Former minister lands top job at Adelaide Festival Centre
A former Riverland MP and Rann Government minister has been appointed to lead the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust.
Karlene Maywald has today been named the new presiding member of the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust, with her three-year appointment to begin later this month.
Maywald represented the Riverland seat of Chaffey as a Nationals MP from 1997 until 2010 but joined the Rann Cabinet and served as minister for the River Murray and Water Security.
She also held other portfolios including Small Business, Regional Development, Science and Information Economy and Consumer Affairs.
After leaving parliament Maywald served as chair of a number of organisations including Cancer Council SA, WaterAid Australia and the CRC for Solving Antimicrobial Resistance in Agriculture, Food and the Environment.
She is also the independent chair of Hillgrove Resources’ Kanmantoo Callington Community Consultative Committee and is on the board of the Adelaide Equestrian Festival.
Karlene Maywald during her time as Mike Rann’s water minister.
“It’s a great honour to be appointed as chair of one of Australia’s great cultural organisations, the Adelaide Festival Centre,” said Maywald, who will replace former governor of South Australia Hieu Van Le in the role.
“Following the 50th anniversary celebrations and ahead of announced re-development works, I look forward to working with the board and management to build on the successful track record.
“The AFC and Her Majesty’s Theatre are the hubs for arts and entertainment in South Australia and the AFC has an international reputation for cultural leadership, particularly across the Asia Pacific network.”
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Arts Minister Andrea Michaels said she was looking forward to working with Maywald and re-appointed South Australian Living Artists festival chair Alexandrea Cannon.
“It is an exciting time for the Adelaide Festival Centre with our $35 million upgrade due to begin in 2025,” Michaels said.
“As a former Minister for decades of board experience, Karlene will do an exceptional job overseeing the board of one of South Australia’s most loved cultural institutions.”
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