Sydney Opera House Trust
The Sydney Opera House Trust consists of 10 members appointed by the Governor on the nomination of the Minister for the Arts. A Trustee holds office for three years and is eligible for reappointment for no more than three consecutive terms. The Trustees must include at least two persons who have knowledge of, or experience in the performing arts.
The Trust’s objectives are:
- To administer, care for, control, manage and maintain the Sydney Opera House building and site
- To manage and administer the site as an arts centre and meeting place
- To promote artistic taste and achievement in all branches of the performing art
- To foster scientific research into and to encourage the development of new forms of entertainment and presentation (excerpt from Sydney Opera House Trust Act, 1961)
Qualifications: BA (Western Sydney University), PhD (University of Technology Sydney), and HonDUniv (University of Technology Sydney)
Joined the Trust on 1 January 2024 as Chair. He is serving his first term to 31 December 2026.
Michael is a member of the Wiradjuri Nation of Central NSW, with a distinguished career in Indigenous higher education and a record of service to the arts, culture and community spanning more than three decades.
Michael is an Emeritus Professor and Special Advisor (Indigenous Priorities) to the Vice-Chancellor, University of Technology Sydney and is a Board member of the Sydney Writers’ Festival. He is the former Chair of Bangarra and has served on the boards of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney Living Museums and the Australian Major Performing Arts Group. Michael has held several Federal and State Government appointments, including past Chair of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. In 2023, Michael was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by UTS as well as the title of Emeritus Professor.
In 2021, Michael was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his distinguished service to Indigenous tertiary education, the advancement of social cohesion through reconciliation, the performing arts, and the community.
In 2019, Michael was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales and honoured as the National NAIDOC Scholar of the Year.
Joined the Trust on 1 January 2022 and is serving his second term to 31 December 2027. He is a Member of the Audit & Risk and Visitor Experience Committees.
David is a highly accomplished singer, stage performer and television/radio presenter. He was a founding member of the Hayes Theatre Co and has served as Artistic Director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. He has won four Helpmann awards, as well as ARIA and Sydney Theatre awards. David co-hosts the Nine Network’s national Today Extra show, as well as the annual Carols by Candlelight broadcast. In 2019, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in recognition of his service to entertainment and the arts.
Qualifications: BBus (Charles Sturt University)
Joined the Trust 1 January 2018 and is serving his third term to 31 December 2026. He is Chair of the Visitor Experience Committee and a Member of the Audit and Risk Committee.
Michael is a strategically-focused leader with a 35-year career across the technology, telecommunications and media sectors. He has a successful track record in leading organisational transformation and is passionate about workplace culture, leadership and diversity. In 2017, Michael was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for his service to the broadcast media and multicultural affairs and named CEO of the Year at CEO Magazine’s Executive of the Year Awards.
Michael is also a non-executive Director of BAI Communications and Screen Australia.
He was previously Group Executive, Telstra Enterprise (2018-20). In this role, he was responsible for revenues in excess of $8 billion and for Telstra Enterprise’s international operations, with about 3,500 people in 20 countries and the largest subsea cable network in the Asia-Pacific region.
Prior to Telstra, Michael was the CEO and Managing Director of SBS (2011-18), where he significantly evolved the public broadcaster's portfolio with four distinctive TV channels, an extensive in-language radio offering and new market-leading digital services like SBS On Demand.
Qualifications: BLaws (Western Sydney University)
Joined the Trust 1 January 2024 and is serving her first term to 31 December 2026. Sara is a member of the Visitor Experience Committee.
Sara is a poet, lawyer and community leader. She is the co-founder and artistic director of the Bankstown Poetry Slam and in 2022 programmed and directed Brave New Word, a poetry festival for youth, which culminated in Australia’s first national youth poetry slam. Sara is a non-executive Director of Monkey Baa Theatre Company and the
Salaam Institute. In August 2023, Sara was appointed Chair of the Create NSW Artist Advisory Panel. Sara was an Advisory Panel Member with the South Western Sydney Local Health District between 2017-19.
Sara has won various awards, including Outstanding Voluntary Leader at the Zest Awards in 2023 and Creative Arts and Cultural Woman of the Year (2020) for the Canterbury-Bankstown region.
Qualifications: BA (Hons) (University of Sydney), MBA (Distinction) (INSEAD France)
Joined the Trust 1 January 2023 and is serving her first term to 31 December 2025. She is Chair of the Conservation Council and a Member of the Building & Heritage Committee.
