Adrian Collette AM became CEO of the Australia Council (now Creative Australia) in January 2019. Adrian’s leadership has brought us through the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2023, the successful transfer of the people and functions of Creative Partnerships Australia into the Australia Council, and our transformation to Creative Australia. He served on the National Cultural Policy Advisory Group, which was appointed to provide overarching strategic advice to inform the development of the 2023 Policy. 

Previously, he held the position of Chief Executive of Opera Australia (Australia’s largest performing arts company) for 16 years. He has also worked in book publishing for a decade – including as Managing Director, Reed Books, a division of Reed Elsevier. As Vice-Principal (Engagement) at the University of Melbourne his responsibilities included managing the University’s museums and galleries and its many arts sector partnerships. 

Adrian also served as a member of the Australia Council Board between July 2013 and December 2018 and chaired the Major Performing Arts Panel. 

Adrian was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2008 for service to the performing arts, particularly through executive roles with Opera Australia, as a mentor to young artists, to publishing and to the community. 

Danielle Caruana (aka Mama Kin) is a storyteller and writer who explores the human condition with ferocity and vulnerability. An award-winning singer-songwriter and touring artist, Caruana co-founded The Seed Fund, a philanthropic foundation supporting artists. She is a workshop facilitator and a keynote speaker with a focus on community connection and creative reinvention. 

For over 15 years, she has been the architect of The Seed Fund’s Future Makers Management Workshop, an annual event with a particular focus on developing new pathways to creative independence and challenging the status quo. This highly impactful project has fostered an environment where its alumni form long bonded connections, spanning the country, supporting each other and populating many positions within the Australian music community. 

Danielle is a published author and has devoted time to working with incarcerated women, performance studies students, and emerging artists, demonstrating her capacity to establish instant and intimate connections and the ability to inspire and tailor her outreach to a broad range of communities. 

A pioneer of the Australian music industry, Michael Chugg has garnered a reputation locally and internationally as one of the country’s most prominent music promoters and is a name synonymous with some of the biggest tours to have come through Australia and New Zealand over the past 60 years. 

Forming the Frontier touring Company with Michael Gudinski in 1979, Chugg went on to launch Chugg Entertainment in 2000 and has since toured over 700 Australian and international artists including The Police, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Elton John and more. 

In 2019 Chugg re-joined Frontier touring in a joint venture. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Chugg/Frontier has successfully delivered over 20 tours including artists such as Robbie Williams, Billie Eilish, Florence & The Machine, Tame Impala and Luke Combs. 

Chugg has been involved in the inception and success of some of Australia’s most prolific music festivals including St Jerome’s Laneway Festival and CMC Rocks with the late Rob Potts, now the biggest country music festival in the Southern Festival celebrating its 16th year. 

He has countless accolades to his name, including multiple Pollstar International Promoter of the Year Awards, ARIA’s Icon Award, Billboard Awards, Helpmann Awards and more. In June 1998, Michael was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) on the Queen’s birthday, in recognition of his contribution to the Australian music industry and his philanthropic involvement with various charities. Michael was a founding board member of Support Act and has raised millions of dollars with charity concerts such as Wave Aid, Live Earth, Crowded House’s ‘Farewell to the World’ and Sound Relief. 

Petrina Convey runs UNITY. Mgmt Group, an Australian based music management and consultancy business specialising in global strategy, artist development, cultural marketing and preparing artists for export. 

She consults for labels including Warner Music, and works on Australian artists including Ruel, PANIA, SAHXL and Shanae. Petrina has also consulted on The Kid LAROI and worked on the marketing for OneFour’s groundbreaking EP ‘Against All Odds’. 

In her previous role as Vice President of Cultural Marketing and Artist Development across the Asia Pacific region at Sony Music, she was responsible for overseeing the marketing, PR and promo of superstars including SZA, Khalid, Travis Scott, Future and Diplo, implemented the first Asia Pacific cultural marketing initiative, and was involved in the signing and development of global breakout artists The Kid LAROI and Ruel. 

Leah Flanagan is a celebrated independent singer-songwriter and arts leader from the Northern Territory, whose career spans album releases, cross-genre collaborations, national and international touring, most recently with Midnight Oil on their final world tour for their album Resist.

