Lisa Ball-Lechgar

Lisa Ball-Lechgar is Deputy Director of Tashkeel, the leading art and design organisation based in Dubai.

Having launched her career under the patronage of Sean Connery, in the last 25 years, Lisa has managed arts organisations and events in Scotland, Morocco, Lebanon, Bahrain and the UAE. A passionate advocate for the creative industries, Lisa has held senior management positions at Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF/Abu Dhabi Festival); Mixed Media Publishing (first full-time editor of Canvas), Arts & Business UK, and Comité Européen pour le Rapprochement de l'Economie et de la Culture (CEREC).

She has edited/co-authored several books including ‘Reference Point: A History of Tashkeel and the UAE Art’ (Tashkeel, 2018); 'Bill Fontana: Acoustical Visions & Desert Soundings’ (ADMAF, 2014); 'View From Inside: Contemporary Arab Photography, Mixed Media & Video Art' (ADMAF/FotoFest, 2015); 'The Art of the Emirates' (ADMAF/Motivate, 2015); '25 Years of Arab Creativity' (ADMAF/Institut du Monde Arabe, 2013); 'Hassan Massoudy: Gestures of Light' (ADMAF/October Gallery, 2012); and 'Rachid Koraichi: Eternity is the Absence of Time' (ADMAF/October Gallery, 2011).

Lisa has lectured on contemporary Arab art and cultural management in Europe, USA, MENA and South Africa and has moderated talks for the likes of Tashkeel, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Abu Dhabi Festival, Art Dubai and the World Bank. She is a Fellow of the University of Glasgow and sits on the Advisory Board of Zayed University College of Arts & Creative Enterprises.