Team profiles
Nick Herd
Director, Research and Strategic Analysis
Role
Positioning the Australia Council as a key player in cultural policy research nationally and internationally by addressing major issues for the arts, through an active program of research in partnership and collaboration with the key stakeholders.
Promoting knowledge transfer between the arts and research communities through an active research communications program, exchange of information and ideas and wide access to and use of the Australia Council’s research and information resources.
Background
Nick has an extensive background in the cultural sector in Australia since the seventies. He has taken on many roles in that time, including exhibitor, distributor, broadcaster, broadcasting regulator, industry advocate, consultant, teacher and author. He is the author of a number of monographs and refereed journal articles/conference papers.
Nick has a bachelor’s degree in history and doctorate in social sciences.
He has a deep interest in current and future development of the cultural industries, how they are defined and are being redefined, the issues for public policy as result of this and the future challenges for cultural production in the digital world. A history of commercial television in Australia, based on his doctoral thesis, is forthcoming in 2011.
Areas of interest and/or expertise
Cultural policy research, cultural economics, media and cultural history, sociology of the arts, political economy and economic sociology.
Current and recently completed projects
Cultural leadership, artists careers, artistic innovation, creative industries.
Contact: tel. (02) 9215 9119, mob 041 941 6421 or email
Bridget Jones
Research Manager
Role
Bridget Jones is a passionate researcher who loves challenging questions. With over a decade of experience she leads the Australia Council’s research team to deliver insights about the arts to marketers, industry leaders, artists and policy makers. Her most recent project was connecting:// arts audiences online which shows the role online plays in the arts attendance journey. She also developed the arts participation research – More than Bums on Seats which provides a comprehensive picture of how Australians engage with the arts.
Background
Bridget has worked as a corporate planner, a strategic planner, and a consultant in the telecommunications, transport and government sectors. She was born in Christchurch and has a Master of Arts from the University of Auckland. She enjoys creative writing, visiting galleries and listening to all kinds of music.
Areas of interest and/or expertise
Artist surveys, audience research, participation studies, social media analysis, user satisfaction surveys, evaluation research
Current and recently completed projects
- Connecting:// arts audiences online
- Online presence
- Audience impact analysis (Artistic vibrancy)
- Community relevance of the performing arts (Artistic vibrancy)
- Emerging artists longitudinal study
- More than bums on seats
Contact: tel. (02) 9215 9372 or email
Tandi Williams
Research Analyst
Role
Tandi researches and analyses trends in the Australian cultural sector to deliver insights to industry leaders and policy makers.
She also provides strategic input into opportunities to improve the vibrancy, visibility and viability of the Australian arts sector.
Tandi is passionate about innovation, and she promotes and shares new ideas about the arts through the Australia Council's research events and the research hub.
Background
Tandi previously worked as an Economics and Policy Analyst at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she specialised in applied cultural economics.
Tandi balances a passion for culture and the creative arts with an analytical skill set – she has a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and the Economics Society of NSW, and an associate member of the Australian Market Research Society.
Areas of interest and/or expertise
Impacts of the arts, artistic vibrancy, artistic reflection, audience engagement, community relevance, digital and online engagement, technology in the arts, social media, cultural economics, cultural policy.
Current and recently completed projects
- Art Facts
- Community relevance (Artistic vibrancy)
- Connecting:// arts audiences online
- Audience impact analysis (Artistic vibrancy)
Contact: tel. (02) 9215 9103 or email
Jude Lobo
Research Analyst
Role
Jude is responsible for a number of Australia Council projects such as the longitudinal study of emerging artists and cultural engagement framework. He also provides advice on survey design, statistical analyses and interpretation.
Background
Jude previously worked as a research officer at Wesley Mission, focussing on social justice issues. During this period he was responsible for analysis and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data.
Jude has a Bachelor in Social Science and Policy (Criminology) with first class honors from the University of New South Wales. He is also a member of the Australian Marketing and Social Research Society (AMSRS).
Areas of interest and/or expertise
Questionnaire design, SPSS analysis, longitudinal research, cultural engagement, social justice, social inclusion.
Current and recently completed projects
- User satisfaction survey
- Longitudinal study of emerging artists
- Cultural Engagement Framework
- Online Presence
Contact: tel. (02) 9215 9053 or email
Jenny Burke
Research Consultant
Role
Jenny is responsible for promoting best practice for research within Australia Council. She assists in building organisational capacity through training in research design, analysis, reporting and dissemination.
Jenny is responsible for monitoring and assisting staff with planned evaluation activity and promoting a consistent approach to evaluation and research through bench-marking and template design.
She also manages a range of ad-hoc research projects and is responsible for developing an external supplier panel.
Background
Jenny brings nine years of qualitative and quantitative research experience from areas including Social and Government research, Business to business, FMCG and the healthcare sector.
She is a highly skilled qualitative moderator, with a natural ability to engage and draw insight from a wide range of audiences via focus groups, in-depth interviews and ethnographic methods.
Jenny also has extensive experience in managing qualitative and quantitative projects at both a domestic and international level.
Areas of interest and/or expertise
Qualitative research, questionnaire design, online research, SPSS analysis, training, communications research and research with children and CALD audiences.
Current and recently completed projects
- organisational capacity building for research and evaluative thinking, including staff training in a range of research processes
- monitoring and assisting with evaluation activity across Australia Council
- establishing and maintaining a multi-list panel of research and evaluation consultants to increase the range and quality of external suppliers
- conducting an online survey program review to ensure Australia Council is using the most robust and efficient tool available.
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