Paul commenced as CEO of The Ian Potter Foundation in March 2023.

Paul holds Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law (Hons) degrees from the University of Melbourne and has extensive experience in both the commercial world and the not-for-profit sector.

Paul's experience includes practising as a corporate lawyer in Australia, Asia and the UK, including working as Chief Legal Officer & Company Secretary of Fosters' Group Limited and Treasury Wine Estates Limited. Paul has also worked in a number of executive and chief executive roles both in Australia and the United States in public and private companies. 

Prior to joining the Foundation, Paul was Chief Executive Officer of FareShare, a volunteer-led organisation engaged in the transformation of food rescue into nutritious meals for people in need.

He has also served as Chairman of the Summer Foundation, an organisation focused on stopping young people with disability from being forced into residential aged care and ensuring they have access to the support required to be in control of where, how and with whom they live.

Paul is also CEO of  The Ian Potter Cultural Trust and The George Alexander Foundation

Dr Alberto Furlan is Senior Program Manager providing strategic advice to the Board around impactful partnerships with the not-for-profit sector. Dr Furlan specifically manages the Community Wellbeing area of funding and leads the program management team's implementation of the Foundation's strategic approach to grantmaking.

After completing a degree in Philosophy at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, Italy Alberto moved to Australia in 2001 to undertake doctoral studies in Anthropology at the University of Sydney. Alberto spent over five years in Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, first as an academic fieldwork researcher and later as a regional anthropologist employed by the Central Land Council in Tennant Creek working on the management and protection of sacred sites.

Alberto volunteers on the Board of The Social Studio, a Melbourne-based social enterprise comprising a fashion school and clothing label that operates to create meaningful and long-term social change for young people of migrant and refugee backgrounds facing barriers to employment and education.

Louise Arkles is Senior Program Manager responsible for the Foundation's Sustainable funding pillar. 

She is an active member of the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network and was instrumental in The Ian Potter Foundation winning Philanthropy Australia’s 2017 Environmental Philanthropy Award. 

Louise joined the Foundation in 2015 as Program Manager for Environment, Arts, and The Ian Potter Cultural Trust.

Previously, Louise has worked in philanthropy with individual donors and grant-making foundations for two decades, focusing on sharing the history, the passion, the outcomes and the impact of people’s generosity in order to raise the profile and effectiveness of philanthropy in Australia. She created the first Australian library specialising in philanthropy at the national peak body (Philanthropy Australia) in 2001 and went on to edit the Australian Philanthropy magazine.

Nicole Bortone has worked at the Foundation since March 2011 and is now the Senior Program Manager responsible for managing the Foundation’s Early Childhood Development grants program, as well as managing The Alec Prentice Sewell Gift.

Nicole currently sits on several advisory groups, including the Centre for Policy Development’s Early Childhood Development Council, the Investment Dialogue for Australia’s Children Philanthropic Taskforce, and the Advisory Council for SNAICC’s Early Years Support program. She was the founder of the Early Childhood Impact Alliance: a group of corporate and philanthropic funders that meet regularly to learn about the latest research, program innovations, and policy affecting young children and their families in order to improve collaboration and strategic investment in this space.

Nicole has completed a Master of Public Policy and Management at the University of Melbourne as well as a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science and International Studies). As a mother of two young children, Nicole is passionate about ensuring all Australian children and young people have the best start in life and the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Louise Joel joined the Foundation in July 2022 in the role of Program Manager responsible for The Ian Potter Foundation’s Vibrant funding pillar, including the Foundation’s Arts program area, The Ian Potter Cultural Trust, and the Ian Potter Moving Image Commission (IPMIC).

Louise holds a Bachelor of Arts (Art History) from The University of Melbourne, a Master’s degree in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Manchester University (Singapore), and a Masters of Business Administration from The Australian Institute of Business.

For the last fifteen years, Louise has worked in a variety of roles in the Australian and International Arts sectors and brings a wealth of knowledge to the team.

Karin Sitte joined the Foundation in December 2024.  She has over 20 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, initially as a medical researcher with a PhD in genetics and immunology from the University of Queensland.

Karin then built a career in research management with Neurosciences Victoria and later as a grant specialist at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. During that time, she also completed a Graduate Certificate in Management at La Trobe University.

Changing career in 2019, Karin embarked on further study completing a Graduate Certificate in Social Impact at Swinburne University and subsequently started her own business helping social enterprise and NFP clients with impact monitoring and funding applications. Karin then worked with Equity Trustees as Grants and Program Manager for the Health and Medical Research focus area developing their granting strategy.

Paula stepped into the role of Program Officer in June 2022, taking responsibility for supporting the Foundation's program management team.

Paula holds a Bachelor of Law, with a specialisation in Management, Governance and Public Affairs and a Master’s in Government and Public Policy, from Externado University of Colombia.

After relocating to Australia Paula completed a Master of Development Studies from the University of Melbourne.

Paula has more than ten years of experience working in the academic, legal, and international sectors. Including the Colombian Administrative Supreme Court, Colombian educational institutions, the Latin American Development Bank, and Australian and International non-for-profit organisations.

Brad Shrimpton is Program & Partnerships Manager for The George Alexander Foundation.

Caroline Henwood joined the Foundation in August 2022. She is a strategy development and evaluation expert committed to supporting organisations to deliver on their objectives. Caroline engages with people to understand both the challenges that they face and the vision they are trying to achieve. 

Caroline has worked within the private and government sectors and with not-for-profit and community service organisations. She has over ten years of experience in monitoring, evaluating, stakeholder engagement and facilitation across a broad range of sectors, including environment, education, social protection and justice and with the justice system. Most recently, her role involved monitoring Victoria's response to the Royal Commission into Family Violence and delivery of its 10-year plan to end family violence.

Caroline holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Environmental Management and is the Convenor of the Victorian chapter of the Australian Evaluation society.

Ximena Avalos Mendez joined the Foundation in May 2022 as Research & Evaluation and Major Grants Development Officer to work with the Major Grants and Research & Evaluation teams.

Ximena holds a Bachelor of Arts (International Affairs) from The Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey, and a Master in Development Studies with a Gender Specialisation from The University of Melbourne.

She began her career in the humanitarian and development sector in Mexico, her home country, before moving to Australia in 2020.

Ximena’s experience includes working at the United Nations, the Human Rights Office in the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Carlos Slim Foundation, the Mexican Food Banks Association, and the International Agency of Quality Education.

Sara Hearn joined the Foundation in 2015 to primarily develop and maintain the Foundation's websites and other digital media platforms. In October 2016, she took on the role of Communications Manager. of the Foundation, The Ian potter Cultural trust and The George Alexander Foundation.

Sara's background includes working in educational and trade publishing, online publishing in the higher education sector and managing digital services for the academic and corporate library sectors. She has also previously held senior positions in marketing and publicity in the higher education and publishing sectors.

Bianca Suparto joined The Ian Potter Foundation in June 2024. Bianca holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters degree in Arts & Cultural Management from The University of Melbourne. Born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, she moved to Melbourne to be a part of the city’s diverse and vibrant arts scene. Bianca has a strong love for cinema and has helped coordinate several film festivals previously.

Coral East joined the Foundation in March 2024 as the Administration & HR Manager. In this role, she supports the Foundation with governance, operational and database administration, and HR duties.

Coral holds educational certifications in the arts (Bachelor of Arts, Music Business Management) and community service (MicroMasters, Leadership in Community Development). She has over 16 years of experience working in the not-for-profit arts, social justice and sustainability sectors.

Coral has a passion for the for-purpose sector, including green economy practices and using corporate social responsibility to further equality.

In her spare time, she volunteers as a transporter for a Melbourne-based animal foster care group and advocates for animal welfare.

Sue has worked for The Ian Potter Foundation since 2007.  After completing a Senior Secretarial diploma in 1979, Sue was recruited by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.  She then moved on to a career within the oil industry before moving to an administration role with a small engineering company.  Sue then took a 6-year career break while living in the UK and USA, before returning to Melbourne in 2006. Sue completed a Diploma in Visual Arts in 1996 and still continues to paint/create in her spare time.

Nicole Hunter joined the Foundation in 2019 taking on the role of Office Coordinator. For the last 20 years, Nicole has worked for a range of ethical organisations including Oxfam Australian and the Australian Conservation Foundation in a range of administration and organisational support roles.

Anna McCallum joined The Ian Potter Foundation in November 2018. Anna is a Chartered Accountant who has over 20 years of experience working across various industries both in Australia and the UK.

After completing her commerce degree in Melbourne, she joined PwC as a graduate accountant – it was there that she gained her membership to the Institute of Chartered Accountants. Since leaving PwC, Anna has been the CFO of Golf Australia, and most recently the Executive Officer of the Marian and E.H. Flack Trust.

Anna is also the Chief Finance Officer for The Ian Potter Cultural Trust and The George Alexander Foundation.

Viktoria joined the Foundation in 2019. She has a Bachelor of Finance and Accounting from RMIT University and was previously General Manager of the Melbourne School of Fashion.