Brooke Webb

GAICD, BA (ANU), GradDip Thtre Dir. (NIDA), MA Mgment (RMIT)

Brooke Webb is the Chief Executive Officer at the Sydney Writers' Festival. For the past 27 years, she has held senior and executive-level roles, leading the creation of commercial theatrical productions, concerts, and festivals, working both within Australia and internationally.

Ms Webb has worked for global entertainment companies, multinational corporations, state governments, not-for-profit organisations, local councils, and private SME agencies. Her diverse experience includes serving as the Artistic Director at Cirque Du Soleil (Canada, North America, South America, and the Middle East), Executive Director - Concerts and Touring at Universal Music in New York City (USA), Resident Artistic Director on ‘The Producers’ collaborating with Mel Brooks, Susan Stroman and the US Creative Team (Australian Tour 2003-2005), Festival Director for The Taste of Tasmania, Executive Producer for Woolworths Carols in the Domain, Festival Producer at the Sydney Opera House, and Project Manager - Major Events also at the Sydney Opera House.

What inspired you to take this role?

Libraries stand as both guardians and the central hub for storytelling. I have always had a deep appreciation for the roles that libraries fulfil for the community. Although reading and research tend to be solitary activities, through their exhibitions, public talks and communal spaces, libraries are spaces where you can learn, explore, and connect. It’s a privilege to support the State Library of New South Wales, an incredible cultural institution that is vital to New South Wales’s literary ecology.

Photo: Brooke Webb is photographed standing in the upper galleries of the Mitchell Reading Room.