ACMI appoints Sarah Slade as Executive Director Commercial & Operations

ACMI appoints Sarah Slade as Executive Director Commercial & Operations

ACMI today announces the appointment of Sarah Slade to the role of Executive Director Commercial & Operations, following the search for an experienced leader to take on this key leadership role for Australia’s national museum of screen culture. Sarah joins ACMI as it continues to grow as a global hub for screen culture following its transformation into a multiplatform museum.

Seb Chan, ACMI Director & CEO, said: “ACMI is excited to have Sarah Slade joining the senior leadership team. Highly regarded across the government and cultural sectors across Australia, Sarah will play a key role in defining the museum’s overall new strategy, leadership and culture. Her recent experience as part of the team transforming State Library Victoria will greatly help ACMI as we continue to evolve over the next decade. We’re excited to welcome Sarah to the team at a time when the social value of museums as publicly accessible places has never been more important.”

Sarah has over 30 years of experience in senior and executive leadership positions across the Australian and UK cultural sectors. She joins ACMI following her most recent roles at State Library Victoria (SLV), where she was Acting CEO, Director Corporate Services and Director Project Management Office (PMO). As Director PMO, Sarah led the delivery of SLV’s $88.1 million Vision 2020 redevelopment project and $20.1 million BOSS2 offsite collection storage project. Before joining SLV, Sarah held roles with Artlab Australia, Scottish Museums Council, International Conservation Services, Australian National Maritime Museum and ran her own consultancy in Australia and the UK. She has lectured in organisational behaviour and has an MBA from the University of Edinburgh.

Sarah Slade, ACMI Executive Director Commercial & Operations, said: “It’s a great honour to have the opportunity to apply my experience to one of Victoria’s most innovative and exciting cultural institutions, supporting and enabling all ACMI’s teams to work together to achieve outcomes, grow sustainably and deliver public value.” 

“I’m excited to work with Seb Chan, the ACMI Board and the wider ACMI team to deliver great cultural experiences that are inclusive and accessible to all Victorians. ACMI has an incredible reputation within Australia and internationally. It’s inspiring to be part of a team that will continue to build the museum’s status as a globally connected hub for screen culture,” said Sarah. 

For the past nine years, the role of Deputy CEO and Executive Director Commercial and Operations has been held by Graham Jephcott. He joined ACMI in the planning stages of a $40 million renewal that saw ACMI transformed into a multiplatform museum that can be accessed around the world via its online platforms. 

Seb Chan said: “The ACMI Board and team are immensely grateful to Graham Jephcott. After almost a decade of truly transformative change, Graham will depart ACMI following his enormous impact on Victoria’s creative landscape. We will miss Graham’s wise counsel, unflappable nature and strategic thinking, and wish him well as he embarks on ‘retirement’.”

Graham Jephcott will conclude his role with ACMI on Friday 7 July. Sarah Slade commences a three-week handover today. 

For more info about ACMI’s Senior Leadership Team, visit acmi.net.au

NOTES TO EDITORS:
Download media assets here.

ABOUT ACMI:
ACMI is Australia’s national museum of screen culture. The museum reopened in February 2021 after a two-year, $40 million redevelopment – an architectural, programmatic and technological transformation. Navigate the universe of film, TV, videogames and art with ACMI. The museum celebrates the wonder and power of the world’s most democratic artform – fostering the next generation of makers, players and watchers. ACMI’s vibrant calendar of exhibitions, screenings, commissions, festivals, and industry and education programs explore the stories, technologies and artists that create our shared screen culture. More at acmi.net.au