AFTRS Update - A new Council Chair

Editor's note: Its hard to know why it took so long for Mitch Fifield to come up with this appointment but there you are. Here's Mitch's media release. It doesn't explain why a position that has been vacant since March 9 wont be formally filled till July 1.

Russel Howcroft

The Turnbull Government has appointed Mr Russel Howcroft as Chair of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) Council for a period of three years.

Mr Howcroft has extensive experience in the screen industry. He was the Executive General Manager of Network Ten and has served on a number of boards and foundations which focus on arts and film, including the Australian Film Institute and the Screen Forever Advisory Board.  

In 2016, Mr Howcroft was the founding Chair of Think TV, a collaborative initiative between Australian free-to-air and subscription television broadcasters to promote television’s scale and effectiveness for advertisers across all screens.

Mr Howcroft is currently the inaugural Chief Creative Officer at PwC Australia. He has also served as the Chairman of the Advertising Federation of Australia and Chief Executive Officer of leading advertising agency George Patterson Y&R and been a regular panellist on The Gruen Transfer.

Mr Howcroft will commence as Chair on 1 July 2017. As a leader in the creative industries, he has a strong understanding of working in the media and creative entrepreneurship in both the private and public sectors which will be invaluable for the Council.