Luca Belgiorno-Nettis AM
Founder
Luca Belgiorno-Nettis is the Managing Director of Transfield Holdings, and Prisma Investment – a private Family Office. He has a B. Arch. (UNSW) and a Dip.Urb.Est. Mgmt. (UTS).
In 2004 he founded The newDemocracy Foundation, a non-for-profit research organization focused on political reform. In 2009 he was awarded an AM for his work in arts and the community generally, and in 2014 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Western Sydney University.
Iain Walker
Executive Director
Iain Walker is Executive Director of the newDemocracy Foundation (nDF) in Australia, a role he has held since 2011.
Iain has led over 20 trial projects at local government and state government level including projects for State Premiers on both sides of politics. The topics have ranged from long-term budgeting for the $4bn City of Melbourne Financial Plan to the potential for a high-level nuclear waste storage facility in South Australia. In the water industry, nDF designed the 2017 Citizens’ Jury process for Yarra Valley Water.
Christine El-Khoury
Director of Communications & Projects
Christine previously worked as a senior broadcast journalist and producer for two decades in long-form national news and current affairs. Starting at community television in Melbourne, Christine moved to Sydney to join SBS television’s Insight in 2006. This was followed by stints with NITV and the independent production sector, before moving to the ABC, where she has worked for Q&A, 7.30, local radio and won a UN Media Peace Prize for a Radio National Background Briefing on Anti-Muslim Extremists. Since having two boisterous boys, Christine has freelanced in policy development, community engagement, communications and training in the university sector. She has a Bachelor of Media Studies, Post-graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) and a Master of Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Sydney.
Kathy Jones
Director
Kathy Jones, is currently a Director and an Executive Chair of a number of organisations that focus on democratic reform, social infrastructure and precinct activation. Kathy utilises her skills in advisory work and strategy in both Australia and the UK. She was the founder and chief executive of KJA, one of Australia’s largest engagement and community consultation companies before selling it internationally in 2018.
Lyn Carson
Director
Lyn Carson is a former professor in applied politics at the University of Sydney Business School, former professor with the University of Western Sydney, former academic director of the United States Studies Centre, and currently an associate of the Centre for Deliberative Democracy & Global Governance at the University of Canberra. ‘Carson’ also currently serves as newDemocracy’s research director.
She has written handbooks on community engagement and many articles and book chapters on public participation, including a book, with Brian Martin, Random Selection in Politics (1999) and co-edited The Australian Citizens’ Parliament & The Future of Deliberative Democracy (2013).