About ACE People
The members of the Board
The ACE board oversees governance of the organisation and are vital ambassadors for the organisation. The board members’ skillsets and networks reflect our mission, vision and business needs.
ACE People – Board
About ACE People
The members of the Board
The ACE board oversees governance of the organisation and are vital ambassadors for the organisation. The board members’ skillsets and networks reflect our mission, vision and business needs.
Chairperson
Zoran is a proud member of Western Sydney community, having moved here in the 90s as a refugee. He is a seasoned finance and banking executive with over 20 years of experience in business and financial management. As Head of Customer Excellence at NAB, he leads a team dedicated to delivering improved customer experience in NAB’s personal bank. With deep expertise in the Australian financial sector, he has held key leadership roles at NAB, including Head of Digital Business Origination as well as being a Business Banking Executive. Zoran holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Western Sydney University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investments from Kaplan Institute.
Deputy Chairperson
Mehal Krayem is a researcher, educator, and social impact leader working at the intersection of equity, community engagement, and higher education. With over two decades of experience across academia and the community sector, her work focuses on addressing structural inequalities and expanding access for underrepresented communities.
She currently works at the University of Technology Sydney’s Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion, where she leads award-winning community-engaged learning initiatives, including the UTS Shopfront Program and the UTS SOUL Award. Through this work, she has designed and delivered programs that build reciprocal partnerships between universities and community organisations and support students to engage critically with social justice issues.
Her research examines race, media representation, and public discourse, with a focus on Arab and Muslim identities in Australia. She is the author of Heroes, Villains and the Muslim Exception and is committed to advancing institutional change through equity-focused, collaborative approaches.
Treasurer
Iqra is an Associate Director in the Corporate and Institutional Banking division at NAB, managing a portfolio of Private Corporates and ASX200 clients. Her passion lies in building strong customer relationships and providing innovative solutions, which she led in various roles across Commonwealth Bank, KPMG, and Deloitte. She graduated from UNSW with a Bachelor of Commerce (Business Law & Human Resource Management) and holds an Advisory Board Member position at the USYD Arts and Social Sciences Faculty. As a Banking and Financial Services Oath Ambassador with the Ethics Centre, Iqra supported the next generation of professionals in adopting a strong ethical foundation. Iqra contributed to designing youth development programs and initiating engagement through a volunteering program with Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Corporation in partnership with Jawun. She was also a Fast Forward Mentor with The Smith Family where she provided ongoing mentoring to high school students, contributing towards the success of their secondary education.
Secretary
Dawnie is a senior lawyer with over 15 years’ experience working with global law firms and large, complex organisations across the consumer, consulting, technology and higher education sectors. She is the founder and director of Interior Legal, an in‑house legal advisory practice, and has worked in Sydney and Shanghai.
With strong connections to Western Sydney, Dawnie has a keen interest in innovation and supporting the arts. She is particularly committed to work that promotes access, equity, creative expression, and to contributing her professional expertise to organisations creating positive cultural and social impact.
As Commissioning Editor at Stan, Donna Chang works across Stan’s pipeline of original film and television projects. Donna combines industry experience with her own commitment to showcasing underrepresented communities, drawing on her career in the screen industry, including at Screen Australia, where she served as Development Executive as well as at Ridley Scott’s production company, Scott Free, in London.
Julie Clarke-Jones (Webb) is a proud Dharug woman from multiple fresh and saltwater clans. She works as an advocate, educator, consultant artist, dancer and mentor. Working with various organisations, Julie has managed to promote cultural awareness, equity, access and self-determination in both the public and private sectors. Her activism is present in the boardroom and on the picket line, with her notable association with the #StopAdani movement. She is an enthusiastic advocate for her people, land and social justice matters in general.
She has advised on many cultural programs and visual arts projects such as; Sydney Metro West and Tony Albert’s Ngara – Ngurangwa Byallara (Listen, hear, think – The Place Speaks), part of the Blacktown Native Insitution Project 2018. Most recently she played a leading role in The Gulbangali Dharug Nura Project for NIRIN 22nd Biennale of Sydney. Julie is currently Chairperson, Dharug Strategic Management Group, and a former Chairperson of the Darug Tribal Aboriginal Corporation.
Kon Gouriotis OAM has held various Australian visual arts leadership roles including, Director of the Australia Council for the Arts Visual Arts Board, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and Australian Centre for Photography. He is the co-founder of Bandicoot Publishing Pty Ltd includes Art Almanac and Artist Profile magazines and Bandicoot Books. His currently the Editor of Artist Profile magazine and an independent visual arts writer and curator. His presently curating Steve Lopes Encountered a twenty-year survey exhibition of the Australian painter for S.H. Ervin Gallery and Orange Regional Gallery NSW from March – July 2022 and co-curating Mick Richards Above & Below for Redcliffe Art Gallery, QLD in April – July 2022. Also, the co-editor of Jasper Knight: 50 Portraits and Khaled Sabsabi monograph, both fine art edition books to be released in late 2022.
Claudia Chidiac is an arts worker and creative producer, with over 20 years’ experience collaborating with diverse communities across Greater Sydney. Her work spans intimate projects to large-scale events, fostering spaces where children, families, and intergenerational audiences can engage with the arts. Claudia created the Way Out West Festival for Children at Liverpool Powerhouse (2011-2013, 2017-2020) and by The Kids series — audio adventures and live art works co-authored with children in their neighbourhoods: The Village by The Kids and Trains by The Kids (Bondi Festival 2023, Sydney Festival 2024). She was co-curator of HIVE Festival (AGNSW 2024). Claudia has held leadership roles as Theatre Producer at Liverpool Powerhouse and Artistic Director/ EO of Pyt Fairfield (2005–2010). A recipient of the Creative Australia Ros Bower Award (2024), the Australia Council Young Leaders Award (2006), Western Sydney Fellowship (2004) Claudia is an Associate Artist at PACT and serves proudly on the boards of Monkey Baa Theatre Company and Arts and Cultural Exchange. Claudia is a Community Ambassador for the 25th Biennale of Sydney.
