Joseph Gersh AM

Joe Gersh AM was appointed deputy chairman of the Australia Council for three years from 1 July 2006.

He is chairman of the Australia Council's Nominations and Governance Committee and a member of its Audit and Finance Committee.

Joe is currently executive chairman of Gersh Investment Partners Ltd, a director of the Payments System Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia and chairman of the Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation. He has extensive experience at the top of Australia's legal and corporate worlds, having been a senior partner at Melbourne law firm Arnold Bloch Liebler.

He has worked for many years in the arts and is currently chairman of Artbank, the Australian Government's art rental scheme which supports emerging Australian artists. He is former chairman of the National Institute of Circus Arts, Australia's centre of excellence in contemporary circus training. Joe is also a director of the Sydney Institute and has held prominent roles in Australia's Jewish community.