Nicola Forrest steps down as Black Swan chair, succeeded by Francois Witbooi

Nicola Forrest is stepping down as chair of Black Swan State Theatre Company, and will be succeeded by current deputy chair Francois Witbooi. Mrs Forrest has been on Black Swan’s board for eight years and was chair for the past three. She will step down from the board after a transition period, leaving the company in a strong position. In 2017, Mrs Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation enabled the Black Swan Future Fund through a donations campaign to bolster the company’s sustainable capacity. The Future Fund aims to build a strong financial foundation for Black Swan and for the past four years has supported several stand-out performances, including 2020’s staging of Cloudstreet. “I have loved my time as chair,” Mrs Forrest said. “From re-embedding the company purpose, vision, and values, to welcoming a new principal partner in Fortescue Metals Group, we have achieved so much.” Under Mrs Forrest’s stewardship, the board supported continued employment of artists during last year’s COVID 19 lockdown through a $450,000 commitment. Mrs Forrest said the arts sector was integral to WA’s economy and community and she was determined to continue working to empower the industry to define and support future generations of artists. Mr Witbooi said he was excited to continue Mrs Forrest’s legacy. “Nicola has been a guiding force for Black Swan over the past eight years and we are so grateful for the passion and expertise she has brought to the board,” Mr Witbooi said. He said Mrs Forrest had worked to strengthen Black Swan, by celebrating diversity across the company, including gender parity and indigenous representation and through dedicated artistic representation on the board.