INCUMBENT NOMINEES
Ali Martin
Key Skills: Marketing and Communications
Board Member since 2022
Ali Martin is an accomplished purpose-led professional with a strong history of success delivering effective campaigns, motivating high performing teams and engaging partner support.
She has worked across diverse industries delivering strategic marketing and communications for nearly 20 years, including at WA Museum, Water Corporation, UWA, and the Department of Sport, Local Government and Cultural Industries.
Her current role as Digital Transformation Lead at the Department of the Premier and Cabinet see her collaborate across government to develop and deliver the digital services the WA community wants and needs.
Ali is passionate about the capacity of arts organisations to support cohesion, advocacy and improved health and wellbeing, both at a community and individual level. She has completed the AICD’s Governance Foundations for Non for Profit Directors course and has more than a decade board experience, including her current role as lived experience advocate and Deputy Chair at ADHD WA.
Ali has recently completed a Graduate Certificate in Social Impact from UWA’s Centre for Social Impact and is excited to put this new learning and skillset into place to best support WA’s community.
Outside of work, you will find Ali walking her rambunctious greyhound Little Nattie and treating her niblings to ‘Aunty Ali Arts Outings’.
Ana Ferreira Manhoso
Key Skills: Artist / Behavioural Science / Business Leadership
Board Member since 2023
Ana Ferreira Manhoso is a creative and an organiser based in Wayalup (Fremantle).
She has been managing artists and producing theatre for over ten years, founding Crash Theatre Company and working largely in festival landscapes and artistic touring. After completing her undergraduate studies in behavioural science and a master’s in business leadership, her current working role in tertiary management involves developing strategies aimed to widen participation and diversify the student body by increasing support and educational access for underrepresented cohorts.
Ana is pragmatically passionate about turning ideas and concepts into reality. Through an academic lens of social science and leadership theory, she is focussed on impactful storytelling and promoting transformative benefit and growth for communities and organisations.
As an engaged Blue Room member and practicing artist, Ana champions the pursuit for equitable practice, furthering opportunities, and creating new pathways for independent artists. She believes that The Blue Room Theatre is a sacred gem in the ecology of West Australian arts; the flagship of independent theatre-making, providing fundamental development opportunities to emerging artists that is simply unmatched.
Mallika Macleod
Key Skills: Governance / Finance & Audit / Accessibility / HR / Leadership & Training / Compliance / Arts Management
Board Member since 2025
Mallika Macleod is a distinguished disability advocate, community leader, and arts administrator. With over 25 years of experience in community and cultural development, she has been instrumental in promoting inclusivity and accessibility within the arts and broader society.
As the Director of Client Services at DADAA, Mallika oversaw programs that empowered artists with disabilities to actively participate in the cultural sector. Her leadership ensured that artists receive the necessary resources and support to thrive.
Mallika’s extensive board experience includes roles at Arts Access Australia (Board Member & Chair), People with Disabilities WA (Treasurer), DADAA (Board Member), and the Health Consumers’ Council of WA (Chair). She also serves as a Board Member of the Australian Inclusion Group, contributing her lived experience and professional expertise to advance disability inclusion.
A passionate advocate for nurturing emerging leaders, Mallika emphasises the importance of investing in diverse talent to ensure equitable opportunities across industries. She believes that fostering new leadership is crucial for sustainable and inclusive growth. Mallika has experience in financial literacy, budget and grant management, compliance, risk management, audit, contract, sustainability and fee for service development and delivery.
Mallika’s personal journey as an intercountry adoptee from Sri Lanka and her lived experience with disability following a childhood accident have profoundly shaped her advocacy. She champions the mantra “nothing about us without us,” underscoring the necessity of centering the voices of those with lived experiences in policy and decision-making processes.
Through her unwavering commitment, Mallika Macleod continues to inspire and drive meaningful change, advocating for a more inclusive and equitable society.
NEW NOMINEES
Ghirija Jayarraj
Ghirija Jayarraj is an independent filmmaker, dance artist, theatre producer, and risk consultant whose career bridges the worlds of art and corporate strategy. With a diverse background in five Indian Classical dance forms, she has created a contemporary expression that emphasises “Sringaram” -beauty born from love-bringing a fresh narrative to traditional art. As the Creative Director of Shastram, an arts organisation dedicated to exploration of and innovation through Indian Classical dance, she has nurtured a platform for over 400 artists globally, reaching audiences of up to 25,000. Shastram serves as a space where ancient knowledge is creatively integrated into modern mediums like immersive theatre, film, and art exhibitions.
Ghirija’s exploration of immersive theatre began in 2005 and has since grown into multiple successful productions in Australia and India. Her notable project, Naatya Vandhanam, involved 50 dancers and set the foundation for her continued work in innovative theatre. Currently, she is developing three experimental and culturally diverse immersive theatre productions in Australia, including Sem Mann (Red Earth), which was recently premiered in India. Her filmography also includes Mahari, an experimental film recognised and won awards at multiple international film festivals, and Touch, which garnered awards in India and Canada.
In addition to her artistic ventures, Ghirija has over 16 years of experience in risk consulting for multinational corporations and government agencies including Department of Justice, Victoria Police and the Victorian Inspectorate to name a few. She has played key roles in internal audit, risk management, and compliance, offering a unique approach to her creative projects by blending methodical, detail-oriented practices from her corporate career with her innovative artistic vision. This cross-disciplinary expertise has made her a versatile producer and manager in both the arts and corporate sectors.
Ghirija’s entrepreneurial spirit is also evident in her management of Hybreed Pty Ltd, where she has overseen international productions, brand management, and financial activities, while simultaneously providing her expertise in risk assessment and compliance. Her creative journey is deeply rooted in her belief that art can foster social change, promote cultural understanding, and build community identity.
In her own words, “I believe that every negative is an opportunity to create a positive.” This mindset reflects her ability to adapt and find creative solutions, whether in the boardroom or on the stage.
Harrison Lorenz-Daniel
Harrison Lorenz-Daniel (he/him) is an emerging, Boorloo-based performance maker and arts manager. A graduate of WAAPA with a Bachelor of Performing Arts (Performance Making), Harrison’s art practice investigates collaborative processes to devise theatre with and for young audiences, and the unpacking of racial binaries through a comic and musical lens. Since 2024, Harrison has been the Learning & Engagement Project Officer at Spare Parts Puppet Theatre. In this role, he has implemented strategic processes for financial and program development in the creative learning sector, and led a team of artists and teaching artists.
Harrison made his PAWA-nominated debut in Bad Feminist for The Blue Room Theatre. He has since collaborated with leading companies across Australia, including Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, Company Bad, Fremantle Australia, and Sailing with Styx, contributing as a performer, deviser, and theatre maker. Beyond the stage, Harrison’s love for magic and music enriches his creative practice, infusing his work with a sense of wonder and play. He hopes to deepen his contribution to the arts by stepping into a Board-level role within a development-focused organisation, and is eager to further grow his skills in arts governance.
Sophie Minissale
Sophie Minissale is an award-winning, self-producing artist from Boorloo (Perth). Sophie has had work performed at The Blue Room Theatre, The State Theatre Centre of WA and her work for children, Alex and Evie and the Forever Falling Rain, completed a WA regional tour at the end of 2023. This was produced with every other theatre company, which she co-founded in 2020. Sophie has had the privilege to work as the Creative Coordinator for the 2023 state-wide youth arts and culture Festival, KickstART by Propel Youth Arts WA. This saw her programming the week-long Festival in conjunction with Youth Week WA. Some people also know Sophie as a photographer, a radio host, a journal editor or youth community development practitioner.