Renowned for her artistic integrity and cultural advocacy, Leah’s work is grounded in a deep commitment to equity, Indigenous self-determination, and the transformative power of music. She draws on her lived experience as a touring and recording artist to lead national initiatives that empower Indigenous musicians, amplify their stories, and foster a more inclusive music industry.

In her current role as Director Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Programs and Strategy at APRA AMCOS,  Leah has been instrumental in advancing Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) rights in published music. Her leadership has shaped national conversations around copyright, cultural integrity, and ethical innovation, particularly in response to emerging technologies like generative AI. She is a vocal advocate for regulatory reform to prevent the misuse of ICIP in AI-generated works, calling for systems of cultural permission and recognition that honour Indigenous knowledge and creativity.

Leah Flanagan’s work continues to influence policy, practice, and public discourse, bridging creative excellence with cultural leadership in the Australian music landscape.

Catherine Haridy has been an artist manager and advocate for over 17 years. Founding Catherine Haridy Management (CHM) in 2006, she currently represents renowned Australian artists and producers. 

Prior to this, at Warner Music Australia and Festival Mushroom Records, Cath worked in A&R (artists and repertoire) signing, and has project managed some of Australia’s most successful artists over the years including George, Gyroscope and Eskimo Joe. 

In 2021, Cath was appointed to the role of CEO of the Australian Music Centre (AMC), which is the national service organisation dedicated to the promotion and support of art music in Australia. 

Previously, Cath was the Executive Director at the Association of Artist Managers (AAM) – a peak body that represents, promotes and protects Artist Managers and their artists. In that role, she actively contributed to designing and implementing a dynamic strategic direction, as well as being a former Chairperson. 

Catherine has been a board member of Music Victoria, the Community Broadcasting Foundation where she Chaired the Australian Music Airplay Grants Committee as well as participated in the Online Grants Committee and was a contributor to the Foundations’ Strategic and Governance Review. She has also been a member of the board of Support Act – a registered charity established by the music industry to provide a safety net for artists and music workers in crisis and founding Director of the Music Producers and Engineers Guild (MPEG). 

She’s an APRA Ambassador, as well as a respected advocate for Australian music and its creators. 

Nathan McLay cut his teeth in the music industry in the early 2000s setting up the digital department for Inertia (now PIAS), the Australian home to many of his beloved record labels including XL, Warp and Ninja Tune. Inertia was the first to partner with Apple’s fledgling iTunes service. 

Over the course of his 20-year career Nathan has developed a knowledge of the industry across management, touring, recording and publishing. He is the co-founder (with life partner Jay Ryves) of independent music company Future Classic, working with artists past and present including G Flip, Flume, Flight Facilities, SOPHIE, Sycco, Hayden James, Chet Faker, Seekae and Dean Brady and with offices in Sydney and LA. 

Artist development and building international careers are Nathan’s passion, and in October 2023 he was appointed Managing Director of Virgin Music Group ANZ where he will focus on export for Virgin’s local artist’s and labels. 

Gordi is the musical moniker of Canowindra-born singer-songwriter-producer, Sophie Payten. 

Since her globally acclaimed debut album Reservoir in 2017 and her ARIA nominated 2020 follow-up, Our Two Skins, Gordi has become a cherished indie/folk songwriter. She has performed with international Grammy-nominated artists Bon Iver, The National and Sam Smith, and collaborated with the likes of Troye Sivan and Julien Baker. 

Payten’s work has featured in various television series including The Vampire Diaries and The Walking Dead, she co-wrote the original song for the Academy Award nominated feature film Mitchells Vs the Machines, and her composition for the film ‘RIDE’ was nominated for an ARIA in 2023. 

Payten has served as an APRA AMCOS Ambassador since 2020 and participates as a mentor in the AIR Women in Music Program. Sophie is also a medical doctor, and throughout the pandemic was part of the Surge Response Workforce in Victoria. 

Josh Pyke is a prolific songwriter with a successful and critically acclaimed career both domestically and overseas.

His eight studio albums to date have all debuted in the ARIA Top 10. Among numerous other honours, he has received four ARIA Awards, eleven ARIA nominations, and gold/platinum accreditations. Josh is also a respected composer for film and TV, having received an APRA Award for film composition.

Josh is a committed member of the music community and an influential advocate for creators. He is the creator of Busking For Change, an annual fundraising platform for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. He has been an active APRA Ambassador for 15 years and is the current and first artist chair of the PPCA.