Board of Directors

Alan Colegate, Chair

Alan Colegate is an Executive Director with Main Roads Western Australia and leads the strategy and communications functions. He also represents Australia and New Zealand on an International Committee looking at the Performance of Road and Transport Administrations. Alan has been actively involved with the ARA for more than 15 years including as a Divisional Coordinator and Member of the Awards Committee. He was appointed ARA Chair in 2021 and has continued as a Sector Coordinator and a member of the Awards Committee.

Bronwyn Wellings BEc FCPA FFTP GAICD, Deputy Chair

Bronwyn Wellings is an experienced executive and non-executive director with significant experience in the Finance and Treasury functions of major multinational and Australian companies, including BP, Amcor, OZ Minerals and VicForests, and not-for-profit Boards. Bronwyn has a strong background in all aspects of finance and a particular interest in corporate finance, strategic planning, risk management, governance and integrated reporting. She is currently Chair of the Finance, Audit, Risk and Remuneration Committee of the ETU (Victorian Branch), Chair of the St. Andrew’s Foundation and a member of Victoria University’s Compliance, Audit and Risk Committee. She joined the ARA Board in 2020.

Ray Lane BComm MPA FIPAA FAIDC MIIA, Company Secretary and Board Secretary

Ray Lane is principal of Ray Lane Consulting which specialises in service delivery performance, organisational and management enhancement, risk management and reporting frameworks. During his extensive career in state and local government he held senior administrative positions covering stakeholder engagement, policy development, strategic and operational planning; performance review and evaluation; and development of governance frameworks. Ray is committed to a professional public sector and held the position of National Secretary for the Institute of Public Administration Australia for thirteen years. Ray became an ARA Adjudicator in 2007 and Coordinator in 2009. He joined the ARA Board in 2014 and is Company and Board Secretary.

Dr Maria Balatbat BSc MCom PhD FCPA CA, Director

Maria Balatbat is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Accounting, Auditing and Taxation and a Founding member of the Collaboration for Energy and Environmental Markets (CEEM) at the Business School, University of New South Wales Sydney. Maria has over 30 years of experience in accounting as a practitioner, researcher and educator, specialising in the areas of corporate reporting including sustainability and integrated reporting and environmental and social accounting. Maria is also a member of the Environmental Sustainability Steering Committee at UNSW and the Technical Working Group at the Climate Disclosure Standards Board. She is an elected member of CPA Australia’s NSW Divisional Council. Maria joined the ARA board in September 2019.

Andrew Crawford FAICD FCA FCPA MACS CP, Director

Andrew Crawford is a senior consultant, a non-executive director and a casual academic working with several universities, colleges and health organisations in Australia. Andrew specialises in the areas of strategy execution, project management, IT, HR and performance measurement. Andrew has worked in international banking, insurance and wealth management, emergency services and management consulting prior to his current career. Andrew became an ARA Adjudicator in 2009 and a Coordinator in 2013. He joined the ARA Board in 2018.

Hendrik Lianto BEc BEng MCom MAc CPA, Director and Chair of Awards Committee

Hendrik Lianto is a senior manager at Transport for NSW.  He specialises in financial improvement, business management, risk and quality management, as well as budget management.  With over 15 years of experience, he began his career in NSW public sector as a graduate at the Audit Office of NSW and has held positions across various clusters, including Commerce and Communities & Justice, before his tenure at Transport.  Hendrik was appointed as an ARA Adjudicator in 2016 and advanced to the role of Coordinator in 2018.

Jannat Maqbool FCPA MDigBus BFA

With over 25 years of experience across Australasia, Jannat is a seasoned leader in technology and innovation, with a focus on impact. Jannat has been instrumental in advancing digital transformation, particularly in finance, education, and smart cities, influencing policy, and developing collaborative approaches to drive lasting progress in an increasingly digital world. Originally from the Clarence Valley and now based in Melbourne, Jannat is an FCPA and holds a Masters in Digital Business.

Murali Sagi PSM BEng MBA GradCertPSM DipLaw (LPAB) MIEAust FACS, Director

Murali Sagi PSM is the former Deputy Chief Executive of the Judicial Commission of NSW. He is a qualified management professional, IT expert, electronics engineer and a lawyer with over 25 years of experience in successfully managing complex programs and policy challenges in both the government and private sectors.

He has provided technical assistance to many international organisations including the United Nations, Asia Development Bank, the British Commonwealth Secretariat as well as AusAID for capacity building projects.

Murali was awarded the Public Service Medal in the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours. He is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society, Chair of ACS NSW Fellows Committee, and an Industry/Professional Fellow of University of Technology Sydney.

Stephen Varady CSM MAPublicSectLead GCertPubSecMgmt, Director

Stephen Varady is respected nationally within the corporate governance industry as a facilitator, public speaker and an authority in performance reporting. Stephen is considered to be very knowledgeable in the field of annual reporting.  He has provided guidance and advice to a great many organisations across Australia and New Zealand. Stephen became an ARA Adjudicator in 2008, a Coordinator in 2012 and joined the ARA Board in 2015.