The Australian Ballet appoints three new Directors to its Board
The Australian Ballet recently announced the appointment of three new Directors to its Board – Edwina McCann (editor-in-chief of Vogue Australia), Annabelle Chaplain (former investment banker) and John W.H. Denton AO (CEO of Australia’s leading independent law firm, Corrs Chambers Westgarth).
These appointments will fill vacancies created by the retirement of three long-serving Directors: Sarah Murdoch, who retired in 2016; and Siobhan McKenna and Craig Spencer, who retired in February.
Announcing the new appointments, Board Chair Craig Dunn paid tribute to the three retired Directors. “On behalf of my fellow Directors, I would like to thank Sarah Murdoch, Craig Spencer and Siobhan McKenna for their outstanding contributions to the ongoing success of The Australian Ballet.”
In acknowledging the contributions of each, he continued, “Sarah Murdoch, who joined the Board in 2006 and was the company’s Deputy Chair, was also the Chair of the Nominations and Remuneration Committee and a member of The Australian Ballet’s Foundation Board. As a former dancer, Sarah has taken a particular interest in dancer wellbeing. She championed the development of the company’s supportive maternity-leave policy enabling so many of our ballet mums to return to the stage. Sarah’s long relationship with us continues: she is now The Australian Ballet’s Global Ambassador and as such will play an important role in supporting the company’s international activities.”
On Siobhan McKenna, Dunn recounted, “During her time on the Board of The Australian Ballet, Siobhan contributed essential business and media expertise as well as leadership as Chair of the Board’s Audit and Risk Committee and as a member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee. The Australian Ballet highly valued Siobhan’s deep understanding of the company, her passion for ballet and her outstanding advocacy for the art form and our dancers.”
On Craig Spencer, Dunn said, “Craig played an important role in the development of The Australian Ballet’s Production Centre in Altona, which opened in 2012. Craig also chaired the company’s Foundation Board from 2013, overseeing the activities of this important program which has contributed significantly to The Australian Ballet’s financial stability and its capacity to fund major projects such as new productions and infrastructure.”
Welcoming the three new Directors, Dunn then commented, “The Australian Ballet is delighted to welcome Edwina, Annabelle and John as Directors. The Board will undoubtedly benefit from the national and international experience and expertise of these three highly knowledgeable business leaders.”
Image: Annabelle Chaplain (left), John W.H. Denton AO (middle) and Edwina McCann (right). Image courtesy of The Australian Ballet.