Alserkal
Leanne Rodrigues, CPA, CA, currently serves as the Head of Finance at Alserkal, a position held since March 2024. Prior to this role, Leanne was the Head of Accounting at Messe Frankfurt Middle East from February 2021 to March 2024. Leanne’s experience also includes serving as a Finance Manager at Etihad Airways between June 2015 and September 2020, and as a Senior Accountant at Samena Capital, DIFC from August 2013 to March 2015. Earlier in the career, Leanne worked as a Senior Associate at Koster Spinks and Koster LLP Chartered Accountants from October 2009 to July 2013. Leanne Rodrigues earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Toronto, completing studies in 2008.
Alserkal
Established by Alserkal in 2008, Alserkal Avenue is a renowned cultural district of contemporary art galleries, non-profit organisations, and homegrown businesses in the Al Quoz industrial area of Dubai. Spread across 500,000 square feet, Alserkal Avenue is a vibrant community of visual and performing arts organisations, designers, and artisanal spaces that have become an essential platform for the development of the creative industries in the United Arab Emirates. As one of the region's foremost platforms for contemporary art, Alserkal Avenue provides cultural experiences for local, regional, and international audiences. Alserkal Avenue features Concrete, a multi-disciplinary space conceptualised and programmed by Alserkal. Concrete was inaugurated in 2017 as the first building in the UAE to be completed by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), founded by Rem Koolhaas. An adaptable venue, Concrete's ability to metamorphose to bring creative visions to life makes it suitable for international, museum-grade exhibitions as well as events across art, design, fashion and the performing arts. Concrete has been shortlisted for the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, marking the first time a project in Dubai has been shortlisted for this prestigious award. This is also the first time a project by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture has been shortlisted. Founded by Emirati businessman and patron, Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, in 2007, Alserkal is a socially responsible cultural enterprise, which is deeply engaged with the arts locally, regionally, and internationally. Through Alserkal Avenue, Alserkal has cultivated a creative economy in Dubai, supporting cultural production and spearheading disruptive business models, including the OMA-designed Concrete.