ABOUT FORM

Our Mission:
To be a leader in developing a vibrant creative economy for the benefit and wellbeing of all Western Australian communities.

Our Vision:
FORM is a major contributor in ensuring Western Australia is a vibrant, thriving, and connected participant in a global creative economy. Our work is world-renowned for its ability to catalyse unique cultural expression, arising from our State’s healthy and prosperous communities.  

Berndnaut Smilde
Image courtesy of FORM

OUR VALUES

Creativity

We embrace change with a sense of possibility and positivity, using the creative process to generate new ideas, re-imagine old ideas, and express those ideas to inspire others.

Excellence

We take pride in making the time to ensure our work is of great quality and value to its beneficiaries; in each endeavour, we understand the definition and measure of its success.

Integrity

We are honest and true to our values. We do what we say we are going to do, learning from our mistakes and making amends, guided by elders and community across the State.

Community Empowerment

We aim to embed self-determination, grounded in cultural awareness and respect, as the basis of our work in all communities. FORM recognises that the Aboriginal peoples of Western Australia are the Custodians of the Country, their Culture, and their Communities, in all respects.

Collaboration

We can accomplish greater things together than any of us can alone. We embrace the power of diverse perspectives in achieving shared goals.

Our People

Our team is a collective of professionals from a wealth of backgrounds. We are writers, architects, content producers, designers, artists, educators and curators and we deliver our projects across the state.  

CEO and Board of Directors

Executive_Director_FORM_Tabitha_McMullan
Tabitha McMullan
CEO

Tabitha McMullan is a passionate visionary for arts and culture. Prior to joining FORM she held leadership roles in Activation & Cultural Experience; Community Development; and Arts, Culture & Heritage at the City of Perth. With over seventeen years’ experience in the international creative sector, across not-for-profit, university and local government organisations, she strongly believes in Western Australia’s place as a cultural leader on the world stage. She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has previously served as Chair of the CCCLM Culture and the Arts Policy Advisory Group and Principal Partnership Advisor for both the Perth Public Art Foundation Board and Heritage Perth Inc Board. For Tabitha, collaboration is critical to realising the state’s potential and driving ambitious cultural development programs.

"FORM embodies the deep love and passion I have for building creativity in Western Australia. The organisation drives a strong vision for our state to share its creative potential and cultural identity with the world. It is an honour to have the opportunity to work with FORM’s partners, board and staff to build meaningful connection and cultural experiences with communities across the state."


Tim_Shanahan_FORM_Chair
Tim Shanahan
Chair

Tim Shanahan is a respected Western Australian leader involved in a broad range of industries. He has previously led organisations in Minerals and Energy, Higher Education and Local Government. Currently Tim is Chair of the Cooperative Research Centre for Future Battery Industries (FBI CRC) and Zetta (ICT) Group. He is a Director of RACWA Holdings which runs financial services, tourism assets, and roadside services. He Chairs the RAC Investment Committee and is an Honorary Life Member of the RACWA, and is a past President. Tim is a board member of Committee for Perth and a member of the External Advisory Board of School of Medicine, Fremantle at The University of Notre Dame.

Tim is a qualified lawyer, an experienced company director (FAICD) and was honoured with a Public Service Medal in 2001 and a Centenary Medal in 2003.

“FORM has a wonderful track record of success and creativity. It has a deep capacity to connect with communities, to draw out and re-present powerful insights about how we feel about ourselves and how we live together.”

Tania Hudson, FORM Board Member
Tania Hudson
Deputy Chair

Tania Hudson is Chief of Staff at the Lions Eye Institute. A communications and stakeholder engagement professional, she has had a diverse career in all areas of stakeholder relations, including senior roles with the Minderoo Group, Rio Tinto and ANZ. A former business journalist at The Age and Courier-Mail newspapers, Tania has worked extensively in media and government relations, cross-sector collaboration and partnerships, philanthropy and corporate communications.

