When, how and why might you say no? What are you saying yes or no to? And are these the only responses you can make? What are the short and long-term risks and outcomes for your organisation, the sector, and the community?

Join the discussion with Creative Partnerships Australia and directly tackle these timely and pressing questions, drawing on both the local perspectives and the multiple sides of the debate – ethics, arts and business.

Join Dr Simon Longstaff, along with Simone Whetton and John Richardson for a live-streamed discussion moderated by Este Darin-Cooper on Wednesday 18 November at 11am. Participants will have the opportunity to propose questions as the conversation unfolds and access a recording of the conversation after the event.

This is a not-to-be missed event for executive teams and board members of arts organisations, arts fundraisers, arts funders, arts audiences and everyone who cares about building ethics into their everyday work practices.

Participants will have the opportunity to pose questions as the conversation unfolds and access a recording of the conversation after the event.

Cost: FREE but registration is essential. The link for this broadcast will be emailed to you one day before the event.

Panelists:

Dr Simon Longstaff AO FCPA, Executive Director, The Ethics Centre

Simon Longstaff began his working life on Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory of Australia. He is proud of his kinship ties to the Anindilyakwa people. After a period studying law in Sydney and teaching in Tasmania, he pursued postgraduate studies as a Member of Magdalene College, Cambridge. In 1991, Simon commenced his work as the first Executive Director of The Ethics Centre. In 2013, he was made an officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for “distinguished service to the community through the promotion of ethical standards in governance and business, to improving corporate responsibility, and to philosophy.” Simon is an Honorary Professor at the Australian National University, a Fellow of CPA Australia, the Royal Society of NSW and the Australian Risk Policy Institute.

John Richardson, Director of Development, The Art Gallery of NSW

John Richardson joined the Gallery in 2014. He is responsible for leading the unprecedented Sydney Modern Project Capital Campaign that to date has raised $103.5 million in private contributions, to complement the NSW State Government’s funding commitment of $244 million. An expert in high-end stakeholder management, a strategic leader and commercial strategist, he is deeply committed to building, maintaining and growing corporate partner, government and benefactor relationships. He has worked at Back Row Productions and the New 42nd Street Project in New York City, and was the chief commercial officer at the South Sydney Rabbitohs from 2006 to 2014, turning the off-field business pillars into one of the benchmark commercial sports administrations in Australia.

Mr Richardson is responsible for the philanthropy, corporate partnership, venue hire, restaurant, catering, retail and Sydney Modern Project Capital Campaign departments at the Gallery, as well as for liaising with the Gallery’s membership organisation.

Simone Whetton, Corporate Partner, Colin Biggers & Paisley

Simone is a corporate partner at national law firm Colin Biggers & Paisley. She is also a weekly arts broadcaster on ABC Radio Sydney with a focus on theatre, music, visual arts and festivals in Sydney and NSW . Simone is the Chair of Sydney based physical theatre company Legs on the Wall. She is a Board member of Griffin Theatre Company, Grata Fund and the Sydney Eisteddfod. Simone is the deputy Chair of Sydney University Sports and Fitness Limited and a Board member of and Chair of the Policy Advisory Committee of the German Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

Moderator:

Este is passionate about growing investment in the Australian cultural sector and building sustainable, effective and resilient organisations. She has been deeply connected to the arts and funding community as a board member, coach, adviser, philanthropist and advocate.

Este’s career spans law, technology, social investment and the arts and is the co-founder and director of her own philanthropic foundation that invests in the arts. As part of this, she has built collaborative partnerships with the arts sector, designed innovative investments in cultural organisations, and been a leader in next-generation philanthropy.

She participated in the 2019 Arts Leaders program through the Australia Council for the Arts, is a board director of Force Majeure and serves on the Atelier Council at AGNSW.