Black
Swan State Theatre Company is pleased to announce the appointment of
Sam Walsh, Chief executive of Iron Ore – Rio Tinto as the Company’s
new Board Chairman.
Sam
Walsh has been the Chief executive of Iron Ore - Rio Tinto since 2004
and before that was the Chief executive of Rio Tinto’s aluminium
business between 2001 and 2004. Before joining Rio Tinto in 1991, he
spent 20 years in the automotive industry at General Motors and
Nissan Australia. In 2001, he was honoured as an Australian Export
Hero and Western Australian Citizen of the Year – Industry &
Commerce. He is a Director of West Australian Newspapers and the
Committee for Perth; and the Chair of WA Chapter of the Australia
Business Arts Foundation.
Sam
Walsh said, “I am delighted to lead Black Swan’s Board at this
exciting time in its history. Artistic Director Kate Cherry has
already had a significant impact on setting new artistic and
production standards. She brings extensive relationships with
other state theatre companies and artists nationally that will
provide new opportunities for Western Australian audiences and
artists to engage with world class theatre.
Western
Australian audiences deserve to see the very best of international,
national and Western Australian theatre. The new State Theatre Centre
will provide a home for Black Swan in 2010 as it becomes the resident
company within the Centre in Northbridge. I look forward to making a
contribution to the Company’s success over the next few years.”
In
addition, Duncan Ord has been appointed as a Deputy Chair, and Prof.
Alan Robson AM has joined the Board as a Director. Sam Walsh, Duncan
Ord and Prof. Alan Robson join recent Board appointees Andrew
Drayton, who has been appointed as a second Deputy Chair, and Vicki
Robinson. The expanded Board will lead Black Swan in the next stage
of its growth as Western Australia’s State Theatre Company resident
in the new State Theatre Centre of Western Australia.
Duncan
Ord is an
Executive Director of the WA Department of State Development, and has
been a senior public servant for the past seven years. Before that,
he spent 30 years in the arts and tertiary sectors including eight
years at the WA Academy of Performing Arts and four years as General
Manager of Black Swan Theatre Company.
Prof.
Alan Robson has been the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western
Australia since 2004 and currently is the Hackett Professor of
Agriculture. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of
Technological Sciences and Engineering and was awarded the Australian
Medal of Agriculture Science and is a Member of the Order of
Australia.
Andrew
Drayton is Rio Tinto’s General Manager Procurement for Western
Australia. He is a graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon,
serving as an officer in the Australian Regular Army for 15 years.
Since leaving the defence forces, he has worked in line management
and consulting roles with companies including Booz-Allen and
Hamilton, Kellogg Brown and Root, and Rio Tinto.
Vicky
Robinson is currently on maternity leave from her role as General
Manager of Energy Generation Pty Ltd, owned by Wesfarmers Limited.
She previously held roles as Legal Counsel with Wesfarmers Limited
and as Senior Associate with Clayton Utz.
Kate
Cherry said, “Sam Walsh has already gained national recognition as
a committed and passionate supporter of the Arts. Black Swan State
Theatre Company is highly honoured that he has agreed to be the
Company’s new Chairman. I look forward to working with Sam to
ensure that Black Swan truly becomes an exciting and accessible State
Theatre Company for all Western Australians, creating theatre of the
highest standards.”
