The Board

The Royal Botanic Gardens Board Victoria (the Board) is a statutory authority established by the Royal Botanic Gardens Act 1991.

The Board consists of seven members appointed by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Minister.

Penny Fowler AM GAICD, BBus

Chair - Appointed 1 October 2023

Previously Deputy Chair (appointed 9 April 2016, reappointed 9 April 2020), and Board Member (appointed 8 April 2014, reappointed 9 April 2020 ). Penny Fowler has a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a CEW member. She has also been a member of the Royal Botanic Gardens Board Victoria since 2014 and is currently the Chair. She is also Chair of the Herald and Weekly Times and the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal. In addition, Penny is also Chair of The National Portrait Gallery, a board member of Tourism Australia, Tech Mahindra and is on the Advisory Boards of Visy and the Bank of Melbourne Foundation.

Royal Botanic Gardens Board Victoria Members

Jason Hay MBA, GAICD

Deputy Chair - Appointed 1 October 2023

Jason Hay is Regional Manager at ISPT, a property fund management company. He is also a local School Councillor. Jason previously held senior management positions with Coles Australia including National Property Manager - Coles Express and Portfolio Manager of Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Prior to that he spent time working in London for EA Shaw Chartered Surveyors and Foxtons. Jason was previously Partnerships Director and board member at GLOBE (Gay and Lesbian Organisation of Business and Enterprise) and a committee member of Melbourne Frontrunners Running Club (an international LGBTIQ+ running club). He holds a Master of Business Administration (Executive) and Certificate IV in Real Estate and has completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course.

Christine Wyatt MEnvS, BRTP (Hons), GAICD

Board Member - Appointed 30 November 2021

Christine Wyatt is an independent adviser and non-Executive Director with substantial corporate and public sector executive leadership and expertise in urban planning, environmental management, infrastructure delivery and governance. Christine is currently the Deputy Chair of the Suburban Rail Loop Authority and Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation and is a Board member of the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority. Previously, Ms Wyatt held the position of Deputy Secretary Planning with two Victorian State Government Departments. Before joining the public service, Christine was a senior executive leading planning and environmental services with global consulting engineering firms working with public and private organisations across Australia and internationally. Ms Wyatt holds a Masters of Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Town and Regional Planning both from the University of Melbourne. She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Peter Langkamp OAM, PhD, FAICD

Board Member - Appointed 1 October 2023

Peter Langkamp is Chair of The Disability Trust and of ermha365 and OC Connections (both subsidiary entities specialising in mental health and disability service provision). He is a member of the General Advisory Standing Committee of .au Domain Administration Limited. He is also a non-executive director of Residential Care Rights ‘Elder Rights Advocacy’ and has over 15 years’ experience as a non-executive director having previously served on the boards of Karingal St Laurence ‘genU’, Wellways, Forticom Group, Carers Australia and Yooralla, where he also served as President and Chair respectively. Peter has significant executive level experience with prior CEO and senior executive roles with Callista Software Services, Loyalty Pacific ‘FlyBuys’, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Accenture, National Disability Insurance Agency, Axciom, NRMA, Shell Australia and NAB. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Agriculture Science, Bachelor of Agriculture Science and Graduate Diploma in Accounting and Finance and is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Arianne Rose BSc LLB, GCertFinPlanning, FAICD

Board Member - Appointed 1 October 2023

Arianne Rose was Chairperson of the Alpine Resorts Co-ordinating Council from 2018 to 2022, board member 2016-2018, and was previously a non-executive director of Canopy nature-based solutions, Greening Australia, the Architects Registration Board of Victoria and Melbourne Polytechnic. She is currently a member of the Architects Registration Board of Victoria Tribunal Panel. Arianne holds extensive experience in law and governance, having held company secretary and general counsel roles with VicTrack and Bopple Management Limited. She also holds a Graduate Certificate in Financial Planning, a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Science and is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Damian Holmes AILA, RLA

Board Member - Appointed 1 October 2023

Damian Holmes is Chief Technical Officer at ASPECT Studios, an international design practice. He is also founder and editor of the World Landscape Architecture website. Damian has extensive experience as a Registered Landscape Architect including previous roles in DLC and BAU, both based in Shanghai, China, and UMA, based in Calgary, Canada. He is a former member of the International Federation of Landscape Architects' Advisory Circle and was a sessional tutor at RMIT University. Damian holds a Master of Landscape Architecture, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Urban Design and Planning (Landscape Architecture), a Bachelor of Applied Science (Horticulture) and is a member of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects.

Felicia Mariani GAICD

Board Member - Appointed 1 October 2023

Felicia Mariani is Chief Executive Officer and Company Secretary of the Victorian Tourism Industry Council. She is also a non­ executive director of the Australian Tourism Industry Council and RSPCA Tasmania. Felicia has a strong background in tourism and marketing with prior roles including Director of Marketing at Tourism Victoria, Managing Director at Australian Tourism Industry Council, Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Tasmania and General Manager, Tourism Sydney. She was previously a non-executive director of the Monash Gallery of Art and Cultural Attractions of Australia. Felicia has completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course and is a member of the Australian Marketing Institute.