Leesa Chesser is a senior leader and board member at the Adelaide Festival (AF), based in Adelaide, with a passion for resilient cultural governance, contemporary business models, and inclusive leadership. The AF is internationally recognized as Australia’s pre-eminent arts festival and includes Australia’s largest free literary festival, alongside opera, music, dance, visual art from all backgrounds and cultures. Leesa chairs the People and Culture Committee and serves on the Audit and Risk Committee. She also mentors emerging leaders and startup founders. She is committed to impact and sustainability, aligning her board portfolio at the West Beach Trust, Neami National (mental health $160M, 1000 staff, 70 contracts), and startups with the United Nations sustainable development goals. As a former state government minister, Leesa led the $723M national disability insurance transformation. Trained in health, economics and business, Leesa is a Salzburg Global Fellow who attended several sessions throughout the years.