Douglas FarrellCHAIR, BComm, BApp Fin, CA
Douglas is the Managing Partner and Founder of Quintet Partners, a private equity and real estate investment management firm based in Sydney. Prior to establishing the firm, he was a Managing Director and Head of Mergers & Acquisitions and Real Estate for Citigroup Australia. Douglas has 20 years of investment and advisory experience on over $100 billion of completed M&A transactions in Australia and abroad. Before joining Citigroup’s Hong Kong office in 2010, he worked at Lehman Brothers and Deutsche Bank. Douglas is a Chartered Accountant, received B Commerce and Finance degrees from Macquarie University and attended Sydney Grammar School. He developed a passion for classical music in his youth, playing the piano and violin (although any talent has long since faded).
Douglas was appointed Chair of the AWO in December 2022.
CHRIS ARNOLDAM, BComm, MBA, FCPA, FAICD
Chris has a lifelong love of music and plays the piano (not well these days). He and his wife Margot Costanzo (a producer & presenter at Melbourne’s 3MBS classic music radio station) have commissioned musical work, as well as belonging to the Richard Wagner Society. Chris joined the AWO board in 2019.
Chris has held six CEO roles in hospitals and health services, and in professional services firms (legal, financial services). He currently consults in the corporate, government and not for profit sectors on governance, structuring, business acquisitions and sales, strategic planning, growth and succession planning, and performance improvement.
Chris has held numerous past and current chairman and board member roles in the corporate and philanthropic sectors, including BioGrid Australia Ltd, Global Variome Ltd, Telediagnostics Ltd, Australian Community Foundation, the Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust and Philanthropy Australia.
FRANK CELATA
Francesco (Frank) Celata is the Associate Principal Clarinetist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Frank graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1987. He then studied in Amsterdam and in 1991 he returned to Australia, where he was appointed Principal Clarinet with the then Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra.
Frank joined the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1993 as Associate Principal Clarinet. He has appeared with them as a soloist as well as with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, and Guest Principal Clarinet at the Philharmonia Orchestra London and London Symphony Orchestra.
Frank is a founding member of one of Sydney’s leading chamber ensembles, the Sydney Soloists, and the New Sydney Wind Quintet. He is also a dedicated teacher and since 1994 has taught clarinet at the Sydney Conservatorium where he is a Lecturer in Clarinet. He has conducted masterclasses at the Shanghai Conservatorium, Trinity College, London and for the AWO. In 2013 Frank was appointed Artistic Director of the Australian International Symphony Orchestra Institute (AISOI) – until its closure in 2017. Simultaneously, he joined the staff of the Conservatorium of Music, Hobart as Lecturer in Orchestral and Chamber Music until 2017.
MILES DRURY
Miles is Chief Financial Officer of Plenti, a technology-led financial services firm listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. Prior to joining Plenti, Miles was Chief Financial Officer of Caltex’s Retail business and before that General Manager – Strategy for Caltex. Miles commenced his career with UBS where he spent 14 years working in investment banking.
Miles has always been significantly better at listening to and appreciating music than performing it, having peaked as a very average Euphonium player in his youth.
JASON GELLERTBCom, LLB
Jason works in funds management where he helped establish BetaShares, a leading manager of exchange traded funds on the ASX. He was previously in investment banking with Morgan Stanley in their Sydney and New York offices. He served on the White City Development Committee between 2010 and 2015.
Jason is also a practising musician, and regularly performs at various jazz festivals around Australia.
ALEX KING
Alex is a disputes, litigation and insolvency lawyer. He is a Principal at King and Collins specialising in complex private wealth disputes and litigation.
Alex was educated at Sydney and Monash Universities, completing his articles with Arnold Bloch Leibler in 1997. He was appointed a senior associate of the firm in 2000 and became a partner in 2004. Alex is also a regular presenter of papers to lawyers and non-lawyers regarding the practical application of the law in business contexts, in Australia and overseas.
FELICITY ROURKEBA LLB (Hons)
Felicity, a lawyer, is a Partner of law firm Allens.
Her legal practice specialises in planning and environmental law, acting for Australia’s leading institutional and private investors and developers across all real estate sectors. Felicity is acknowledged as a pre-eminent practitioner in a number of leading legal directories.
Felicity is also a director of Friends of the Mater Foundation, which supports the operations of the Mater Hospital in Sydney.
A keen musician, since 2015 Felicity has been a member of the Sydney Lawyers Orchestra.
GABRIELLE THOMPSONAM, FFIN, MAIEX
Gabrielle was a founding director of the Australian World Orchestra and has served as CEO since joining the board in 2009 upon the formation of the orchestra.
Since the early 2000’s Gabrielle was also involved in the Australian film industry with production credits on a number of short and feature films.
Prior to entering into the arts, Gabrielle enjoyed a 25 year career in international banking with ANZ, Credit Lyonnais and Citigroup.
NEIL THOMPSONBEC, SA, FIN, MAICD
Neil is a founding director of the Australian World Orchestra and served as its Chairman from 2011- 2015.
In 2013-2016, Neil served in an executive capacity as Finance Director. Prior to 2013 and since 2016 he served as Finance Director in an honorary capacity.
Neil has had a 40 year career serving as a director and executive in senior corporate and finance roles with a number of public and private companies. Most recently Neil was the Chief Financial Officer of the Ascender group from 2016 to 2021. Neil is currently a Non-Executive director of City Chic Collective Limited (ASX: CCX) and a Finance Operating Partner with Potentia Capital, an Australian based private equity firm.
KAREN WILLIAMS
Karen is a management consultant with over 25 years executive leadership and business experience, principally in the financial services industry. She specialises in business strategy, governance, coaching, high-stakes facilitation, complex negotiations, compliance, risk and project execution.
Prior to consulting, Karen was General Counsel at QBE Mercantile Mutual. Before that, she was a Senior Associate at Phillips Fox and a solicitor at Mallesons Stephen Jaques.
Karen is most at home in complex and uncertain environments, start-ups and organisations facing unprecedented change. Through these testing environments, she has earned a reputation for decisive and empowering leadership, ‘straight talk’ and exemplary commonsense problem solving.