Collaboration is at the heart of Sandbox’s DNA
Our Team
Our team of talented experts excel in strategic planning, governance, community engagement, and
cultural development. With over 100 years of combined experience, we champion creativity and strategic
leadership.
Lung Ong
Director
Strategy, Business Case, Investment Logic Mapping and Stakeholder Engagement
Lung has extensive cross-sectoral experience in strategy, policy and business case development. He has held senior leadership positions and led high-performing, multi-disciplinary teams at economic development agencies, state and local governments, major arts and cultural institutions and has provided strategic advice to government committees to guide policy and investment decisions.
His experience includes:
Leading the business case development and oversight of almost $2B in funded major civic and cultural infrastructure projects and industry development initiatives;
Overseeing reviews and reforms to local and state-significant civic and cultural assets, government-owned companies and funding programs;
Developing tourism and creative sector strategies that respond to areas of market demand and opportunity, and to the immediate and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He is also an accredited Investment Logic Mapping Facilitator and is Deputy Chair of Footscray Community Arts. He brings a collaborative, analytical and demand-driven approach and is passionate about projects that innovate how things are done to deliver greater public and commercial value.
Elisabeth Hare
Analyst & Researcher, Digital Strategist
Elisabeth specialises in communications and strategy, focusing on technology and the creative industries. She serves as a Digital Specialist for Creative Australia, developing digital strategies for arts organisations, and co-founded and developed MUS3, a web3 and music education initiative supported by the Victorian and Australian Governments. She is the Marketing Lead for Alias, a virtual avatar content creation platform that empowers creators to produce engaging digital content. Her experience includes business case development, project managing Government-funded programs, and in-depth research into creative communities and knowledge sharing, resulting in successful strategic implementations for diverse projects.
Jade Lillie
Arts & Cultural Strategist,
Community Engagement Facilitator
Jade Lillie is a renowned leader, executive, facilitator, and specialist in community and stakeholder engagement. She consults and advises organizations across Australia in strategy, facilitation, stakeholder engagement, co-design, executive leadership recruitment, governance, and people and culture.
With experience in government and non-profit sectors, Jade has worked in regional, remote, and metropolitan locations across Australia and SE Asia, collaborating extensively with First Nations artists and communities.
From 2020-2022, she led the Sector Recovery agenda as Head of Industry Development for the Australia Council for the Arts. Jade received the Sidney Myer Fellowship in 2018 for her thought leadership in community-engaged practice.
She has held leadership roles at Footscray Community Arts Centre, Cohealth, Brisbane City Council, and SpeakOut. Known for her facilitation, strategy development, and governance expertise, Jade champions diversity and access. She is the curator and editor of “The Relationship is the Project” and serves as Chairperson for All the Queens Men.
Joan Rowland
Corporate Strategy & Governance Advisor
Joan Rowland is a versatile professional with a robust background in corporate strategy, governance, and operations across various portfolios. She excels in budget development and management, effectively synthesizing operational and strategic priorities. Joan has led budget and business case development for successful funding submissions, particularly in the creative industries sector. She has managed governance oversight arrangements, ensuring compliance and reporting activities for State cultural agencies. Joan is adept at providing high-level advice to decision-makers and writing for diverse audiences. Her collaborative and practical approach allows her to translate across diverse business areas seamlessly.
Julie Cotter
Public Art & Collections Consultant
Arts & Cultural Policy Advisor
Dr. Julie Cotter has a diverse career in government, academia, and project management, with a strong commitment to the public sector. She spent 15 years in arts management and policy at Creative Victoria, while also pursuing an academic career in art history, earning her PhD from Monash University in 2010.
Julie has extensive experience in policy development, particularly in digitization and storage of State collections, and has consulted on major public art projects. She has managed website development for the museum and gallery sector and overseen digitizing programs for Victoria’s State Cultural Agencies.
Julie has lectured in art history at Monash and Federation Universities in Gippsland and has a deep understanding of the region’s cultural practices. She now consults in public art and arts management. She has authored three non-fiction books, presented documentaries, and continues to write for various publications, focusing on Australian art and public spaces.
Justin Wibrow
Commercial, Governance
& Infrastructure Advisor
With over 20 years of commercial consultancy experience augmented by his legal experience as an Australian Legal Practitioner, Justin delivers innovative commercial models in property and commercial leasing, facilities and asset management, and shared services. He has advised the Victorian State Government on major projects with a focus on infrastructure, and worked with clients in mining, FMCG, education, labour hire, hospitality, and hotels.
Justin has 20 years of lecturing and facilitation experience in management and business, currently serving as an Assistant Professor at UBSS and on faculty in the Mergers and Acquisitions subject to RMIT University’s Graduate School of Business and Law.
He holds degrees and postgraduate qualifications in law, leadership, and education, is admitted to the Supreme Court of Victoria and High Court of Australia, and is a Fellow of the Governance Institute and the Centre for Entrepreneurship, as well as a Member of the Law Institute of Victoria.
Reggie Ba-Pe
C
reative Industries, Digital Transformation & Emerging Markets,
Asian Youth Culture
Reggie is a Burmese-born Australian creative entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in entertainment, media, advertising and youth culture in China and the broader Asia-Pacific region.
He is the co-founder of CLUB MEDIA, a transformative creative production agency exploring the intersection of emerging technology and digital culture.
In 2021, Reggie was selected as one of the Top 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians for his contributions as an entrepreneur.
Reggie is also an Australia Council for the Arts Digital Strategist-In-Residence, providing arts organisations with specialist advice to develop and/or enable a digital strategy. He is also a mentor for Australian Institute of Music’s music business accelerator iHub.
Stefanie Wilson
Major Events, Sports, Circular Economy and Tourism Specialist
As the CEO and founder of Sandbox’s partner company, Luminair; Stefanie has spear-headed the strategic creation of over $900m in economic impact for the Australian economy.
Stefanie holds specific expertise in Major Events, Sports, Circular Economy, Market Engagement and Procurement. She is regarded as a master strategist, with existing clients ranging from Federal through to Local Government and Social Enterprise through to ASX-listed companies.
With a passion for transforming strategic opportunities into benefits for people, planet and prosperity, Stefanie brings over 21 years’ in industry experience and a collaborative approach to each-and-every client solution. Stefanie is a mindful innovator, experienced entrepreneur, strategic leader and B.Corp champion. Her previous strategic work has influenced economic growth, international trade and government programs/ policies.