About Us

Andrew is an experienced management consultant who has an affinity with the issues faced by both private and public organisations and the role and potential of the State’s creative industries. Having lived and worked in Adelaide for most of his career, Andrew is the former Managing Partner of Deloitte Private and the former Managing Partner of Deloitte South Australia. Andrew’s appointment will bring important business and planning expertise to the organisation.

Andrew was the co-author of Deloitte’s influential reports on South Australia “Make it Adelaide” and is a passionate advocate for advancement of the South Australian Economy. These reports identified the critical sectors of growth for the state in work that has influenced government policy across many sectors including Arts and Culture.

Graeme is an Australian composer and music educator. He is best known for his orchestral and ballet scores, and is one of the Australia’s leading compositional figures, gaining increasing attention internationally. Currently the Director, Elder Conservatorium of Music The University of Adelaide. He is a Professor of Composition at the University of Adelaide and was awarded a Doctorate of Music from the University in 2002.

He was Chair of the Australia Council Music Board and a member of the Australia Council from 2002 to 2009. In recognition of his contribution to Australian music, Koehne was awarded the Australian Government’s Centenary Medal in 2001 and the Sir Bernard Heinze Award from the University of Melbourne in 2004.

Vince has been actively involved in classical music for almost 30 years. He studied piano and musicology at the Elder Conservatorium of Music at the University of Adelaide, and has held senior arts administration positions around Australia, as well as working as a journalist.

Vince is the convenor of the Music Education Roundtable and a member of the Executive Committee of the Arts Industry Council of South Australia, for which he is also Treasurer.

Douglas Gautier AM is the Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival Centre, South Australia’s principal arts venue. He came to the position in 2006, on the back of leading one of the world’s great arts festivals – the Hong Kong Arts Festival – and with an impressive portfolio of international experience across media, tourism and the arts.

Since joining the Adelaide Festival Centre, Douglas has grown audiences and positioned it as a hub for Asian-Australian cultural entertainment. His program-led strategy has included innovations like Adelaide Guitar Festival and OzAsia Festival, and he was a key driver in the bid for Adelaide’s accreditation as a UNESCO Creative City of Music. Under his tenure the Centre recently completed a redevelopment of the historic Her Majesty’s Theatre – the most significant infrastructure project since it opened in 1973. In 2016, Douglas was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the arts and the community.

Andrew Walker has worked in arts and entertainment for over 30 years. His business, Buxton Walker, with partner Michelle Buxton, provides management and administrative services for touring artists, fringe and community events, record labels and festivals. Buxton Walker manages comedians and produces TV through its partnership in Buxstock, and co-owns Ticketing Australia, Head Records (inc Jazzhead) and The Garden of Unearthly Delights.

Andrew served as Board Member for AIR for 18 years, on The Melbourne Jazz Fringe Committee for 7 years and helped establish Music Victoria serving as its founding President and later as Treasurer. Andrew is a lover of the diversity of the arts and the stories it only can tell.

Ruth Mackenzie has more than 40 years’ experience in the arts world and in particular international festivals. A former director of Holland Festival, Manchester International Festival and Chichester Festival, Mackenzie was in charge of the official cultural programme for the 2012 London Olympics and Artistic Director for the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. She also worked on the first Manchester International Festival as General Director, worked as Dramaturg for the Vienna Festival, directed Scottish Opera, and directed major theatres in Nottingham and Chichester. She was appointed Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival with responsibility for the Festivals 2024-2026.

Joe Hay’s journey is one of uniting diverse perspectives and driving meaningful change. With a background spanning politics, social marketing, arts, and global relations, he adeptly translates vision into action. A catalyst for transformative reforms, Joe has propelled Adelaide’s creative sectors forward. His pioneering initiatives include changing the way governments around the country support music and the arts, modernising the state’s licensing and planning laws to support live music, small venues, and activation, reform and support for tech startups, and advocating for systems that enable, empower, and celebrate creativity.

Beyond borders, Joe’s career has travelled from regional Australia to the nation’s capitals, overseas and back to Adelaide, South Australia, touring everything from Japanese punk bands to former Prime Minister’s and organising events big and small. Today, as a change-focused consultant, he harnesses the power of the creative industries to cultivate international markets and leverage inherent strengths.

Photo Credit: Jessica Clark, CityMag

A versatile expert and advisor in the realm of Arts and Culture, Dahlia has worked with globally acclaimed festivals like WOMADelaide, Adelaide Film Festival, and OzAsia and was the visionary behind the Festival Volunteer Network whilst engaged by Festival City Adelaide. With a robust foundation spanning education, film, IT, and event and volunteer management, Dahlia’s enthusiasm as a creative shines through everything she is involved with.

Dahia’s creative accomplishments also include co-directing and co-writing a feature show for Adelaide’s Cabaret Festival, as well as working freelance in costume and prop design, fashion styling and as an Adelaide Fringe Festival judge. Presently, Dahlia also assumes the role of Executive and Operations Coordinator at the Adelaide Film Festival, further emphasising her dedication to the evolution of South Australia’s artistic landscape.