Hopefully this plays out throughout Australia and he has well and truly shat in his nest.
CHAIRMAN JOYCE ‘IS LEAD IN SADDLEBAGS FOR THEATRE GROUP’Alan Joyce’s post-Qantas role as chair of the Sydney Theatre Company has come under attack from a senior arts figure who warns of fallout from the airline’s damaged standing in the community.
Michael Lynch, whose international career includes five years as general manager of the STC, said Mr Joyce and the board should consider whether he can remain as chair in light of the revelations about Qantas and cancelled flights.
“I think he should consider his options,” Mr Lynch said.
“In my view, he should consider whether the damage that has been done to the Qantas brand is not going to have collateral impact on the STC brand.”
Mr Joyce was named chair of the STC in March, succeeding former CBA chief Ian Narev.
Since 2019, Mr Joyce has also been a board member of the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Adelaide-based academic Ruth Rentschler, who has made a study of arts boards, said negative perceptions about Mr Joyce in the community could harm the STC’s ability to attract financial support.
“You have to take the community with you, and if the community is not in favour of your chair, it could have unintended consequences, fairly or unfairly,” she said. “That may affect philanthropic income. The issue is one of corporate social responsibility.”
Mr Joyce and his husband Shane Lloyd are among STC’s donor “angels” and have given at least $100,000.
A senior arts leader who did not want to be named said he believed the controversy about Mr Joyce and Qantas would pass and not harm the STC.
But Mr Lynch said Mr Joyce’s presence was a liability when the arts sector continued to struggle after Covid.
“I think the board needs to think about it,” he said. “It’s not lead in the saddlebags that I would want to be carrying into the next couple of years