SPEAKER: Rachel Healy CEO of QPAC - TOPIC: Qld Performing Arts Centre

Rachel Healy is the Chief Executive of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane, Queensland.

Rachel has worked in senior roles in the cultural sector for more twenty years including as Director of Performing Arts for Sydney Opera House, General Manager of Belvoir St Theatre and Executive Manager Culture for the City of Sydney.

With Neil Armfield, Rachel served as Joint Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival from 2015 - 2022. Their tenure as Adelaide Festival’s longest serving Artistic Directors was marked by unprecedented critical acclaim and growth, in which box office doubled, private giving reached 40 times previous levels, attendances increased by 54%, and the number of major events secured exclusively for SA significantly increased visitation and generated gross expenditure of $386.6M.

Rachel has served on more than 30 arts boards and government/industry advisory bodies including the Sydney Opera House Trust, Live Performance Australia, and the Major Performing Arts Board of the Australia Council (now Creative Australia). Rachel served as Chair of the Australian Government’s Creative Economy Taskforce in 2021-22 and prior to her move to Queensland was Joint Chair of Adelaide University’s Creativity and Culture Industry Advisory Board, Chair of Carclew (SA), and non-executive director of Performing Arts Connections Australia.

In 2019 the University of Adelaide awarded Rachel the honorary degree of Doctor of the University for her ‘exceptional dedication and service to the Arts in Australia’ and the following year Rachel was awarded the Arts Leadership Award by Creative Partnerships Australia.

Before being appointed Chief Executive of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Rachel worked as a cultural industries contractor and consultant, including as Curator of Ideas and Special Events for the 2024 Vivid Sydney Festival.