NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE AT SOUTHBANK; NEW TRUSTEES AT LA MOCA
The Southbank Center, the riverside cultural complex in London, has appointed Alan Bishop as its next chief executive, replacing Michael Lynch, who leaves in April, reports Farah Nayeri in Bloomberg. Bishop is currently chief executive of the Central Office of Information, the government’s communications agency, and former chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi International, Southbank Center said today in a press release. “He is the right man for the job,” said Southbank Center chairman Rick Haythornthwaite, “and is someone who has the skills to lead the organization through its next major stage of development, looking toward the Olympics and beyond,” referring to the 2012 London Olympics. Lynch, who previously ran the Sydney Opera House, oversaw the reopening of the Royal Festival Hall last year after a $180 million overhaul that allowed the building of a walkway along the river and the opening of more restaurants and cafés.
In other news, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, has announced two new appointments: Arts advocate and television writer Maria Arena Bell, and philanthropist and global real estate asset manager Pierre Norman Rolin have both been confirmed as members of LA MoCA’s board of trustees. “I am delighted to welcome both Maria Bell and Pierre Rolin to our board,” said museum director Jeremy Strick. “Maria is a longtime supporter of numerous arts organizations, and as chair of LA MoCA’s acquisition and collection committee, her passion and expertise have served our museum well. Pierre has great influence in the world of arts education, engaging in strategic partnerships with several important youth arts programs in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada through his philanthropic organizations. Both of these individuals, who bring a high level of commitment to the arts, will enrich LA MoCA’s leadership capacity.”