Qualifications: Bachelor of Arts (BA) - the University of Queensland; Post-Graduate Certificate in Cross-Sector Partnerships (PGCert) - the University of Cambridge; Graduate Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD)

“FORM is an incredible organisation that is built on the attributes of curiosity, creativity and collaboration. It has a unique ability to stimulate new thinking about the important role that the cultural sector has in our society, while at the same time honouring Australia’s past and thousands of years of Aboriginal culture through innovative programming. I love the passion of FORM’s people and the energy and excitement that FORM builds around every initiative it undertakes. I can’t contemplate a Western Australia without FORM … it has added so much to both our physical environment and to our cultural consciousness.”

Nicolette Casella
Director

Nicolette Casella is a passionate communicator with a deep knowledge of WA business, politics and arts communities, and extensive local and national contacts.

She is a collaborative leader accustomed to managing small and large teams, and diverse stakeholders, with proven results. With 25 years’ experience in journalism, Nicolette is an expert storyteller and a keen generator of creative ideas, driven by engagement with confidence and flair. A recent pivot into philanthropy has seen her thrive on nurturing and growing relationships.

An Asialink Leaders Fellow with a BA degree, double majoring in journalism and international relations, Nicolette joined UNICEF last year as Philanthropy Manager – the United Nations Children’s Fund’s first representative in WA.

Prior to that she was Editor of the Sunday Times Magazine from 2016 to 2021; Deputy News Editor of The West Australian from 2011 to 2016; and Deputy Managing Editor of The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph and mX from 2009 to 2010. She also held the unrelenting role of Chief of Staff for The Daily Telegraph for two years, charged with running a bustling newsroom of more than 50 reporters, plus international bureaux.

Stedman Ellis, FORM Board Member
Stedman Ellis
Director

Stedman Ellis is CEO of the Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre.  He has more than 30 years’experience across resources, research and not for profit sectors, in Australia and overseas, and has worked in leadership roles in public sector, membership and commercial organisations - one highlight being as Vice President External Affairs for BHP Iron Ore at a time when FORM began its engagement in the Pilbara. Stedman is also a director of the Australian Gas Industry Trust. He has a Bachelor of Arts from UWA.

"I’m inspired by an organisation with ambitions out of all proportion to its resources and capabilities – but which consistently delivers outstanding projects for diverse communities across WA.  It is a pleasure to be involved."  

Peter Lee, FORM Board Member
Peter Lee
Director

Peter Lee is a West Australian architect who has extensive experience with large scale developments both in Australia and internationally. He is the recipient of many design awards.  As an international Director of design firm HASSELL Peter has been involved in the design of major developments including, in Perth, the Optus Stadium, The new Westin hotel, the Casinore development, Crown Towers, Brookfield Place and the city and stadium railway stations.  

Peter is also on the boards of the Rottnest Island Authority, Foundation Housing and Open House Perth.  He is an Adjunct Professor at Curtin University and on the State and MRA Design Review Panels. 

“The wonderfully innovative team at FORM continually stuns me with their brilliant and inspiring creative works that change our understanding of and experiences of the stories that are all around us.  To be involved in those processes is truly a gift.”

Kathy Reid
Director

Kathy Reid is an experienced, energetic and hardworking professional who is passionate about strategy, governance and risk management. Kathy has been a Non-Executive Director since 2012. She brings to the board table the skills of composure and clear thinking when faced with complex challenges. Kathy has experience as a board member in transformational change, corporate transactions and culture development. She is currently a Partner at MinterEllison and a member of its national board,  which oversees a legal and consulting business with 2,500 staff nationally. She is a qualified lawyer and represents corporate clients in workplace and safety law matters.

Kathy leads MinterEllison’s Workplace team in Perth, which is recognised by clients and peers as one of Perth’s pre-eminent practices in this field. Through the diversity of organisations she has acted for and been associated with, she has gained experience in a wide range of industries, including energy and resources, construction, health and aged care, government at all levels, universities and schools, Indigenous corporations, sport and recreation.

