Sandra Bender appointed as CEO of Centre In The Square
KITCHENER, CANADA – February 21, 2012 — We are pleased to announce the appointment of Sandra Bender as the incoming CEO of Centre In The Square.
In announcing Sandra's appointment, Centre In The Square Chair, Tim Jackson said:
"With the help of Spencer Stuart, we engaged in an extensive search for the right person to take Centre In The Square to its next stage. Sandra was the standout candidate from an extremely strong local and international field. She understands the brief, she knows the arts industry inside out – both here and abroad – and she is ready to meet the new challenges. It is great to welcome her back to Waterloo Region as one of our successful and esteemed arts leaders. I look forward to working with Sandra as she leads the team to build the future success of The Centre."
Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr welcomed the appointment.
"Over the last 30 years, Centre In The Square has helped shape the City of Kitchener, creating a lasting and abundant creative legacy for the local community and region," Mr. Zehr said. "We look forward to Sandra's contribution in this next exciting phase in the evolution of our Centre and the cultural life of Kitchener and the Waterloo region."
Sandra Bender is currently the chief executive of STUDIO and World Movies, TV channels distributed through FOXTEL, in Sydney, Australia. During her tenure, Sandra increased ratings by 34%, delivered PROMAX award-winning brands and invested $3.1 million in local arts productions to programme "wall-towall" art and culture in all its forms for viewers.
She is also a member of the Board for Performing Lines (a service organization that develops, produces and tours new Australian performing arts regionally, nationally and internationally), Artspace (an artist-run centre which hosts international residencies for contemporary visual artists), and Designate Chair of Object Gallery (public gallery and Australia's centre for design).
In particular, her experience includes a focus on brand and organizational repositioning, which will prove to be beneficial as she meets the challenges of an arts centre in a changing arts landscape.
On the announcement of her appointment, Sandra enthused:
"I'm extremely excited to be returning home to one of the country's largest and state-of-the-art stages. I'm passionate about all art forms and having grown up in the area I have a good understanding of the personality and culture of Kitchener-Waterloo. Great art centres embrace their community and I absolutely share the Board's desire to truly make The Centre the heart and cultural fix for the local community."
Most recently, Sandra was the Executive Director of Arts Development with the Australia Council providing leadership across audience and market development, establishing the IETM-Australia Council Collaboration Project and leading key initiatives such as Australia's presence at the Venice Biennale, including the pavilion redevelopment. In this role, she oversaw various international projects, such as Frankfurt Book Fair, SXSW (US), the Great Escape (UK) and the Australian Performing Arts Market.
Prior to relocating to Sydney Australia, she held the position of Creative Director, Vaicheboa Events in Spain, Head of the Audience and Market Development Office for the Canada Council for the Arts and Media Relations Manager for the National Gallery of Canada.
Sandra will commence her appointment on May 1, 2012.
About Centre In The Square
Centre In The Square is Waterloo Region's premier live performing arts venue. Located in Kitchener, Ontario, the focal point of the spacious building is the expansive, technically-superior Raffi Armenian Theatre. The 2,047-seat design offers exceptional, unobstructed views of the stage, which is one of the largest in North America. The Centre operates as a not for profit registered charitable organization whose mission is: "Creating memorable experiences". Each year, approximately 190,000 audience members attend a variety of events including everything from international music artists, symphony concerts, choral celebrations, headline comedy, performances for young audiences and more.
Link to message from Sandra Bender.
Media Contact
Brenda Asselstine
Director of Programming & Marketing
519 578-5660 ext 215
basselstine@centre-square.com
