MEET OUR BOARD

Our visionary board of Directors bring a wide range of invaluable expertise and leadership to the Festival. Find out more about each of them below.

  • Launa was appointed Chair of the Board in May 2021. She has been a Director of MFF since May 2010.

    Launa is on the board of Australia Post and the advisory boards of Fantastic Furniture. Launa also sits on the board of the Not For Profit Organisation, The Alannah and Madeline Foundation (an organisation for helping abused children and preventing cyber bullying) and was appointed to the board of Fitted For Work in June 2024.

    Launa has strong business skills in large corporations, experience in multi-brand wholesale and retail, e-commerce, strategic planning, marketing, and corporate restructuring & has worked internationally. Launa was Managing Director for seven years to end 2011 of Target Australia, the largest Australian retailer of apparel, homewares and general merchandise, finishing with an annual turnover of A$3.9 billion, EBIT of A$281 million and 294 stores.

    Launa was also Managing Director of Officeworks and CEO and Managing Director of Billabong International, one of only six Woman CEOs in the ASX 200. In recognition of her contribution to business Launa was awarded Telstra Australian Businesswoman of the Year in 2003.

    In 2015 the Australian Marketing Institute awarded her the prestigious Sir Charles McGrath Award for her significant contribution to the field of marketing and wider industry achievements.

  • Chelsie is the national leader of PwC’s Private Deals team and has over 20 years experience working in the Retail and Consumer sector.  Chelsie spent 7 years in the PwC transaction services team in London and was a media spokesperson for PwC London on retail trends and issues for the luxury goods sector. 

    During her time in London Chelsie was the interim CFO at Jimmy Choo, the global luxury footwear and accessories brand. She has also held in-house secondment and advisory board roles at other Australian retailers , working with the business owners on strategic finance and commercial projects.  

    Chelsie is a highly experienced finance executive with proven leadership skills involving managing and motivating teams to achieve objectives.  She has strong interpersonal skills with regard to managing stakeholder relationships and is passionate about supporting the retail industry.  Chelsie is the chair of the MFF audit and risk committee. 

  • For over 20 years, Kallie has applied her experience and enthusiasm to the social sector through her work with international philanthropic and not-for-profit organisations. Her previous work includes roles at: Skoll Foundation (United States), Very Special Kids (Australia), The United Nations Development Programme (India) and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (Australia).  

    In 2015, Kallie commenced as the Director of MGA (Monash Gallery of Art) which is the Australian home of photography. In this role she looked after the gallery’s significant collection, yearly exhibitions, public and school programs, customer service and financial sustainability. In early 2018, she became Chair of  MGA’s Foundation. 

    Kallie is also a Trustee of St Vincent’s Institute and a member of the National Gallery of Victoria Women’s Association.  

  • Alexandra Smart is a creative business strategist, entrepreneur and advisor with over 30 years of experience in hyper-competitive industries such as media, fashion and retail. 

    Alexandra is best known for founding and scaling her own luxury fashion luxury enterprise, Ginger & Smart. As Managing Director, Alexandra led the growth and expansion strategy of the brand across multiple channels: national and international, digital, wholesale, and corporate. This lived entrepreneurial experience has equipped her with highly practical insights and management skills. Both now enrich her work as an executive coach and business advisor.  

    Fashion is as competitive and fast-paced as it gets. It is an industry where understanding consumer trends and behaviour is critical. Alexandra has a natural gift for identifying vital consumer insights and using them strategically. Inside a fashion business, there is also a world of complexity in strategy, people leadership, digital and e-commerce, design, manufacturing, supply chain management and ESG. Alexandra’s passion and vision oiled the machine, and in 2019 the well-established, ethically and sustainability-credentialed brand was successfully sold to private equity investors.  

    It is Alexandra’s ability to combine creative thinking and commercial imperatives that has forged a reputation that is defined by her business acumen, modern leadership style, strategic thinking and high performance.  

    Today, Alexandra is a partner at executive and leadership coaching firm, ECI Partners. She also divides her time between her consultancy Smart Alex Studio, lecturing at the AGSM in sustainability, and directorships. Her work is also informed by previous executive leadership roles in the media and digital sectors, as it is by her close involvement in both the arts and fashion industry development.  

