Leslie Koch - President for The Trust for Governors Island, New York

Leslie Koch is the president of The Trust for Governors Island.   

Governors Island is a 172 acre island in New York Harbor. Ms. Koch is responsible for the planning, redevelopment and on-going operation of the 150 acres of the Island owned by The Trust.

Under her direction since 2006, Governors Island has been transformed from an abandoned military base into a vibrant public space, welcoming hundreds of thousands of seasonal visitors and a diverse array of arts and cultural programs. Ms. Koch oversees an ambitious $300 million capital program which is adding 40 new acres of park and bringing the Island’s infrastructure into the 21st century. Ms. Koch is considered a leader in public-private partnerships, attracting new tenants and philanthropic support for the Hills, the centerpiece of the Island’s transformation. Her leadership has received recognition from such organizations as the American Institute of Architects and the Municipal Art Society, among others.

Prior to The Trust, Ms. Koch was the CEO of the Fund for Public Schools, the nonprofit organization affiliated with the New York City Department of Education. She increased public participation in education and secured nearly $160 million in private sector support.

Ms. Koch previously was an executive at Microsoft. A native New Yorker, she received a BA summa cum laude from Yale College and a MPPM from the Yale School of Management. She lives in Brooklyn.

Lindsay Miller - Managing Director, Dubai Design District

Lindsay Miller is the Managing Director of Dubai Design District, also known as D3, the region’s first community dedicated to the design industry.

Lindsay is responsible for developing and implementing the overall strategy of D3, part of TECOM Investments, with a focus on developing it as a world-class creative district that helps the regions’ design community realise its full potential, and serve as a global design gateway for the Middle East. D3 will nurture and develop local and Arab designers, as well as being home to some of the world’s leading brands and talent.

Prior to D3, Lindsay worked in various roles across TECOM Investments for six years, including Executive Director of Strategy and Business Development for the group’s six industry clusters. She has helped guide the commercial strategy of TECOM’s business parks, including Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City, and had a leading role in the development and establishment of the Dubai Film and Television Commission. As part of this role, Lindsay supported the project that brought Mission Impossible 4 to Dubai, and managed the National Media Council’s TV audience measurement project, which led to the establishment of Tview; the first initiative of its type in the GCC.

Prior to her role at TECOM, Lindsay worked for the Toronto International Film Festival and the National Film Board of Canada, after which she relocated to Dubai. Earlier, Lindsay was a flight instructor, preparing students to pilot 747-400 commercial aircraft.

Lindsay holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto, and a MBA in Strategic Management from the Schulich School of Business, York University.

Paul Barclay - Presenter, Big Ideas, ABC

Claire Spencer - CEO, Barbican

Claire Spencer leads the Barbican Centre after being appointed by the City of London Corporation as its first-ever Chief Executive Officer, following a far-reaching recruitment search.Claire is an experienced and dynamic arts leader and took up her new post in May 2022, after stepping down from Arts Centre Melbourne, where she has been CEO since November 2014. She has nearly 20 years’ experience at the Sydney Opera House and Arts Centre Melbourne.Claire will play a key role in the work underway to embed equity, diversity and inclusion across the Barbican Centre’s operations. She will also be an integral part of the Barbican Renewal Project, the design teams shortlist was announced last month, which will put culture front-and-centre of the City of London’s recovery from the pandemic. In her new role, Claire will drive forward the Barbican Centre’s innovative agenda as an international centre of creative excellence; pushing ambitious targets for audiences, education, and the workforce, and building strong relationships with the diverse and vibrant communities the Centre represents and serves.

Sam Mostyn - Chair, Carriageworks, Chair, Citigroup, Board member, Australia Council for the Arts, Virgin Australia, Transurban, Mirvac, Cover-More Group, President, Australian Council for International Development

Sam Mostyn is a Non-Executive Director and sustainability adviser and speaker. She is the Chair of Citigroup and serves on the boards of Virgin Australia, Transurban, Mirvac and Cover-More Group. Sam has recently been appointed to the newly created Business and Sustainable Development Commission. 

Before this, Sam was Group Executive, Culture & Reputation at Insurance Australia Group and was responsible for the Human Resources, Corporate & Government Affairs, Internal Communications and Corporate Sustainability functions and served in this role for over six years. 

In her time at IAG, Sam oversaw the development of a corporate, social and environmental sustainability plan for the company with particular focus on integrating the company's internal cultural issues and business planning with customer, corporate, community and environmental activities. In that time, IAG participated in the formation of the Australian Business in the Community Network, the launch of the Australian Business Roundtable on Climate Change, and the creation of the Business for Millennium Development board. The company also committed itself to carbon neutrality, and to creating a safe, diverse and flexible workforce. 

Prior to joining IAG, Sam held senior executive positions with Optus Communications in Sydney and Cable & Wireless Plc in London, and between 1994 and 1996 she was a policy advisor to two Federal Communications Ministers before joining the office of the Prime Minister Paul Keating as a senior communications policy advisor. 

In 2005, Sam was appointed as a Commissioner with the Australian Football League. 

Sam's other board and advisory roles continue to encompass a broad range of interests. She previously served as President of the Australian Museum and a board member of Reconciliation Australia. She is Chair of Carriageworks and currently serves on the board of the Australia Council for the Arts. Sam is President of the Australian Council for International Development, and a member of the NSW Climate Change Council. She serves on the advisory board of ClimateWorks Australia and the Climate Council and is Vice-Chair of the DCA Board. Sam served a term as a Commissioner with the Federal Mental Health Commission, and was an inaugural member of the National Sustainability Council.  

Sam is a member of Chief Executive Women, and served on the Review of Treatment of Women in the Defence Force led by former Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick