Anne Rodda appointed inaugural Chief Executive Officer

Anne Rodda appointed inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the James Wallace Arts Trust

Executive Director of the Michael Hill International Violin Competition (MHIVC), Anne Rodda, has been appointed to the newly created position of Chief Executive Officer of the James Wallace Arts Trust (JWAT).

Rodda, former General Manager of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Auckland Writers and Readers Festival and NZ Sculpture On The Shore Ltd, and Executive Officer of the Cognition Education Trust, will remain the Executive Director of the MHIVC, which will have a close working relationship with the JWAT.

Sir James Wallace, a well-known and respected businessman and philanthropist with a long-term commitment to the arts in New Zealand, will hand over the day-to-day running of his organisation to Rodda. He will remain Director and Chairman and continue to be responsible for acquisitions and the final approval of such matters as proposed grants, art loans and exhibitions.

He says, “In a sector where diversity and creativity are essential, sustaining an independent and unique vision is of great value to the continued development of the arts in NZ.

“Anne brings the skills to manage the complexities of a major arts organisation but also an understanding of the vision for the Trust and the capability to help it endure. I am delighted she has agreed to steer the Trust and the team into the coming years. I am also delighted that there will be an even greater collaboration with the MHIVC, as I greatly admire how Sir Michael’s vision has been fulfilled so brilliantly.”

The objective of the JWAT is around art enriching peoples’ lives and, for Wallace, has always been about increasing and enabling people’s access to the arts and providing opportunities for artists, many of whom are at the start of their careers.

Through the JWAT, over 50 NZ arts organisations receive annual grants, including some of the country’s most significant, such as NZ Opera, Auckland Theatre Company and Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

The JWAT has a collection of over 9000 works by New Zealand artists. It also mounts significant public programmes including the annual Wallace Arts Awards, it hosts residencies for working artists, makes art loans to over 70 sites such as schools, universities, theatres and hospitals, and manages two iconic Auckland buildings – the Pah Homestead and Rannoch.

Sir James’ passion for his business and the arts is undiminished. He has been implementing a succession process over many years to ensure their enduring success. The latest stage of this has seen the merger of the co-products business of Wallace Corporation Limited (WCL) into Wallace Group LP (WGLP), of which he is Chairman.

Rodda says, “It’s an incredible honour to further Sir James’ objectives. His generosity has launched careers and sustained most of New Zealand’s arts in one way or another.

“This has been an organic and thoughtful succession and I look forward to using the experience I have gained with a philanthropic organisation, as well as an arts leader, to further the work of the Trust,” she says.

Regarding the collaboration between the JWAT and MHIVC, Sir James has been heavily involved in the MHIVC over the years. This includes serving as chairman of the international jury in the early days of the Competition from 2001, and in his role as chairman of the MHIVC Trust and as host for multiple events.

MHIVC Chair Gerald Fitzgerald says, “The Michael Hill International Violin Competition Board recognises the synergies between the two organisations and believes a move to align them will bring a good model for a strategic sharing of resources. Sir Michael has long admired Sir James’ philanthropy in the arts and we look forward to discovering the many ways the two organisations can help each other grow.”

The James Wallace Arts Trust is a Charitable Trust founded and funded by Sir James with the objective of advocating the arts in New Zealand. The raison d'être of the James Wallace Arts Trust is to support, promote and expose New Zealand contemporary artists while providing the wider public with an inimitable cultural and historical resource of contemporary New Zealand art.

The Michael Hill International Violin Competition is New Zealand’s most prestigious music competition and recognised as one of the finest violin competitions in the world.

ENDS

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