Mr Russel Howcroft has been appointed as Chair of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) Council for a period of three years.
Mr Howcroft has extensive experience in the screen industry. He was the Executive General Manager of Network Ten and has served on a number of boards and foundations which focus on arts and film, including the Australian Film Institute and the Screen Forever Advisory Board.
In 2016, Mr Howcroft was the founding Chair of Think TV, a collaborative initiative between Australian free-to-air and subscription television broadcasters to promote television’s scale and effectiveness for advertisers across all screens.
Mr Howcroft is currently the inaugural Chief Creative Officer at PwC Australia. He has also served as the Chairman of the Advertising Federation of Australia and Chief Executive Officer of leading advertising agency George Patterson Y&R and been a regular panellist on The Gruen Transfer.
Mr Howcroft will commence as Chair on 1 July 2017. As a leader in the creative industries, he has a strong understanding of working in the media and creative entrepreneurship in both the private and public sectors which will be invaluable for the Council.
AFTRS is Australia’s leading training institution for the screen arts and broadcast industries. It provides advanced education and training to develop the skills and knowledge of talented individuals to meet the changing needs of Australia’s screen and broadcast industries.