Our People

Rena’ Leigh – Executive Director – National

Rena’ is the current Executive Director of KNOTbound Ltd, a registered charity that was the brainchild she brought to life in 2015. Renà has worked tirelessly to help the organisation fulfill its purpose, transforming the concept of KNOTbound into reality by first turning it into a public company managed by a board of directors followed by successfully registering the organisation with the ACNC as a recognised charity.

In 2016 Renà spearheaded the creation of the Australian BDSM Archives, the first Archives in the world specifically focused on collecting, managing and maintaining the history of BDSM in Australia, its practitioners and communities. The BDSM Archives maintain a library of 1000’s of published materials from books, magazines, journals and research papers to small items such as business cards and advertising materials created by BDSM focused establishments. In addition, the archive preserves important heritage artefacts such as title holder pins, club pins, collars, pendants, other jewellery of significance, clothing, photography and handcrafted items.

Renà is generally the first point of contact for people seeking assistance from KNOTbound. Whether it’s discussing research opportunities with universities, assisting bodies such as the police and mental health organisations to increase their knowledge or having a chat about KNOTbound’s work and our communities at fair days such as Midsumma, Renà is committed to being open, honest, informative and approachable.

Renà evolved her career over the years from time as a cowgirl in Montana, working on ranches to developing a successful career as an ICT consultant, with work spanning numerous organisations and complex projects over 20 odd years. Her work as a consultant, Business Analyst, Scrum Master and Project Manager along with her years in office management has added to her understanding of how successful organisations run. Her 25+ years as an active participant in BDSM communities has included running discussion groups, workshops and social clubs, private training of Dominants and submissives, and organising and hosting munches and games nights. She has spent time in virtually every inclusive club in the Melbourne area as well as travelled and made extensive connections in other states. Her friendships with other kinksters have spanned Australia and the many conversations and engagements she has had over the years have given her a breadth and depth of understanding around the needs of BDSM communities that allow her to assist KNOTbound in providing timely and needed support. She is now semi-retired from consulting and manages KNOTbound full time.

Neville ‘Leif’ Brown – General Director – SA

Leif brings to the board a range of experiences. He served as an officer in the Australian Armed Forces, has been a formal educator in the health care sector then went on to practice as registered nurse and rehabilitation coordinator. Leif ultimately made a career change away from the health services sector to become an expert in the QA space. He has gained expertise in WHS, Vocational Rehabilitation, Registered Training Organisations/Education, Validation, Compliance, Independent Quality Audit, Service Organisations and Customised Training and Development programs, Quality Management and Systems Support, Pre-Audit preparation, and Post-Audit support to get all quality aspects of an an organisation up to meet standards.

Leif has been a Director of Kenaz Pty Ltd since 2012 and Board Member of Brain Injury Network of SA since 2010. His broad experience across many industries but in particular the health industry is a great value to KNOTbound.

In addition to his professional work, Leif has been a prominent member of the local Adelaide scene almost since it’s inception. He and his partner run Inquisition, a long running educational space for both new and old members of the Adelaide scene. Leif specialises in medical based scenarios and has educated many people in SA and other states through personal workshops and private lessons. He is committed to education and safety to all members of the BDSM community and works tirelessly to ensure that people practice BDSM in a safe and informed manner.

Sot Aliadis – General Director – VIC

Sot has been part of the BDSM community in Victoria for many years but still considers himself a newcomer. He has been supporting KNOTbound and the Australian BDSM Archives since 2017 and brings specialist IT experience to the organisation which is of great value in managing and maintaining the equipment and applications that KNOTbound and the Australian BDSM Archives rely on. Sot joined KNOTbound as a Director in late 2022 and has slowly been increasing his involvement with the many activities KNOTbound engages in. He has discovered hidden talents in the creative area such as the blurb on the back of our game, KNOTS & NOBS, which he wrote, and his ability to engage with people at festival days as he helps them understand who we are and what we do.

