The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ben Grimes as its chief executive officer.
Ben Grimes is an experienced CEO and manager, with a strong local and national reputation as a lawyer and linguist. Since 2020, Ben has been the CEO of Aboriginal Resource and Development Services Aboriginal Corporation (ARDS) and has overseen a period of organisational growth and the development of innovative new programs, including a first language mediation service and a remote law and justice group.
Ben is widely recognised as a leading expert in legal and courtroom communication with people who speak English as an additional language.
Prior to his time at ARDS, Ben was a lecturer in law at Charles Darwin University where he spearheaded the Indigenous pre-law program which led to a noticeable increase in Indigenous law students in the Northern Territory. Ben was a senior manager at the Aboriginal Interpreter Service, where he managed 400 staff and developed the court interpreting system used in the Northern Territory. Ben in the past also worked as a criminal lawyer with NAAJA, was a member of the NT Mental Health Review Tribunal and spent several years doing linguistic work in eastern Indonesia. Ben is a long-term Territorian who has spent most of his career working with Aboriginal groups across the Northern Territory and supporting Aboriginal community control.
‘Ben’s appointment follows an extensive and competitive national recruitment process’, NAAJA chairperson Theresa Roe said. ‘The directors are looking forward to working with Ben to expand the delivery of justice, legal services, and advocacy that empower our people and communities.’
Ben Grimes will commence as CEO from 1 September 2025.
NAAJA has also appointed Matthew Connop as deputy chief executive officer and Anna Gill as principal legal officer.
Matthew Connop is a Dagoman man from Katherine with strong connections to the Jawoyn and Wardaman peoples. Born and raised in the Northern Territory, Matthew brings a deep understanding of the region’s cultural and social landscape. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (honours) and a Bachelor of Justice, majoring in policy and governance, from the Queensland University of Technology.
Matthew has been acting in the deputy chief executive role at NAAJA since 2024 and has worked closely with the acting CEO in driving recent structural changes. He has a lifelong commitment to Aboriginal advancement and justice, guided by a deep awareness of the complex socio-political factors affecting communities across the Northern Territory.
Anna Gill originally hails from Adelaide where she studied at the University of Adelaide graduating with degrees in arts, anthropology with honours and a law degree with honours. Anna first practised as a family and criminal lawyer at an Adelaide firm in 2005 before moving to Port Augusta (South Australia) to work at the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement (ALRM) where she regularly travelled to the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands to represent clients in the Magistrates Court circuit.
In 2007, Anna moved to Alice Springs and commenced work at the Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service (CAALAS), now NAAJA, as a criminal lawyer where she represented clients in the Local Court, Youth Court and Supreme Court jurisdictions and worked as the criminal practice manager.
Anna became the regional managing solicitor for the southern region of NAAJA in 2018 and oversaw the criminal law practice as well as being responsible for approximately 40 staff across the region. Since September 2023 Anna has worked at the Northern Territory Local Court as the community courts registrar and moved to Darwin from Alice Springs in January 2024 with her family.
The directors would like to thank Anthony Beven, acting CEO, for leading NAAJA through a period of significant structural and operational change over the last nine months and wish him all the best for the future.
Media contact
Comments in this media release other than direct quotes can be attributed to a NAAJA spokesperson.
Anthony Beven
0419 218 518 / anthony.beven@naaja.org.au
NAAJA MR2025-11
18 July 2025Â