A fond farewell: Nathan Bennett to step down as executive director & CEO in 2025
After nearly a decade at the helm, Executive Director and CEO Nathan Bennett has announced he’ll be stepping down at the end of the 2025 Festival.
Since joining Perth Festival in 2017, Nathan has been a driving force behind some of our most memorable moments — from the epic Highway to Hell in 2020 that filled Canning Highway with 150,000 people, to this year’s transformation of the East Perth Power Station into a thriving cultural hub. He’s led the Festival with clarity, compassion and a bold artistic vision, helping us grow in ways we couldn’t have imagined.
Nathan’s leadership has also been marked by a deep care for our community. During the uncertainty of COVID-19, he guided us through with resilience, helping keep the lights on for artists and audiences alike.
Perth Festival Chair Ben Wyatt captured it well:
'Nathan has led with clarity, decisiveness and purpose. He has been a steady hand during turbulent times, and has helped build a strong, values-led culture at the Festival that will carry forward.'
While we’ll be sad to see him go, we’re thrilled for Nathan as he takes on his next big adventure — as CEO of the World Masters Games Perth 2029, a global sporting event expected to attract over 30,000 participants. It’s a role that perfectly blends his talent for big-picture thinking with his love of community and collaboration.
From all of us at Perth Festival — thank you, Nathan. It’s been an incredible journey, and we’re so grateful for everything you’ve brought to the Festival and to the arts in WA.