    Alexandra is a board member of the Melbourne Fashion Festival, a board member of The Social Outfit, a former member of the Contemporary Collectors Benefactors Committee at the Art Gallery of NSW, a mentor with the AGSM/UNSW Alumni Leader Mentor program and has also been a member of the Textiles, Clothing and Footwear Innovation Committee, advising the Australian Government on issues around innovation and local manufacturing in the sector.  

    More broadly, Alexandra is an authoritative spokesperson for the fashion industry and a seasoned public speaker. She was recently voted into the Power 30 List of Influential Retailers.  

     Alexandra holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the AGSM and a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism).

  • Ginny Shiverdecker built a reputation as a business game changer who focuses on sustainable company growth strategies. For 20 years, Ginny has advised some of Australia’s premier brands, retailers and holding companies in business transformation and the power of brand reputation. She draws upon her C Suite experiences in the US as a corporate CMO, in private equity as CSO, and in the global agency world as EVP of Global Retail. Over the last decade, she established an independent consultancy and professional services network serving select clients who seek global growth opportunities. 

    Drawing upon her extensive retail and fashion experience in the US, Australia and over 50 countries internationally, she advises CEO’s, Boards and Leadership Teams on how to commit to the right innovative strategies, brand reputation pathways, and leadership profiles, to set them on a new trajectory. Ginny guided first ever innovations with best-in-class designers like Vera Wang, Ralph Lauren, and Martha Stewart, along with US Fortune 300 enterprise organizations ranging from $125M to $47B in sales. She does this by providing fresh points of view which focus on higher-level perspectives to unlock potential across an organization. Her unique insights are powered by a global lens and balanced data analysis to identify expansion opportunities locally, nationally and internationally. With an eye on P & L, she also helps clients adopt technology solutions to serve changing needs in the digital spheres of social media and ecommerce. 

    Prior to her opening her independent consultancy company, Ginny headed a Retail & Fashion Business Unit for McCann Worldgroup New York City. She led strategic development for starts ups, brands seeking revitalization, and well-established enterprises. With her teams, she produced many firsts in fashion/beauty/retail industry which helped brands achieve top tier market performance.  

    As a member of the Board of Directors she was instrumental in launching a NGO with BSB Design, the Abod Shelters Foundation which launched the “tiny home” trend in the US which focuses on providing unique shelter solutions for the worlds neediest. In this capacity, Ginny is an active  contributor to many NGOs. 

  • Christian is the co-founder and Creative Director of his eponymous luxury menswear label. A defining brand in modern Australian menswear, Christian Kimber designs high-quality garments that cater specifically to the unique Australian climate and lifestyle. 

     In 2019, Christian was awarded National Designer of the Year by the Melbourne Fashion Festival. He is based in Melbourne and shows at a range of local and international fashion week events annually. He also writes a monthly menswear column for GQ Australia called ‘Ask a Designer’.  

    Christian began his career working across a range of industry disciplines in London, for some of the most successful and acclaimed brands in the world. 

    Christian holds a Bachelor Degree in business from the University of London and trained in fashion design at both the London College of Fashion as well as RMIT, Melbourne.  

  • Anou Khanijou is a seasoned entrepreneur with a diverse background in managing businesses. She launched her first business, Anou Thai, in 1988 and has built and grown businesses across various industries. She is the CEO of IFOTA Group, a premier wholesale distributor of uniforms in Australia where she has modernized the company’s management information system and operations and strengthened the supply chain through ethical and rewilding manufacturing practices. 

    She is the CEO of Anouconcept Integrated Marketing, which is revolutionizing events and publicity in Australia. She has successfully overseen the launch of over 800 films, services, and products across Australia and New Zealand, and developed DigitalTicketing.com, a comprehensive SAAS platform for Guest Management Solutions. 

    Anou also has experience in hospitality as a part-owner and manager of Carousel Restaurant in Albert Park, known for hosting exceptional events for high-profile clients. 

    Anou is passionate about social impact and community engagement. She leads the Cista campaign, which donates a portion of garment sales to breast cancer charities and serves on the fundraising committee for prostate cancer awareness, known as the Chairman's Club. Currently, she is the President of the Australia India Society of Victoria, one of the oldest organisations in Australia established in 1963, and serves on the SPAL board for South Pacific area leadership in the Entrepreneurs Organization. Anou’s dedication to both business and community highlights her commitment to creating positive change beyond the corporate world.