New chair for Historic Houses Trust

MEDIA RELEASE COURTESY OF: Historic Houses Trust

Law firm Chief Executive Michael Rose has today been announced as the new chair of the Historic Houses Trust of NSW to oversee its work managing some of Australia’s most important historic buildings including the Hyde Park Barracks, Vaucluse House and the Museum of Sydney.

The three year appointment at one of Australia's largest cultural institutions comes at an important time for the Historic Houses Trust (HHT) with the World Heritage Listing of the Hyde Park Barracks this month and the HHT’s 30th anniversary next month.

Michael Rose takes over the reins from Jill Wran who was the HHT’s Chair for nine years and will continue her association with the HHT as a Director of its Foundation.

Mr Rose is Chief Executive Partner with international law firm Allens Arthur Robinson and is one of Australia's leading litigation and dispute resolution lawyers.

Outside the firm, Michael is the Chair of ChildFund Australia, an international aid and development organisation active in more than 50 developing countries. He is also a member of the Indigenous Engagement Task Force and the Education, Skills and Innovation Task Force of the Business Council of Australia.

"I'm really pleased to be joining the board of such a significant cultural institution. I love working with, and learning from, talented people who are leaders in their fields. The senior staff at HHT are leaders and the board has an exciting mix of thinkers, focused on the cultural, architectural and commercial responsibilities of the organisation."

HHT Director Kate Clark said that as Chair, a voluntary position, Mr Rose will lead a board of nine trustees as part of a vibrant organisation that opens the doors to Sydney's history through a range of exhibitions and events.

“We live in a very short term world where buildings are written off after 20 or 30 years and the perception is that it’s easier to knock down and build again rather than look after what you’ve got. Michael brings a wealth of strategic experience which will be of immense help to us and I have discovered that he has a real passion for history and architecture. I am really looking forward to working with him.”

“The Historic Houses Trust is a wonderful Pandora’s box of an organisation with a portfolio of fascinating properties. We want people to come and visit, but we also recognise that people like to experience our sites in different ways.

“We have education programmes reaching 60,000 young people each year; an extraordinary line-up of events and exhibitions celebrating architecture, design and art, music, food and gardens; devoted members; committed volunteers; a really good reputation for research and a thriving venue hire business giving people an entirely different out-of-hours experience of these fantastic sites,” said Ms Clark.