The IFACCA Board comprises a group of committed leaders in arts and culture who meet at least twice each year to oversee the good governance and sustainability of the Federation in keeping with its Constitution; to shape its strategic vision and direction; to consider expressions of interest for membership; and to guide and inform the work of the Secretariat to ensure it delivers on the IFACCA Strategy. Board Members are senior executives from National Member institutions, who are elected by fellow National Members at the General Assembly. Find more information on current and former members of the Board below.
Simon Brault, O.C., O.Q., Chair
Director and CEO, Canada Council for the Arts
Simon Brault began his first five-year term as Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts on 26 June 2014; and in 2019 his mandate was renewed for four years. Active in the cultural sector for over 30 years, he has been a driving force behind a number of major cultural projects, most notably as Administrative Director and Director General of the National Theatre School of Canada, and as a founding member and Chair of Culture Montréal from 2002 to 2014. His first non-fiction book, Le facteur C: l’avenir passe par la culture, explains the dramatic rise of cultural concerns in the public agenda. This highly-acclaimed work was published in English as No Culture, No Future. Mr Brault has received numerous distinctions for his commitment to the social recognition of arts and culture, including the Order of Canada, l’Ordre national du Québec, and more recently the Quebec CPA Order’s prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award for bringing together ‘two worlds that were once disparate – the arts and business – an alliance that significantly benefits society at large.’
Kristin Danielsen, Deputy Chair
Executive Director, Kulturdirektoratet - Arts and Culture Norway
Kristin Danielsen started her career as a dancer and choreographer and was educated at the Norwegian Ballet Academy, Oslo, and Ballet Arts/Broadway Dance Centre, New York. She later completed a master’s degree in arts management at City, University of London, specialising in international cultural relations. After university, she joined Visiting Arts as project manager.
Ms Danielsen has managed a wide range of art institutions and cultural businesses within dance, theatre, literature and music. She was general manager at the Black Box Theatre, the Society of New Music and the Norwegian Music Information Center (now Music Norway). Before joining Arts and Culture Norway, Ms Danielsen was CEO of Deichman Library, Norway’s largest public library. Ms Danielsen has been a guest lecturer at the BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo and taught audience development and arts management at the University of Tromsø.
Simon Mellor, Treasurer
Deputy Chief Executive, Arts and Museums, Arts Council England
Simon Mellor is Deputy Chief Executive, Arts and Culture for Arts Council England. He is a member of the ACE Executive Board and has responsibility for national arts and cultural strategy. Prior to joining the Arts Council in 2012, he helped set up the Manchester International Festival in 2006 and was its first General Director. Before that he was the Chief Executive of the Lyric Hammersmith, West London’s leading producing and presenting theatre. He was also the producer founder of Gloria Theatre (an international music theatre company), Youth Arts Projects Coordinator for the Southbank Centre London, Head of Education at Battersea Arts Centre London and Co-Director of Pegasus Theatre in Oxford.
Dennis Marita
Director of Culture, Ministry of Culture & Tourism, Solomon Islands
Dennis Marita is traditional Chief by birth and inheritance. He was installed chief in 1977 at a tender age of three as according to sacred customs and obligation of the Ulawa people in Solomon Islands. Education took him into the modern contemporary world and earned him a Bachelor’s Degree (BA) in Theatre Arts from the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) in 2001. He majors in acting and directing with a more focus on local traditional theatre. He worked with local theatre groups and cultural dance groups in Solomon Islands over the past 10 years. He spent six years as a high school teacher and of which his strong cultural background and artistic ability portrays him as one of the country’s top artistic and cultural Expressionist. He joined the government in 2008 as a Senior Cultural Officer in the Ministry of Culture & Tourism. In 2010 he was given the position of Artistic Director for the 11th Festival of Pacific Arts that was later hosted by Solomon Islands in 2012. Currently, he heads the Culture Division as the Director of Culture at the Ministry of Culture & Tourism of the Solomon Islands.
Patrick Sam
Chairperson, National Arts Council of Namibia
Patrick Sam is a Namibian thought leader, born and raised in a marginalised community in the capital, Windhoek. As the chairperson of the National Arts Council of Namibia, he has been driving the transformation of the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) in Namibia and southern Africa. Mr Sam is a development consultant, broadcasting journalist, TV anchor and arts activist. As a Fulbright scholar, he completed an MA in International Education Development from Columbia University Teachers College and a BA from University College Utrecht in the Netherlands. Along with the NACN, Mr Sam founded and hosted the first Art Summit of Southern Africa (ASSA) focused on strengthening the CCI in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) along with the IFACCA Africa Regional Chapter meeting. The platforms drafted clear resolutions intended to mainstream the CCI into key national and regional development strategies.
