GOVERNORS 

Centennial Parklands Foundation has a Board of Governors in place to oversee the strategic and investment decisions of the entity.

The current Governors of Centennial Parklands Foundation are:

Ilan Israelstam (Chair)

B Com, LLB (Hons) (UNSW)

Ilan is an accomplished entrepreneur and businessman. He is a Co-Founder of BetaShares, one of Australia's leading fund managers, and is a Principal of Apex Capital Partners, a private investment firm with a focus on early stage investing in financial services.

Previously, Ilan worked in New York and Sydney for The Boston Consulting Group.

Ilan is also the Chair of the Sydney Jewish Museum Foundation and Director of the BetaShares Foundation.

Ilan lives in Centennial Park with his wife and three young children and can regularly be found running, dog-walking and socialising in the Parklands. He is passionate about ensuring that the Parklands' legacy, beauty and critical importance to the City endures forever.

Penny Mapp

BA (USyd) History of Art 

Penny is an accomplished senior leader, serving on the Board of a range of organisations, including Executive Director of the Grahame Mapp Foundation, Non-Executive Director of Carsingha Investments, Non-Executive Director of Mapp Group Holdings and Chair of the Footpath Library.

She is also the Founder and Director of Sydney Nature Kindy and is currently working on fulfilling her dream to open a full-time nature-based childcare centre in Sydney. 

Penny lives in Randwick with her twin girls. She is also a major supporter of the Ian Potter Children's WILD PLAY Garde and a passionate advocate of nature education.

Nina Murray 

B Com (with merit) (UNSW), MBA (UTS)

Nina is an experienced non-executive director and has previously worked at Macquarie Bank and PricewaterhouseCoopers. She graduated locally from UNSW with a BA in Commerce and recently completed her MBA at UTS. 

Nina has a longstanding connection with Centennial Parklands as Chair of the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust's Community Consultative Committee (CCC). She is also an avid park user and has run, picnicked, dog walked, watched movies, scootered, and cycled in and around Centennial Park and Moore Park for more than 20 years.

She is particularly interested in the visitor experience to the Park and in the promotion of its place in the life of Sydney. In this way she hopes to help its preservation and enhancement by helping to strengthen its voice in the community.

Nina is married, with two children and she enjoys playing an active part of the local community.

David Bluff

B.Comm/LLB (1st Hons)

David is currently Head of Private Equity at the Future Fund, Australia’s sovereign wealth fund, which oversees investments for future generations of Australians. He has had a 20 year career in international corporate finance and private equity at JPMorgan, SABMiller plc and as a Partner of The Carlyle Group. David has a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Queensland. David brings a wealth of strategic and governance experience to the Board.

He lives locally with his wife and two daughters and can be found cycling, running and enjoying the Park’s wonderful gardens on a daily basis. He’s passionate about supporting and preserving the Park’s critical role as a natural environment in urban Sydney.

Jenna Liang Farrell

Jenna has a wealth of global experience and expertise in the field of philanthropy. For the past decade she has supported and advised philanthropic individuals, businesses and foundations on innovative strategies to achieve positive social, cultural, environmental and community change.

Jenna has worked with the Aspen Institute in the United States and at Philanthropy Australia, as General Manager of the New Generation program and State Manager NSW & ACT. She has also served as a Senior Advisor to the Global Philanthropists Circle, an international network of leading philanthropic families, at Synergos.

Jenna holds a Bachelor of Arts (International Relations) from Tufts University and Master of International Affairs, Economics and Political Development from Columbia University.

Allison Langdon

BA (Hons) Journalism

Allison is a much-celebrated Australian television printer, journalist and author,

She is currently host of A Current Affair, and former co-host of Channel Nine's Today show as well as former reporter and presenter on 60 Minutes. 

Allison studied Journalism at Charles Sturt University and is also an Ambassador for R U Ok?, the Mirabel Foundation and the Gidget Foundation. 

She lives close to the Parklands with husband, Michael, and spends most days in the Park's Ian Potter Children's WILD PLAY Garden with her two young children.

She is also a country girl who grew up on a farm and wants to giver her inner-city kids the same experience of playing amongst nature.

Macgregor Duncan

BA (1st Hons), LLB (1st Hons) (Adel), MPA (Princeton), LLM (Harvard)

Macgregor has a wealth of experience in multiple fields and is the Co-Founder and Director of Constantinople Holding Company.

Previously, Macgregor led Westpac's corporate and business development team and was the Co-CEO of Westpac's digital bank. He also worked as managing director at a US private equity firm, investment banker at Goldman Sachs, and as a corporate lawyer in New York.

Macgregor lives in Randwick with his wife, Tanya, and their three children, and has been a long-time supporter of the Park - both in his professional and personal life.

Emilia Kefford

BEd (Early Childhood), Master Ed (Leadership and Management), Grad Dip Counselling

Emilia Fairfax Kefford has a wealth of experience in the not-for-profit, philanthropic and education sectors spanning two decades.

She holds a Bachelor of Education, Early Childhood Education (Macquarie University), as well as Master of Education and Graduate Diploma of Counselling from Notre Dame University. Following her studies Emilia worked with children and families as a teacher and counsellor. 

Emilia has also held roles at some of Australia’s leading charities, including Redkite, Mission Australia and Starlight Children’s Foundation Australia.
Emilia has been involved in philanthropy for over a decade and is currently Director on a number of family boards at Cambooya. She currently lives in Vaucluse with her 3 young children and chocolate Labrador. Growing up on Lang Road, Emilia has a fond affection for Centennial Park and what it can offer to the community. She is also an active member of Sydney Wildlife Rescue and is often caring for injured and/or sick birds and possums.

Nick Fordham

Nick Fordham is Chief Executive Officer of The Fordham Company, one of Australian's most successful and diverse talent management agencies. The Fordham Company, whose clients include some of the nation’s most respected and high-profile individuals covering sport, media and entertainment. Fordham has also built numerous successful businesses from global documentary and scripted production, sports broadcast rights, agriculture, cyber security and health food.

Along with his family, Nick established the Fordham Foundation in 2020, in honour of his Father John Fordham AM, to raise funds for ongoing research in the area of Head and Neck Cancer which took his Father's life in 2019.  Nick is also a Board Member of the Head and Neck Cancer Foundation and The Ricky Stuart Foundation which has successfully built numerous respite centres for families living with disability. 

Nick is a regular at Centennial Park with his wife Liz and two daughters, Maisie and Coco who all have a great love of nature, wildlife, and conservation.

Sally Walker

BA (Usyd) Media & Comms

Sally Walker is a Dharawal and Dhurga woman. She brings a wealth of experience in the not-for-profit sector, having managed marketing campaigns and corporate and philanthropic partnerships at some of Australia’s leading arts and cultural organisations, including ABC TV, Screen Australia, the Sydney Opera House and Bangarra Dance Theatre.  

Previously, Sally was CEO of the Gujaga Foundation, an organisation leading Language, cultural and research activities within the La Perouse Aboriginal community; she currently manages business development for Chief Executive Women.

As a descendant of Betsy Madden and Mary Ann Lyons, she belongs to a family that has an ancient and unbroken connection to Coastal Sydney. Sally looks forward to bringing this perspective to the park so that her young daughter Ruby and future generations can learn and grow outdoors.