NFSA Appointment - A Dutchman gets the CEO gig

Oops. Just as I had a rant the appointment of a new CEO for the NFSA has been announced and he will take up duty in October, ten months after Michael Loebenstein left the building. Here's Mitch's press release.

4 July 2017

APPOINTMENT OF JAN MÜLLER AS NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE CEO AND BOARD REAPPOINTMENTS

The Turnbull Government welcomes the appointment of Mr Jan Müller as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) for a four-year term.

Mr Müller is a highly experienced CEO and leader in the digital heritage and culture sector internationally. Since 2009, Mr Müller has been the CEO of the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, which comprises one of the largest audio visual collections in Europe and Chair of the Europeana Foundation since 2015. The Europeana Foundation is an online collection of over 50 million digitised items from museums, libraries, archives and collections.

Prior to turning to the cultural sector, Mr Müller had over 20 years working in the advertising industry including as CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Amsterdam and as a member of the board of the agency in Europe. He was President of the International Federation of Television Archives from 2012-2016 and is the Chair of the Dutch Media Literacy program and the Dutch National Coalition for Digital Preservation and Sustainability.

“Mr Müller is a global leader in film and media archives and museums and digital culture,” Minister Fifield said. “His expertise will strengthen NFSA’s digitisation, public engagement and international and local partnerships.”

Chair of the NFSA, Ms Gabrielle Trainor AO, said Mr Müller’s appointment heralded an exciting new stage for the NFSA. “We are in transition from an archive whose visitation and use has been limited by our physical footprint and outreach effort, to a collection which also can be accessed for research, education and enjoyment by exponentially more people, from their devices, online.

“This requires re-invention of our physical presence and public engagement and a substantial ongoing investment in digitisation. Jan’s experience will be invaluable in leading us through this evolution.”

Mr Müller said he was delighted to be joining the NFSA, an internationally regarded institution, to contribute to the next phase of its development. “The NFSA has a great history and committed staff and stakeholders. I welcome the opportunity to help maximise its relevance to the community it serves and the industries it celebrates,” he said.

Mr Müller will commence the role in October. Ms Meg Labrum, NFSA Collection General Manager, will continue as Acting CEO until that time.

The National Film and Sound Archive collects, preserves and shares Australia’s memory through film, video, television, stills and recorded sound. The Board of the NFSA is responsible for the overall performance and strategic direction of the organisation.

In addition to Mr Müller’s appointment, the Government has also reappointed two members to the NFSA Board for three year terms.

Ms Toni Cody is a highly experienced marketing and business consultant with over 20 years’ industry experience in strategic planning and change manage-ment. Ms Cody is also the Chair of the NFSA Board’s Funding and Stake-holder Development Committee. Her expertise has been invaluable in driving the NFSA’s efforts to increase own-source funding and strengthen stake-holder relationships with industry.

Mr Peter Rose is a digital media consultant who has held a number of senior management positions in the film and television industry, most recently as the Director of Foxtel Movies. Mr Rose is also the Chair of the Board’s Finance Committee. Mr Rose’s film and television expertise has been critical in strengthening the NFSA’s innovative work in film and television.