Community link drives Kalaf

AT first glance, Fiona Kalaf’s qualifications and career path appear eclectic to say the least, with architecture, business and art history studies, and roles at HBF, Commonwealth Bank and Wesfarmers among the mix.

Her recent appointment as chief executive of crisis support and suicide prevention organisation Lifeline WA adds to her current positions as chair of the Art Gallery of WA, board member of the recently formed Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority, and member of the WA Planning Commission’s Central Perth Planning Committee.

Ms Kalaf explains that her passion for community is what attracts her to varied roles.

“I like to be engaged with the community, and to be able to contribute in ways that are meaningful to me,” Ms Kalaf told WA Business News.

“There are a number of pillars that support a physically and mentally healthy community – an active and vital cultural sector and a positive built environment actively make a difference to the way people live.”

Her first career role was as arts curator for Wesfarmers, and Ms Kalaf can see how that has influenced her to embrace diversity in her work life.

“[In my career] … there has been a common thread; it is about business disciplines and commercial skills,” she said.

“Maybe that goes back to Wesfarmers. Being a diversified industrial and working in the head office, it might be coal or fertiliser or retail or hardware, but the same fiscal disciplines apply across the board. Perhaps subconsciously I have always taken that with me and applied the same sort of principles across different sectors.”

One of Ms Kalaf’s more challenging experiences was presenting a proposal to the Wesfarmers board at what she describes as “a tender age”, pushing for greater investment in contemporary art; it exposed her to senior corporate players and bolstered her professional growth.

“You can imagine during the recession going into a group of farmers as they were, and persuading them that investing in contemporary art was a good thing to be doing with shareholders’ funds,” she said.

Now as chair of the Art Gallery of WA, Ms Kalaf has drawn on those experiences and aimed to develop a leadership style to suit the surroundings.

“On the board are some extremely senior and very experienced business leaders in their own right. To come in as chair and try and lead some of those individuals … they don’t really need leading,” she said.

“They need someone to harness, support and guide and perhaps be the liaison point with government. That is a different way of being a leader as well.”

Following the advice of a mentor, Ms Kalaf completed a Masters in Business Administration in 2000, which led to roles at Asgard Wealth Solutions, Commonwealth Bank, and consultancy work with small and boutique finance firms.

“My time at Asgard was particularly fast paced, a highly commercial environment. When I started we had $16 billion funds under administration and during my time there we more than doubled that to $32 billion,” she said.

Lifeline WA presents a new challenge for Ms Kalaf. The organisation has received $500,000 in additional government funding. Lifeline plans to train more volunteer councillors in order to meet the growing demand for the telephone-based support services.

Ms Kalaf said demand was growing not because there were more people experiencing mental health issues but because the stigma associated with mental health was being broken down, encouraging people to use the services.

“As an incoming CEO, the organisation is just poised to do so much more,” she said.

• If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts, call 13 11 14.