Susan Oliver appointed Wheeler Centre chair in board reshuffle
Melbourne’s Wheeler has undergone a shake up with a new chair, Susan Oliver to take over leadership from Eric Beecher while two directors’ positions have been rotated.
Susan Oliver, chair of Wheeler Centre
The announcement;
Susan Oliver appointed new Chair of the Wheeler Centre
Creative Industries Minister Martin Foley has today announced entrepreneurial business leader Susan Oliver as the new Chair of the board of the Wheeler Centre, Australia’s only centre dedicated to books, writing and ideas, based in Melbourne.
Oliver is an experienced listed company director of more than 20 years with a focus on innovation and technology. She headed the Australian Commission for the Future, helped establish The Big Issue in Australia and co-founded Scale Investors, a network funding women-led startups.
She also serves on the boards of Melbourne Theatre Company and Melbourne Chamber Orchestra.
Oliver takes the baton from founding Chair, Private Media’s Eric Beecher, after 9 years at the helm.
Beecher was instrumental in the establishment of the Wheeler Centre, Australia’s only centre expressly focused on books, writing and ideas, and also Melbourne’s designation as a UNESCO City of Literature which preceded it.
Oliver will be joined by two new Wheeler Centre Board Directors: Marcus Fazio and Corrie Perkin.
Fazio has supported the Wheeler Centre from its beginnings in his capacity at the Planet Wheeler Foundation. Perkin owns My Bookstore, a boutique bookshop in Hawksburn, and has had a significant career as a journalist, writing and editing for major newspapers.
They replace founding Board Directors Tony Hudson and Mark Rubbo OAM who have also played key roles in the success of the organisation.
Since opening its doors in 2010, the Wheeler Centre has hosted and presented more than 2000 public conversations and events providing more than 3000 speakers with a platform for their writing and ideas and engaging more than 350,000 audience members.
Creative Industries Minister Martin Foley says: ‘The Wheeler Centre is a one-of-a-kind cultural institution and in a relatively short period of time has carved out a place at the heart of our public discourse and cultural life. As a champion of innovation and entrepreneurialism, Susan is well placed to lead the Wheeler Centre as it continues to explore and embrace new ways to connect us with leading writers and thinkers and a world of ideas. I pay tribute to founding Chair Eric Beecher and Board Directors Tony Hudson and Mark Rubbo for their role in shaping the Wheeler Centre, and the vision and veracity they brought to it. It’s quite a legacy.’
Wheeler Centre Chair Susan Oliver says: ‘The Wheeler Centre is taking advantage of the digital era to extend its reach nationally and internationally and that is very exciting. I am delighted to be appointed and I am honoured to follow in the footsteps of founding Chair Eric Beecher.’
Founding Chair Eric Beecher says: ‘The opportunity to participate in the creation of an idea that materialised into the Wheeler Centre has been a marvellous experience, enhanced by being surrounded by a savvy board, a highly talented management team and two world-class directors.’
Source: From a Wheeler Centre media release
Susan
A perfect platform for you. Take a look at http://www.CHQWest.org, this an extension of the Culural center in western New York State: http://www.ciweb.org that we put together in 2011.
Perhaps there is an opportunity to reach out to each other from Chautauqua Institution to the Wheeler Centre and plan how to bring Wheeler to Chautauqua and Chautauqua to Wheeler.
Steve
User ID not verified.
Congratulations Susan!
User ID not verified.
FANTASTIC!
User ID not verified.