It has almost been one year since your appointment as CEO of Melbourne Recital Centre—tell us more about what you enjoy the most in this new role.

Melbourne Recital Centre is more than a building and a space for performances, it’s a meeting place and a source of inspiration. It’s a reflection of contemporary Melbourne, it’s a home for exhilarating live performance and events of international and local significance. Every day in this role has been, and continues to be, inspiring and challenging, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Over the last year, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know everything about the Centre; the team and the artists that perform in our spaces, our audiences, supporters and stakeholders. Throughout my entire career I’ve been driven by the transformative power of music and the arts, and I deeply believe that music and culture are vital to shaping a society. Working at Melbourne Recital Centre is an incredible opportunity to have an impact and ensure that we’re continuously growing and shaping communities around us.

With the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation underway, it must an exciting time to lead the Centre through such a huge infrastructural project! What are some changes or shifts we might expect to see in Melbourne Recital Centre over the next few years?

First of all, Melbourne Recital Centre will have the best view of the Precinct, so I’m personally very excited to watch everything take shape over the next few years! In terms of changes, it’s a bit soon to say exactly what will happen, but we are creating a new strategic plan and as we approach Melbourne Recital Centre’s 15^th anniversary this will include developing a new masterplan for the Centre as it enters its next chapter.

One of the things you can expect in that plan, is that we’ll be continuously exploring ways we can activate and reach audiences beyond the four walls of our performance spaces, as after all, the Centre is at the entrance to the Precinct’s southern gateway!

And let’s not forget that Melbourne Recital Centre really is the home of music in Melbourne’s Arts Precinct, so when it comes to the next few years, we will continue to do what we do best: present exceptional live music experiences for all genres, musical styles, and audiences. We will continue to support and champion local artists and bring some of the world’s most talented performers to Melbourne, and we will forge partnerships that connect our community with the precinct to ensure that we’re delivering innovative, creative experiences.

We know that diversity and inclusion are key on your agenda. What do you think is the role of an arts centre in strengthening the social fabric within multi-cultural communities?

Cultural equity is critical to the long-term viability of our society—our arts sector in particular—and I see us as being responsible for programming both with and for our multicultural communities to ensure that we are doing everything we can to be an open, welcoming, inclusive experience for everyone.

Representation matters and it’s the Centre’s role to champion this at all levels of the organisation, from the back-of-house and administrative teams through to the artists that appear on our stages. At Melbourne Recital Centre, we want to ensure that all Victorians have an opportunity to see themselves and their culture reflected on their stages and feel welcome in our space.

You have had an extensive career in the arts spanning theatrical producing, stage, event, and project management as well as strategic leadership and management—how do you think your experiences have equipped you and shaped you as a leader?

My journey to becoming a CEO has been full of invaluable learnings. I’ve been at the coalface of creating arts and cultural experiences for years and I have a wealth of sector knowledge to draw upon. This means I can talk to any of our teams, from the front-of-house staff through to the technicians, with an understanding of their work gained through lived experience.

I’m really proud to say that my work is people-focused; I place respect and empathy at the core of everything I do. My leadership style is all about creating and working towards a shared vision and continuing to build on a foundation of understanding and mutual respect.

While some leaders choose to walk into an organisation and begin making significant changes immediately, I really do believe that shifting an organisation and a culture takes time; change requires taking everyone involved on a collaborative journey. It’s not about my vision, it’s about incorporating the vision of the all the people who work at Melbourne Recital Centre, perform at Melbourne Recital Centre, and are invested in Melbourne Recital Centre. My job is to be a custodian of this vision.

In our AAPPAC Conference in Brisbane last year, we discussed extensively about how some global trends like the climate crisis, artificial intelligence, and increasing geo-political tensions could impact the arts and the way we work in the next 20 years. What do you envision for the arts community in Melbourne by 2040?

Art has always been political; it’s always been a social commentary. I think that artists have the extraordinary power to shape the opinions of those around them, and this power will only continue to grow in the coming years. By 2040, I think that the broader Melbourne community will have a deep understanding and appreciation of the role that creatives have in addressing and solving the world’s great problems and will turn to these artists and creatives during troubling times. Conversely, as the power of the artist grows it will become incredibly important that arts organisations continue to choose the stories that we share and the voices that we amplify on our stages carefully.

When it comes to the climate crisis, I think that Melbourne’s arts community will rise to the occasion and create the green, sustainable spaces that will be so vital to addressing the impacts of climate change—with the Melbourne Arts Precinct transformation being an excellent example of this. We as a community have already been examining the environmental impacts of every single action that we take, and I think that this will result in a community that is operating at net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

Most importantly, I think that the arts community will continue to create works that collectively tell these stories in a way that taps into the human condition and moves the will of communities, governments, societies, and corporations to effectively address climate change, geopolitical crises, and social injustices.

What is one piece of advice you would give to young arts managers?

My one piece of advice is “don’t rush”. Don’t rush to getting to whatever you think the top is. It’s really important to take the time and enjoy where you are right now. Take the time to soak up all of the experiences that you can have. Immerse yourself in the art that you’re creating, or enabling to be created, and be present where your hands are!

One of the things that I have loved seeing over the last 20+ years of my career, is that the next generation of arts managers and artists are really respectful of themselves, they take the time to recharge and they appreciate the importance of that. And frankly, I think that my generation is still learning this from the younger generation, so make sure to continue giving yourself time, space, and compassion.

I think that at the end of my career, I will look back and a lot of my happiest, fondest memories will be very much when I was just starting out. Will I be delighted that I was a CEO of Melbourne Recital Centre? Of course! But the early days when you’re immersed in a cohort of people that are creating and enabling art together is an extraordinary experience. I always tell people to try lots of new things professionally and don’t pigeonhole yourself—it’s not other people that limit you; you limit you.

What are three things you are most grateful for right now?

This sounds cliché, but I am endlessly grateful for the joy that music and the arts bring into my life and into the lives of everyone who comes to Melbourne Recital Centre. I’m grateful for the team that I work with and being surrounded by people who are incredibly passionate about what we do and the impact of their work. And lastly, I’m really grateful for my seven-year-old son who brings curiosity and love and inspiration into my life every day.

This interview was first published on the Association of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Centre’s website.