Susan is the President of Chief Executive Women, Chair of the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, Chair of the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work Advisory Board, a non-executive Director of Rio Tinto Limited, a non-executive Director of Macquarie Group, and a Member of the INSEAD Global Board.
Susan was Chief Executive Officer of Mirvac and a Director on the Mirvac Board from 2012 to 2023. Prior to this appointment, Susan was Managing Director at LaSalle Investment Management in London. Susan has also held senior executive positions at MGPA, Macquarie Group and Lend Lease Corporation, working in Australia, the US and Europe.
Joined the Trust on 1 July 2024 and is serving his first term to 31 December 2026.
Zareh co-founded global animation studio Animal Logic and is the Founder and CEO of production companies Animal Logic Entertainment and Truant Pictures, bringing over three decades of experience in developing and producing large-scale screen projects. Through partnerships with major studios and streaming platforms in Hollywood, he has built a successful portfolio of animated, indie and hybrid family-film franchises for both theatrical and streaming releases.
Dedicated to fostering talent, Zareh supports mentorships, residencies and educational initiatives within the arts and creative industries, aiming to cultivate diverse careers. In collaboration with the University of Technology (UTS), he established the UTS Animal Logic Academy, offering a Master of Animation and Visualisation program and opportunities for post-graduate research. Recognising his contribution to the sector, UTS awarded him an Honorary Doctorate in 2018.
Zareh serves as the Deputy Chair of the Sydney Film Festival and on the board of Australians in Film. He was previously Deputy Chair of Ausfilm for a decade.
Qualifications: BBus (Queensland University of Technology)
Joined the Trust 1 January 2018 and is serving her third term to 31 December 2026. She is Chair of the Building & Heritage Committee.
Kylie is the Chief Executive Officer of QIC, one of the largest institutional investment managers in Australia. With $100 billion in funds undermanagement, QIC is a long-term specialist manager in alternatives, offering infrastructure, real estate, natural capital, private equity, private debt, liquid strategies and multi-asset investments.
Kylie has more than 25 years’ experience in investment management, particularly in real assets investing. Her expertise spans private markets, including real estate, and private and public capital markets, real estate development, asset management, mergers and acquisitions, business strategy, and operations.
Prior to joining QIC In April 2022, Kylie was Group Head of Investment sat Lendlease, and a member of the global leadership team and global investment committee. Kylie also spent 13 years at Macquarie, in Australia and the US, and also worked at Gandel Group, AMP and Schroders.
Qualifications: BEc (Macquarie University), Diploma of Digital and Direct Marketing (Institute of Direct Marketing, United Kingdom).
Joined the Trust on 1 July 2024 and is serving her first term to 31 December 2026.
Melanie has more than 25 years’ experience in digital and internet technology. She is Managing Director and Vice-President of Google Australia and New Zealand. Since joining Google in 2007, she has held senior roles in Australia and the APAC region.
Prior to Google Melanie held a variety of roles across product, marketing and operations in the financial services sector, including with Citibank, ING Direct and AMP.
Melanie is currently a board member of the Business Council of Australia and a member of Chief Executive Women.
Qualifications: B Com and LLB (University of NSW)
Joined the Trust 1 January 2023 and is serving his first term to 31 December 2025. He is a Member of the Building & Heritage Committee.
Allan is Managing Director of the TOGA Group, a property development, construction, investment and hospitality management group, as well as the Chairman of TFE Hotels. Prior to joining TOGA Group in 1989 as Group Chief Operations Officer, Allan worked in the banking and finance sector with Bankers Trust and Macquarie Bank.
Allan is a Director of the Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce and the Jewish Care Foundation. Previous directorships include the Tourism and Transport Forum (2009-18) and the Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council.
Allan was awarded an Order of Australia in 2019 for his service to the hospitality industry and to the Jewish community.
Joined the Trust 1 January 2023 and is serving her first term to 31 December 2025. She is Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee.
Sara is an experienced non-executive director and audit and risk committee chair working across a range of sectors. Sara is currently a Board Member of Syrah Resources, Trajan Scientific, Nuix and Uniting NSW.ACT.
Sara’s previous roles include: Trustee of the Australian Museum and chair of its audit and risk committee; non-executive Director of Vision Australia and Chair of its audit and risk committee; Vice-Principal Operations at the University of Sydney; and Chief Financial Officer and Executive Sponsor Corporate Responsibility, IBM Australia and New Zealand.
Sara mentors emerging and transitioning leaders in financial and operational roles, regularly performs as a chorister with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, and is a Fellow of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and CPA Australia.
