Kate Dundas appointed as Sydney Festival's new Chair

Sydney Festival has announced Kate Dundas as its new Chair, succeeding David Kirk who leaves the role after almost a decade. Dundas steps into the role after four years as a non-executive Board Member at Sydney Festival.

Recognised for leading transformative change across a range of organisations, Dundas brings a wealth of experience to her new role. With a background firmly focused on the media and cultural sectors, including roles as the former Director of ABC Radio and Executive Director of Performing Arts at the Sydney Opera House, she has been instrumental in shaping public policy.

Throughout her executive career she championed audience engagement with the ABC’s radio services, including greater access and new programming through podcasting, streaming and the introduction of digital radio.

At the Sydney Opera House, she drove the integrated artistic vision including support for the resident companies and responsibility for technical production, events operations and venue hire. She provided executive leadership to the presenting arm of the Opera House comprising programming teams across Contemporary Performance, Talks and Ideas, Contemporary Music, First Nations, Children and Creative Learning.

Her governmental contributions include serving as Deputy Secretary for Arts and Culture in NSW where she bolstered coordination among cultural institutions and supported their strategic and infrastructure initiatives.  

Beyond her executive roles Dundas' extensive experience extends to non-executive board positions and consultancy work, focusing on mentoring, governance, and strategic planning. In addition, Dundas serves as Deputy Chair of Australia for UNHCR and Deputy Chair of Sydney Writers’ Festival.

Commentating on her new position, Dundas shared “I am a passionate believer in the importance and centrality of arts and culture to people’s everyday lives and society as a whole. It unites us, challenges us, honours our different cultural traditions and in the end, engages and entertains us. I’m profoundly grateful for the opportunity to continue to work with incredibly talented people in delivering what is one of Australia’s largest cultural events and a summer highlight in the Sydney calendar. I look forward to working with our key supporters and thank David Kirk for leading the Board so admirably, and my fellow Board members for placing their confidence in me.”

NSW Minister for the Arts, John Graham noted “The Sydney Festival is a key festival for NSW, bringing opportunities for international and local artists to share their stories and skills with audiences. It sets Sydney alight in summer. Kate Dundas brings to the role a deep understanding of arts and culture, the Sydney Festival and its community.”

Chris Tooher, Chief Executive at Sydney Festival added “The Festival is approaching a new phase of development.  Marked by the appointment of Kate, accompanied by the addition of fresh voices to the Board, and the upcoming recruitment of a new Artistic Director, we stand on the horizon of our 50th-year celebration. This is an exciting time for the organisation as we prepare to craft the next chapter of Sydney Festival's legacy.

 “As we welcome Kate, I’d also like to extend my thanks and gratitude to David Kirk for his dedication and visionary leadership over the last decade. David’s insights and impact in the growth of Sydney Festival will continue to inspire our journey forward.”

David Kirk shared “I’m profoundly grateful for the privilege of championing the power of the arts over the last nine years.  As I step aside, I do so with unwavering confidence in the Festival's continued ability to inspire, unite, and shape our cultural landscape for generations to come.”

Following the success of the 2024 festival, the 2025 festival will be the final instalment under the artistic reigns of current Festival Director, Olivia Ansell.  A global recruitment campaign is currently underway for a new Artistic Director to take the festival into its next chapter of excellence, just in time for its milestone 50th anniversary celebration in 2026.

Image. Kate Dundas.Credit: Jacquie Manning