24 March, 2010
(HONG KONG, 24 March 2010)—The Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) today announced the appointment of Mr Graham Sheffield as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The appointment is effective in mid August 2010.
As CEO, Mr Sheffield will lead and manage the artistic and operational initiatives and projects related to the development of the WKCD. He will report to the Board of the WKCDA and serve as a member.
Commenting on the appointment, the Chairman of the Board of the WKCDA, Mr Henry Tang, said, “We were attracted to Mr Sheffield’s wealth of experience driving the artistic vision, policy and strategy for one of the world’s most-respected art centres—especially the fact that his work spans multiple art forms, including performing arts, visual arts, film and much more. His vision, managerial talents and expertise in the international arts scene will provide the WKCD with leadership it needs to become Asia’s leading centre for arts and culture, bringing the best of the arts from around the world to Hong Kong and the best of Hong Kong arts to the world”.
Mr Sheffield said, “I am both thrilled and honoured to have been offered the opportunity to come to Hong Kong and lead the West Kowloon Cultural District development. The proposed project is, in my experience, unprecedented across the world in terms of its scale and ambition. I applaud the people of HK in their desire to see HK develop as a major global arts presence in the coming years, building on existing arts capacity and infrastructure, and adding substantially to the international dimension.
‘Governments across the world increasingly recognize the vital importance of a healthy and vibrant arts scene in positioning major cities in the premier league. I look forward to working with new colleagues and friends here, sharing my experience, learning from you also. Our common purpose is to get this done, at the same time developing and realising new artistic ideas and projects together, for the benefit of Hong Kong, the region and the wider world,’ continued Mr. Sheffield.
Mr Sheffield has a 30-year-plus track record in the global arts community, with the past 15 years spent serving as Artistic Director for the Barbican Centre in London, one of the Europe’s largest integrated arts centres. There he is directly responsible for setting and controlling a budget of ￡12 million with a turnover of ￡34 million. Prior to his time at the Barbican Centre, Mr Sheffield was Music Director/ Music Projects Director with the Southbank Centre in London from 1990-1995. He also worked with the British Broadcasting Corporation for 13 years, most recently as Senior Producer. A detailed biography for Mr Graham Sheffield is given in the Annex.
WKCDA will announce other senior executive appointments shortly.
Mr. Henry Tang, Chairman of the Board of the WKCD
Authority welcomed Mr. Graham Sheffield as CEO.
Biography of Mr. Graham SHEFFIELD
Graham Sheffield has served as Artistic Director of the Barbican Centre, one of Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue, since 1995. At the Barbican—which is founded, owned and managed by the City of London Corporation—Sheffield oversees an annual budget of ￡12 million with a turnover of ￡34 million and paid visitors in excess of over 1.2 million every year.
Sheffield leads the development of the Barbican’s artistic vision, policy and strategy across art forms including music, drama, dance, cinema, spoken word and the visual arts. He also leads the marketing, new media and customer experience departments. Currently he oversees a team of 150 and a total headcount of 270, including part-time staff.
The Barbican Centre, which was opened in 1982 at a cost of ￡162 million, presents a diverse range of art, music, theatre, dance, film and educational events. Its venues comprise the Barbican Hall (home of the London Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra), Barbican Theatre, Pit (flexible-seat theatre venue), Barbican Art Gallery and the free new commission gallery the Curve, Barbican Film (three cinema screens) and other informal performance spaces. There are also three restaurants, seven conference halls and two trade exhibition halls.
Under Sheffield, the Barbican Centre has become one of the most innovative and diverse centres in the arts world. He is responsible for launching the pioneering BITE international theatre season in 1998, directed the yearlong “Inventing America” festival, and introduced the groundbreaking multimedia series “Only Connect”. In 2004 he re-launched a transformed Barbican Gallery with a radical new programme and profile. In 2007 he planned a year of activity around the Barbican’s 25th anniversary, including the Barbican’s first Big Screen outdoor event. He has also spearheaded an extensive learning and participation programme, now integrated with the neighbouring Guildhall School, which focuses on family and adult audiences as well as aspiring young professionals and practitioners.
In addition to his role at the Barbican, Sheffield is the Chairman of the recently formed City Arts and Culture Forum, where he is charged with strategic coordination and policy for the City of London’s extensive arts portfolio, including its cultural plans for 2012. He is also Chairman of the Royal Philharmonic Society and consultant to the Luminato Festival of Arts and Creativity in Toronto.
In 2009, Sheffield was appointed Advisor - Arts and Creative Economies to the British Council and joined the Advisory Committee for the Index on Censorship. He was awarded CBE in the 2010 New Year’s Honours’ list for services to the arts.
Sheffield was Chair of the ISPA, the International Society of Performing Arts, from 2004 to 2006; council member of the Arts Council England, London, from 2002 to 2008; and was made Doctor of Arts by City University, London, in 2004. He was named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2005, alongside becoming a Chevalier de Tastevin de Bourgogne.
From 1990-1995 Sheffield was Music Director/ Music Projects Director with the Southbank Centre. Prior to that, he worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for 13 years, starting in BBC Radio 3’s Music Department in 1976 and leaving as Senior Producer.
Sheffield is passionate about cricket and skiing, and continues to play the piano, which he studied at Edinburgh University where he read a Bachelor of Music.