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AMPAG welcomes Opera House appointment

AMPAG welcomes the appointment announced today of Louise Herron as incoming Chief Executive of the Sydney Opera House. She will take up her position on 6 August.

Ms Herron is the first woman appointed as Chief Executive since the Opera House opened in 1973 (although Sydney Opera House Trustee Sue Nattrass was acting CEO for several months in 2007).

This is the latest in a series of major changes in the performing arts sector flagged in the past week. On Saturday, the appointments of Rupert Myer and Robyn Archer as Chair and Deputy Chair of the Australia Council were announced by Minister, Simon Crean.

Rupert Myer is a former Chairman of the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria Foundation and chaired the Commonwealth Government Enquiry into the Contemporary Visual Arts and Craft Sector.

Robyn Archer—singer, writer, director, artistic director and public advocate of the arts—has been artistic director of national and international arts festivals, including the Melbourne International Arts Festival, and is currently the creative director of the Centenary of Canberra in 2013.

AMPAG believes Ms Herron brings a pivotal understanding of the performing arts sector generally, and the major companies specifically, to her new role, having been chair of the Australia Council’s Major Performing Arts Board for the past year.

Before that, she chaired Belvoir St Theatre for 10 years and during that time served two terms on the board of AMPAG. She co-founded and is an Executive Director of Ironbark Corporate Advisory, a boutique corporate advisory firm specialising in restructures, mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions.

Ms Herron will take over at the Sydney Opera House from Jonathan Bielski who has acted in the CEO role since late February. He will return to his role directing programming activities as Executive Producer, Sydney Opera House Presents.

AMPAG looks forward to continuing to work with Ms Herron through its representation of the Opera House’s resident companies.