development Committee.

The Hon Carmel Tebbutt

CEO of Odyssey House NSW (since July 2023), one of the leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation providers in Australia. Carmel was formerly the NSW Deputy Premier, CEO at NSW Mental Health Co-ordinating Council, the peak body for community managed organisations working for mental health in NSW, and a Director at Mental Health Australia.

Before working in the non-government sector, Ms Tebbutt had a distinguished 17-year parliamentary career, holding a number of Ministerial portfolios, including Health, Education and Community Services and was the first female Deputy Premier in NSW.