Nguyen Phuong Hoa
Director General, International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Viet Nam
Nguyen Phuong Hoa has been working at the Ministry of Culture of Viet Nam for more than 15 years. She is one of the main authors of Vietnam's National Strategy on International Cultural Relations and has been actively involved in organising numerous Vietnamese cultural days abroad as well as hosting a number of international art festivals in Viet Nam. She is the national contact point for 2005 UNESCO Convention on the protection and promotion of Diversity of Cultural Expressions and has strongly supported and advocated for the National Strategy for the development of Vietnamese Cultural Industries vision 2030. She has extensive experience in leading her team to implement cultural cooperation agreements with several countries. She also took part in the copyright negotiation for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).
She was Commissioner General of Viet Nam Section in Expo 2020 Dubai and also serves as Vice President of Viet Nam's Association of Film Promotion and Development. Nguyen Phuong Hoa holds a BA in International Relations (Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam) and a MA in Cultural Policy and Arts Administration from Goldsmiths, University of London, the United Kingdom.
Adrian Collette AM
Chief Executive Officer, Australia Council for the Arts
Adrian Collette AM is Chief Executive Officer of Australia Council for the Arts. Mr Collette held the position of Chief Executive of Opera Australia, Australia’s largest performing arts company for 16 years. He also worked in book publishing for a decade, including as Managing Director, Reed Books, a Division of Reed Elsevier. His previous role of Vice-Principal (Engagement) at the University of Melbourne included the oversight of the University’s museums and galleries and its many arts sector partnerships. He served on the Australia Council Board since 1 July 2013.
He was made a member of the Order of Australia in 2008 for service to the performing arts particularly through executive roles with Opera Australia, as a mentor to young artists, to publishing and to the community.
Kajsa Ravin
Director General, Swedish Arts Council
Kajsa Ravin began her appointment as Director General for the Swedish Arts Council on March 9, 2020. Ms Ravin has been active in the cultural sector for more than twenty years and has comprehensive experience of driving cultural questions and culture policy both on a regional and national level. Prior to joining the Arts Council, she managed departments of cultural affairs in several Swedish regions and municipalities, most recently as Director of cultural affairs at Uppsala County. Ms Ravin has worked with a wide variety of cultural expressions, and she is strongly committed to making arts and culture accessible and relevant to broad audiences. She has a distinct interest in cultural diversity and audience development and has been involved in several projects about learning and education in the arts, for example the European consortium Collect and Share.
Kajsa Ravin holds a BA in Art History from University of Gothenburg.
Mariana Wainstein
National Director of Culture, Ministry of Education and Culture, Uruguay
Mariana Wainstein is a director, theatre producer and cultural manager. Prior to her current role as National Director of Culture, between 2007 and 2010 she was a member of the National Directorate of Culture of the Ministry of Education and Culture leading the Cultural Incentive Funds. In addition, she has held the position of Academic Coordinator of Audiovisual Communication at ORT Uruguay University and was the Executive Producer of the 2008 Opera Season at the Teatro Solís.
Ms Wainstein has enjoyed a long artistic career with more than 20 productions in the last 25 years. Parallel to her career, she has dedicated herself to the study of theatrical aspects of political activity. Ms Wainstein holds a Bachelor of Performing Arts from Tel Aviv University, Israel, a Diploma in Cultural Management and Film Studies from New York University, and a Master's Degree in Democratic Leadership and Political Communication from the Complutense University of Madrid.
