Board of Directors

John Conde AO, Chairman And Non-Executive Director

John has been Chairman of Sydney Symphony since 2007.

He is Chairman of EnergyAustralia, one of Australia’s largest utility corporations.  Chairman of BUPA Australia (being the combined group of MBF & BUPA’s former Australian interests), President of the Commonwealth Remuneration Tribunal and Chairman of Whitehaven Coal Limited and Homebush Motor Racing Authority, Advisory Board.  He is a Director of DEXUS Property Group, Chairman of the Australian Olympic Committee (NSW) Fundraising Committee and a member of Bond University’s Board of Trustee Members. 

Positions previously held by John Conde include: Director of BHP Billiton and Excel Coal Limited, Managing Director of Broadcast Investment Holdings Pty Limited, Director of Lumley Corporation and President of the National Heart Foundation of Australia.

Rory Jeffes, Executive Director

Rory Jeffes has recently been appointed to the position of Managing Director. Rory was Director of External Relations with the Sydney Symphony since 2005. His background in business and not-for-profit sectors is complemented by his academic background in music and a deep interest in the arts and culture.

Rory has held senior positions in various organisations including CEO of the CREATE Foundation, the leading advocacy group for the out of home care sector in Australia, as well as senior Development roles at Outward Bound Trust UK & Australia and the Prince’s Youth Business Trust.  He was also a Director of Shandwick Communications in London from 1982-87.

Ewen Crouch, Non-Executive Director

Ewen Crouch is a Partner and Chairman of Allens Arthur Robinson. He is also Co-head of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Markets group. Ewen is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is a member of the Corporations Committee of the Law Council of Australia, and the International Bar Association and admitted to practise law in NSW, Victoria, the ACT and Western Australia. 

Ewen is also Chairman and Director of the Mission Australia Group and a Director of Working Links (Employment) Ltd. He and his wife, Catherine, have been keen supporters of the Sydney Symphony for many years.

Jennifer Hoy, Non-Executive Director

Jennifer Hoy was appointed to a permanent position in the 1st Violin section of the Sydney Symphony in 2001. Her formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Music from the Sydney Conservatorium and a Masters of Music degree (with distinction) from the Australian Institute of Music.

Jennifer has studied in Canada at the Orford Arts Centre, Quebec and acted as Assistant Principal 2nd Violin with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken. She is in demand as a teacher, adjudicator and tutor and, in addition to the Sydney Symphony, has toured and performed with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra and others. She has been a member of the Sydney Symphony’s Management Committee for several years.

Stephen Johns, Non-Executive Director

Stephen Johns had a long career with Westfield where he held a number of positions including that of Finance Director from 1985 to 2002. He was appointed an executive director of Westfield Holdings Limited and Westfield Trust in 1985, and Westfield America Trust upon its listing in 1996. He became a non-executive director of the three Westfield boards in October 2003. Mr Johns is currently a nonexecutive director of the Westfield Group, which resulted from the merger of the three listed entities in July 2004.Stephen Johns was a non-executive director of Brambles Industries Limited and Brambles Industries PLC from August 2004 to December 2006, at which time he became a non-executive director of Brambles Limited, the new holding company of the Brambles group following a corporate reorganisation which became effective in December 2006.

Stephen Johns is Chairman of Spark Infrastructure Group, which was listed on the ASX in December 2005.

Andrew Kaldor, Non-Executive Director

Andrew Kaldor is the founder and Chief Executive of a group of privately held companies. He has been a director of a number of publicly listed companies and community organisations. He holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) degree from the University of Sydney and an MBA from Wharton.

Andrew Kaldor has been involved in the commissioning of four works by Australian composers for the Sydney Symphony: Ross Edwards’ Symphony No.2 (Earth Spirit Songs), Oboe Concerto (Bird Spirit Dreaming), and Symphony No.5 (The Promised Land); and Graeme Koehne’s Trumpet Concerto (High Art).

Goetz Richter, Non-Executive Director

Violinist Goetz Richter is currently Associate Professor and Chair of Strings at the Sydney Conservatorium. He was born in Hamburg, Germany and came to Australia as Concertmaster of the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra in 1985. He was appointed Associate Concertmaster of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 1987 and remained in that position until 2002.

Professor Richter recently completed a PhD in philosophy at the University of Sydney and publishes and presents papers on the philosophy of Plato, Nietzsche, music and philosophy. His recent translation of Eugen Fink’s Nietzsches Philosophie was published by Continuum Press (2002).

David Smithers AM, Non-Executive Director

David Smithers is a director of the Rabobank Australia Group of Companies, the IES Group and Sydney IVF Ltd. He is also a director of Kirby Foundation and the Country Education Foundation. In 2003 he retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers after 30 years as a partner, during which time he was a member of the PwC Global Board and Chairman of PwC Australia. He is a past president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. He was also heavily involved in Sydney’s bid for the 2000 Olympic Games as a member of the Board of the bid company and Chairman of its Finance Commission.

Gabrielle Trainor, Non-Executive Director

Gabrielle Trainor is a lawyer, journalist and former public sector executive who has consulted in issues management and public affairs for over 20 years. She is a founding partner of John Connolly and Partners, a specialist public affairs and communications firm.

She has been a non-executive director for 15 years and has chaired and held positions on the boards of public, private, government and community organisations. She is a director of the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, VicUrban, Breast Cancer Network Australia, a member of the Council of St Ignatius’ College, Riverview and other community organisations. She is an Honorary Associate in the Graduate School of Government at the University of Sydney.