SINGAPORE – Ms Sarah Martin, chief executive officer of arts management company Arts House Limited (AHL), has resigned after 3½ years in the role.
Ms Martin, 44, will leave the company on Aug 3 to explore new opportunities, AHL’s board said on Tuesday (May 26). The company is searching for a new chief executive officer and its chairman Wilson Tan will oversee its operations in the meantime.
Ms Martin, who joined AHL as its chief executive officer on Dec 1, 2016, oversaw its annual headline arts event, the Singapore International Festival of Arts (Sifa), from 2017 to last year.
She guided the festival team in ensuring a smooth transition as the festival takes a hiatus this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, said the company.
National Arts Council (NAC) chief executive officer Rosa Daniel said: “Under Sarah, Sifa has grown from strength to strength as the focal point for Singapore’s performing arts landscape, playing a key role in developing and connecting both audiences and artists.”
During Ms Martin’s term, AHL expanded its portfolio in venue and festival management to handle the Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall, and the Drama Centre in Victoria Street. AHL also runs The Arts House in Old Parliament Lane, Aliwal Arts Centre in the Bugis area and the Goodman Arts Centre in Goodman Road, which is home to the NAC and various arts groups.
Ms Martin is also credited with building a team of more than 100 people at the company.
She said that what she envisioned would take five years has been achieved in three.
“The rapid progression we have achieved in just three years is testament to the quality and potential of AHL as a key institution in the arts, and one I am excited to see continue to play an important role in the coming years.”
Mr Tan said that under Ms Martin, AHL has established its role in the arts scene in venue management and festival programming.
Before becoming AHL’s chief executive, Ms Martin was Singapore Grand Prix’s director of operations. The Singaporean had also worked as festival director and regional operations director of the Womad international music festival over a 10-year period in Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Korea and New Zealand.
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