Asian Judges Biographies
Graham Sheffield, CEO of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, Hong Kong
Before being appointed to the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, Sheffield served as Artistic Director of the Barbican Centre, one of Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue, since 1995. At the Barbican—which is founded, owned and managed by the City of London Corporation—Sheffield oversaw an annual budget of £12 million with a turnover of ￡34 million and paid visitors in excess of over 1.2 million every year.
In addition to his role at the Barbican, Sheffield was the Chairman of the recently formed City Arts and Culture Forum, where he was charged with strategic coordination and policy for the City of London’s extensive arts portfolio, including its cultural plans for 2012. He is also Chairman of the Royal Philharmonic Society and consultant to the Luminato Festival of Arts and Creativity in Toronto.
In 2009, Sheffield was appointed Advisor - Arts and Creative Economies to the British Council and joined the Advisory Committee for the Index on Censorship. He was awarded CBE in the 2010 New Year’s Honours’ list for services to the arts.