Stuart Smith, FORM Board Member
Stuart Smith
Director

Stuart is Chief Executive of the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority, (NOPSEMA) having spent 28 years in public service roles.He worked in multiple jurisdictions around Australia before settling back home in Western Australia where he has led the WA Office of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the WA Department of Industry and Resources and the WA Department of Fisheries. Stuart is on numerous Boards and Committees and he pursues his interest in the arts through volunteer roles such as his ongoing contribution as Chair of the Newman Arts Festival.

Qualifications: Churchill Fellowship (CF), Bachelor of Economics from UWA and Post-Graduate Certificate In Economics from ANU.

“Creativity is a critical component of successful, vibrant societies but it can be hard to recognise and even harder to stimulate. FORM tackles this challenge head on,delivering awesome programs and events directed at building a state of creativity. That’s something I want to be part of so I’m excited to be part of the FORM Board.”

Our Team

The FORM team.

Our Team

Tabitha McMullan
Chief Executive Officer
Stephanie Xiao
General Manager Finance & Operations
Faraday Boydell
Spinifex Hill Studio Manager
John Clark
Consultancy Manager
Jerome Lee
Creative Development Manager
Emma Poletti
Manager Cultural & Artistic Programs
Lamis Sabra
Strategic Creative Learning Manager
Andrew Nicholls
Strategic Curatorial Lead
Phil Berrick
Lead Designer
Vanessa Bradley
Project Lead Creative Schools
Samantha Burston
Spinifex Hill Studio Coordinator
Emily Coy
Project Officer
Lorna Dawson
Lead Studio Assistant
Valery Emelianova
Creative Designer
Seven Gao
Accountant
Annabel Gunson
Engagement & Relationships Officer
Teneeka Hill
Community Engagement
Aimee Ko
Marketing & Communications Lead
Victoria Levadoux
Scribblers Festival Coordinator
Emma-Lee Maher
Gallery Services Officer
Laura Motherway
Program Lead Scribblers Festival
Amber Norrish
Curatorial & Engagement Coordinator
Regula Pam
Public Art Consultant
Elizabeth Phillips
Creative Schools Project Lead
Kirstin Skinner
Workplace Relations Advisor
Mags Webster
Strategic Creative Writer
Karen Zhang
Bookkeeper
The FORM team.

Our Team

Our Team

FORM Gallery & Café

A space for creativity, learning, culture and community. A place to connect with people, ideas and imaginations. 
Gallery. Creative project space. Café. All owned, managed and programmed by independent cultural not-for-profit FORM.

Jeremy Cope
Café Manager
Erica Loh
Barista
Lauren Griffiths
Barista
Alexandria Harris
Barista
Gia De Martinis
Gallery Assistant
Shannon Lloyd
Gallery Assistant
Kieran Leong
Barista
Graham Mathwin
Barista
Aubrie Walker
Barista

Spinifex Hill Studio & Project Space

Spinifex Hill Studio is an Aboriginal art centre that stands on Kariyarra Country in South Hedland and works with over 100 artists from diverse language groups, presenting contemporary art which covers a breadth of styles. In July 2021, the Studio expanded to include Spinifex Hill Project Space, a place for the local community and visitors to connect with the Pilbara’s dynamic creative practice, and to further the preservation and promotion of the local culture, heritage, and traditions. FORM manages Spinifex Hill Studio in consultation with the Spinifex Hill Artists.

Layne Dhu-Dickie
Studio Assistant
Ruby Alderton
Arts Worker
Rekeshia Goodwin
Arts Worker

"All of us want to connect with the sense of being part of something larger than our single selves"

Bruce Munro
Field of Light

"Break rules, be passionate, think about your community's legacy"

Jason Roberts
Tactical Urbanist

"I love that the work was inspired by environmental issues and made us think about how we live our lives and encourage us to live more consciously"

Survey Respondent