Michael Lynch, CBE, AM is one of Australia’s most recognised and experienced arts administrators and cultural figures. His distinguished career has comprised overseeing some of Australia’s most prominent arts companies including Sydney Theatre Company, the Australia Council for the Arts as well as director of the Sydney Opera House. From 2002 to 2009 he was chief executive of the South Bank Centre in London and has also served as Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and as a board member of Film Victoria.

In 2011, Mr Lynch was appointed CEO of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority by the Hong Kong Government. During his four-year tenure of the multi-billion dollar project – one of the world’s largest cultural districts – his work included overseeing the 40-hectare development which is expected to include 17 arts and cultural venues, including M+, a 60,000-square-metre building designed by Herzog & de Meuron, which will become one of the world’s largest museum spaces for contemporary visual culture upon its completion in 2019.

Mr Lynch will be joined in conversation by one of Australia’s most respected arts journalists, Simone Whetton, Chair of Legs on the Wall Theatre Company and board member of Griffin Theatre. Together they will reflect on Mr Lynch’s distinguished career in the arts, discuss the future of creative leadership in Australia and examine the current turbulence within the Australian arts political landscape.

Join SAMAG at Baker & McKenzie Law Firm’s beautiful offices for networking, drinks and canapés to reflect on the past year and on what is means to be an effective creative leader today. As numbers are limited, admission is open to SAMAG Members only at this stage (membership includes all events in 2016).