Sot was a system administrator in ICT in his working days but is now mostly retired. He still helps out with ICT related activities at a business once a week and for friends and and family as needed. KNOTbound relies on Sot’s keen attention to detail and high focus on security when it comes to keeping our information safe and secure. He steps up as needed on many projects such as scanning of literature or finding the right equipment needed to continue our work.

David Petch – General Director – VIC

David joined the KNOTbound board in May 2025. He brings a wealth of experience in both the business world and BDSM lifestyles. David’s last position as a Managing Director and CEO for 20 years has given him keen insight into the challenges that organisations face. In addition, he has decades of experience consulting in a wide variety of industries and companies, giving him the breadth as well as the depth of experience that will help KNOTbound forward the various programs that we have in progress.

Along with his corporate work, David has worked for several NFP organisations such as the Red Cross and a number of community groups. This gives David direct experience with the special challenges of operating as a charity.

In addition, David has over 30 years experience in BDSM and alternative community practices, bringing a personal touch to those programs that touch our communities directly. We’ve excited to have David join our Board and look forward to a long and engaging partnership

Volunteers

There are a number of dedicated volunteers that help to build and implement the many projects that KNOTbound manages. Our volunteers are skilled people who perform critical functions for our organisation and the community, by filling key roles and taking on a wide variety of critical tasks.

KNOTbound is truly represented by Australians far and wide. Many more people are working on local initiatives and pilot programs to help us achieve the goals we have of serving our communities across Australia. We would like to give special thanks to these people who work selflessly every day for all of us. Our volunteers are the nuts and bolts of what we do every day.

Skye Bartlett – Cultural Preservation Program Manager

We are extremely pleased to announce our new Cultural Preservation Program Manager, Skye Bartlett. We believe that the breadth and depth of knowledge Skye brings to the Australian BDSM Archives will launch us into a new era of historical collection and preservation of our BDSM communities across Australia.

He is a founding member of Adelaide Leather and Fetish, the creator of the Mr Adelaide Leather title in 2016 and the Ms Adelaide Leather title in 2018. He has been highly involved in supporting people living with HIV in South Australia, primarily supporting the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation to reduce stigma and decrease social isolation.

Skye is a person of many talents and interests. Self described as a photographer, Leatherman, post-modern cowboy, sexual health activist, husband, partner, cat lover, fashion historian and curator, tea drinker, lasagna aficionado, and Mr. Adelaide Leather 2022, he has been involved in the Australian Leather community for over 20 years. He is a founding member of Adelaide Leather and Fetish, the creator of the Mr Adelaide Leather title in 2016 and the Ms Adelaide Leather title in 2018. He has been highly involved in supporting people living with HIV in South Australia, primarily supporting the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation to reduce stigma and decrease social isolation.

An award-winning photographer, Skye is the author of two photography books. “One Last Look” is a body of work celebrating members of the Australian and international Leather scene through constructionist portraiture. “Silhouettes: Fashion in the Shadow of HIV/AIDS”, was created in conjunction with a world first exhibition for The David Roche Foundation of the same name that he curated. He also created and curated “Provocateur: Fetish Through the Photographer’s Lens”, which features works from talented photographers around the world specialising or dabbling in the art of fetish and kink photography. Provocateur has raised thousands of dollars for the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation SA.

Skye is a textile / fashion collector and historian, custodian of an important historic fashion collection, and a benefactor of The Art Gallery of South Australia. With a special interest in AIDS history, in 2020–2021 he curated an exhibition of the South Australian AIDS Memorial Quilt with the History Trust of SA, which was revived for the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre in 2022. In 2024 he also was instrumental in bringing to life the exhibition, “Style & Spirit: The Fashion of Chester Weinberg”, the first high profile fashion designer to pass away from AIDS in 1985.

Donors

We have had extremely generous people make monetary donations to KNOTbound Ltd, helping us keep our programs alive and growing. These people have asked to remain anonymous but deserve the gratitude of the community they are giving to. Thank you for your generosity of both spirit and pocketbook.