ILSC Board
Board of Directors
The Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation Board is the primary decision-making body and oversees governance, considers land acquisition and land management proposals and monitors performance. The ILSC Board consists of seven directors; five, including the Chairperson, must be Indigenous people. ILSC Board Directors are appointed by the Minister for Indigenous Australians under section 191X of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005 (Cth).
Mr Ian Hamm
Chairperson
Appointed Chair of the Board, 1 December 2021
Term ends, 1 December 2024
Mr Ian Hamm is a Yorta Yorta man from Shepparton in central Victoria.
Ian has overseen major policy and strategic reforms for government and community organisations, including his work with the Australian Government (Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health) and the Victorian Government (Department of Justice, Department of Planning and Community Development, and the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources).
He works with people from a vast array of backgrounds, managing complex and sensitive relationships to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. Ian is now devoting himself to improving the representation of Aboriginal people on boards and other high-level governance, through strategic action, advocacy and mentoring.
Ian is Chairperson of the First Nations Foundation and Koori Heritage Trust, and President of the Community Broadcasting Foundation. He is also a Director on the Boards of The Healing Foundation, Yarra Valley Water, Inclusive Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Mr Hamm is also a sessional panel member on the Australian Financial Complaints Authority and Planning Panels Victoria.
Ms Claire Filson
Deputy Chairperson
Appointed Deputy Chair of the Board, 6 August 2021
Term ends, 5 August 2024
Claire Filson is an experienced non-executive director with more than 20 years’ experience on State and Federal Government boards and in superannuation and infrastructure businesses.
Chairing audit, risk, finance, and remuneration committees, Claire has extensive experience in financial services, superannuation, insurance, funds management, infrastructure and property including ports, roads, rail and utilities. Her knowledge and skills include corporate legal advice, strategic risk management, compliance and governance.
Ms Filson currently sits on the board of Greater Western Water in Victoria, and is an Independent Director of Redundancy Payment Central Fund Limited (Incolink), and Deputy Chair of the Port of Hastings Corporation and the Portable Long Service Benefits Authority. She is also Chair and independent member of the City of Kingston Audit and Risk Committee.
Mr Roy Ah-See
Board Director
Terms ends, 31 March 2025
Roy Ah-See is a Wiradjuri man who was born and raised on Nanima Reserve, near Wellington in New South Wales.
Roy was elected to the NSW Aboriginal Land Council in 2007 and was Chairperson of the Council from 2015 until mid-2019. He is also a member of the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council and Gandangara Local Aboriginal Land Council.
In 2017, Roy was selected to be a member of the Prime Minister’s Indigenous Advisory Council and chosen to be a member of the Advisory Committee for the Australian Law Reform Commission’s Inquiry into the incarceration rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
He has served on the New South Wales Local Government and Shires Association and previously worked at various government agencies and Aboriginal community controlled organisations.
Roy also has qualifications in social welfare and works in a voluntary capacity to help Aboriginal men who are experiencing challenges with drugs and alcohol.
Mr Nigel Browne
Board Director
Appointed, 28 October 2021
Term ends, 27 October, 2024
Nigel is a descendant of the Larrakia and Wulna peoples. His traditional Country encompasses the lands and waters of the Greater Darwin Region, Darwin & Bynoe harbours, Shoal, Adam & Chambers Bay, Cox Peninsula, Vernon Islands, Adelaide & Mary Rivers, Acacia, Cape Hotham, Fogg Dam, Humpty Doo & Koolpinyah Stations and Djukbinj National Park.
He is the CEO of the Larrakia Development Corporation, previously serving as a Director from 2005 and Chair from 2010 to 2013. Nigel studied at Northern Territory University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 2001. Other professional roles include Crown Prosecutor (ODPPNT), Aboriginal Lands (SFNT), and Policy Adviser.
Nigel is a Director at The Healing Foundation, Indigenous Land & Sea Corporation, Aboriginal Area Protection Authority (NT), AFLNT, Menzies School of Health Research and the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence amongst various other appointments.
He has served as a NORFORCE Patrolman (Army Reserve) and as a Legal Officer (RANR).
In 2011 Nigel was announced as the National Indigenous Legal Professional of the Year, in recognition of his advocacy, representation, and contribution to Larrakia and Aboriginal communities. He is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ms Kate Healy
Board Director
Appointed, 28 October 2021
Term ends, 27 October 2024
Kate brings a decade of experience working in the field of First Nations economic development in Australia and New Zealand. After spending 15 years as a commercial lawyer, Kate gained on-the-ground operational experience working with Ngāti Whātua Orākei, an Auckland based Maori corporation as their Chief Operating Officer. She has also had many years’ experience as a director for a range of organisations, included a listed company and various not-for-profit organisations.
Kate joined PwC Indigenous Consulting, a majority-Indigenous owned business in 2019 and leads their Economic Development practice nationally. In this role, she brings her skills, strategic approach and broad-based knowledge to a wide range of projects that focus on achieving greater prosperity for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders. A non-Indigenous ally, Kate is motivated to work with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as they realise greater self-determination. She believes that strong First Nations economies are intimately connected with improvements in the social and emotional well-being of Australia’s First Peoples, and recognises the key role that the ILSC plays in this regard.
Ms Gail Reynolds-Adamson
Board Director
Appointed, 4 January 2022
Term ends, 3 January 2025
Gail is a descendant of the Wadjuri peoples which is on the eastern boarder of the Nyungar Nation, (Esperance ) she is also a descendant of the Mirning People (“Whale people”) her mother’s country which stretches along the southern coast of WA to the South Australian border.
Gail is the Chairperson of the Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC (ETNTAC), a position she has held since the Corporation’s establishment in 2015.
She is also the Chairperson of Southeast Aboriginal Health Service, Board member on Horizon Power board, Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation, Board member on Indigenous Land and Sea Council, member of the South-west Marine Parks Advisory Committee and recently appointed to the First Nations Landcare Working Group.
Gail was a previous board member of Indigenous Business Australia and a Chairperson of Goldfields Esperance Development Commission.
She also runs her own business, a specialist training and consultancy company that works with Government, corporates, and mining companies such as Rio Tino and Woodside to engage with and work with first nations people.
Ms Kristy Masella
Board Director
Appointed, 16 March 2022
Term ends, 15 March 2025
Ms Kristy Masella is a Murri, South Sea Islander from Rockhampton, Darumbal Country in Central Queensland who has dedicated her life to the empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Ms Masella brings more than 30 years of experience working in Aboriginal affairs across multiple jurisdictions to assist Indigenous Australians realise the economic, social, cultural and environmental benefits of their land, sea and water Country.
Kristy is currently Managing Director of the Aboriginal Employment Strategy (AES), a national Aboriginal recruitment and group training company that drives empowerment through brokering employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians and supporting candidates to have successful careers. Prior to the AES Managing Director role, she was the head of Social Justice for Aboriginal Affairs New South Wales and led a major review of the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Rights Act.
Kristy studied Journalism at the University of Queensland and holds a Masters in Human Rights Law and Policy at the University of New South Wales specialising in Indigenous Rights.
Ms Masella is the Chairperson of Tranby National Indigenous Adult Education and Training; Director and Treasurer of Wunanbiri Preschool Incorporated; and a Member of the Redfern Aboriginal Community Alliance.