PAC appoints Katherine Connor as new Executive Director

Performing Arts Connections (PAC) Australia have announced today (3rd March 2020) that Katherine Connor has been appointed as the organisation’s new Executive Director.

PAC Australia President Helen O’Neil advised “Katherine is a strong, creative leader with a clear vision for the future of the performing arts in Australia and a deep understanding of the needs of our membership. She was chosen through an extremely competitive selection process – we were honoured to have a such a strong field of candidates, reflecting the high calibre of leaders working within our sector.

O’Neil added that Connor has, most recently, been the Producer and Programs Manager with PAC Australia, developing industry leading programs and initiatives and noted that “in her new capacity as Executive Director, she will lead the management and delivery of the organisation’s flagship annual event, the newly re-branded Australian Performing Arts Exchange (APAX).”

On her appointment to the position of Executive Director, Connor enthused “it’s a privilege to be undertaking this role with PAC Australia. The organisation is in a strong growth phase and I’m determined to build upon this momentum and widen the circle of opportunity for engaging with the performing arts in this country.

“I will continue to work hard to advocate for our membership, to deliver services and develop the capacity of the sector to make us all better at what we do, both individually and collectively. I’m looking forward to connecting with as many of our members and sector colleagues as possible in the coming months.”

Connor highlighted that one of the first priorities will be APAX 2020 and commented “during APAX, along with presenting the best performing arts projects currently on offer in Australia, we’ll be discussing how we can grab the reins and be the new architects of the future of the arts in our communities.

“I want to deliver an event that restores a bit of faith and instils some genuine optimism about our sector – a sector that encourages our diverse viewpoints, recognising the value and role of everyone in our arts ‘family’ so we can all speak to the value of what we do with a stronger voice.”

PAC Australia is the national peak body representing and supporting performing arts presenters and creators in Australia by providing leadership, building capacity and facilitating relationships that strengthen the connection between the art and the audience. The organisation represents over 230 presenters, producers, arts-makers and support organisations across Australia from metropolitan centres to the regional and remote.

Applications to present at APAX will open in late-March and registrations to attend will open in May (with a priority-member booking period).

For more information on PAC Australia go to https://paca.org.au/about/about-pac-australia/