Former Board Members
We acknowledge with great appreciation the following individuals who have served on the IFACCA Board since 2000:
-
Pablo Raphael de la Madrid (May 2020 - January 2023)
Director General, Cultural Promotion and Festivals, Ministry of Culture, Mexico
-
Park Jong-Kwan (August 2020 - January 2023)
Chair Person, Arts Council Korea (ARKO)
-
Rosemary Mangope (April 2020 - October 2021)
CEO, National Arts Council of South Africa
-
Daina Urbanavičienė (March 2019–January 2021)
Chairwoman, Lithuanian Council for Culture
-
Suecy Callejas Estrada (May 2020–November 2020)
Minister of Culture of El Salvador, Ministry of Culture of El Salvador
- Orlaith McBride (2015–March 2020)
Director, Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon, Ireland
- Staffan Forssell (2015–March 2020)
Director General of the Swedish Arts Council, Sweden
- Tan Sri Norliza Binti Rofli (January 2014–January 2020)
Director-General, National Department for Culture and Arts, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Malaysia
- Dong Zhanshun (January 2014–January 2020)
Director General, International Liaison Dept, China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC)
- Andrés Gribnicow (March 2019–December 2019)
Secretary for Culture and Creativity, Secretary of Culture of the Nation
- Stephen Wainwright (2015–March 2019)
Chief Executive, Creative New Zealand
- Rosemary Mangope (2014–January 2019)
CEO, National Arts Council, South Africa
- Jimena Lara Estrada (May–December 2018)
Director General of International Affairs at the Ministry of Culture in Mexico
- Bilel Aboudi (2012–2018)
Director, Head of Monitoring and Evaluation Unit - Minister's Office, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Tunisia
- Iván Petrella (2016–2018)
Secretary for Federal Integration and International Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture of Argentina, Argentina
- Elise Huffer (2011–2017)
Adviser, Human Development Programme, The Pacific Community, Fiji
- Felipe M. de Leon (2014–2017)
Chairman, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Philippines
- Ambassador José Luis Martínez Hernández (2015–2016)
Director General for International Affairs for the Secretaría de Cultura, Mexico, Mexico
- Julia Patricia Fernádez Robinson (2015–2015)
Director of International Cultural Cooperation in the National Council for Culture and the Arts, Mexico
- Poul Bache (Treasurer, 2009–2015)
Executive Director, Kunststyrelsen - Danish Agency for Culture
- Kerstin Brunnberg (2014–2015)
Chair, Swedish Arts Council
- Alan Davey (Chair 2008–2014)
Chief Executive Officer, Arts Council England
- Mwajim Malgwi Maidugu (2013–2014)
Executive Director, National Council for Arts and Culture, Nigeria
- Pramod Jain (2012–2014)
Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, India
- Huang Wenjuan (2012–2013)
Director General, International Liaison Department, CFLAC - China Federation of Literary & Art Circles
- Magdalena Moreno Mujica (2012–2014)
Head, International Affairs, Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes, Chile
- Kathy Keele (Deputy Chair, 2007–2012)
Chief Executive Officer, Australia Council for the Arts
- Robert Sirman (Treasurer, 2006–2012)
Director and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Council for the Arts
- Venu Vasudevan (2011–2012)
Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, India
- Pius Knüsel (2011–2012)
Director, Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council
- Qu’resh Ahmed (Deputy Chair, 2006–2012)
General Manager, Bomas of Kenya
- Li Mu (2006–2012)
Vice-President, China Federation of Literary and Art Circles
- Gonzalo Martín de Marco (2011–2012)
Deputy National Director, Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes, Chile
- Annabell Lebethe (2009–2011)
Chief Executive Officer, National Arts Council, South Africa
- Guillermo Corral Van Damme (2009–2010)
Director General de Cooperación y Comunicación Cultural, Ministerio de Cultura, Spain
- Risto Ruohonen (Chair, 2003–2009)
Chief Executive Officer, Arts Council of Finland
- Lee Suan Hiang (Deputy Chair, 2003–2009)
Chief Executive Officer, National Arts Council, Singapore
- Clarisa Ruiz Correal (2006–2009)
Head of Arts, Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia
- Georgia Iliopoulou (2006–2008)
Managing Director, Hellenic Culture Foundation, Greece
- Ian McRae (2006–2007)
Chair, Theatre Board, Australia Council for the Arts
- Kim Evans (Deputy Chair, 2003–2006)
Executive Director (Arts), Arts Council England
- John Hobday (2003–2006)
Director, Canada Council of Arts
- Nguyen Van Tinh (2003–2006)
Director General (International Cooperation Department) Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vietnam
- Elizabeth Kerr (2005–2006)
Chief Executive, Creative New Zealand
- Patricia Quinn (Co-Chair, 2003–2004)
Director, Arts Council of Ireland
- Octavio Arbeláez Tobón (2003–2006)
Director, La Red, Colombia
- Doreen Nteta (Deputy Chair, 2003–2006)
Chief Executive Officer, National Arts Council, South Africa
Interim Board
On 3 December 2000, on the final day of the first World Summit on Arts and Culture in Ottawa, Canada, arts funding agencies from around the globe recommended the establishment of an international federation of arts and cultural support agencies and agreed to the establishment of an interim board. The members of the interim board, which operated until the formal approval of the federation’s constitution and election of a board in November 2003, included the following individuals:
- Choo Thiam Siew (2000–2003)
CEO, National Arts Council of Singapore
- Stéphane Martin (2001–2003)
Director, Musée du quai Branly, France
- Fernando Vicario (2001–2003)
Director, APTEC, Spain
- Doreen Nteta (Deputy Chair, 2000–2003)
Chief Executive Officer, National Arts Council, South Africa
- Albanela Pérez Suárez (2000–2001)
International Relations, Consejo Nacional de la Cultura, Venezuela
- Patricia Quinn (2000–2003)
Director, Arts Council of Ireland
- Risto Ruohonen (Treasurer, 2000–2003)
Government Advisor, Ministry of Education, Finland
- Shirley L Thomson (Chair, 2000–2003)
Director, Canada Council for the Arts
