Justin Macdonnell has been employed in arts management, producing and consultancy for 40 years. In that time he has been Projects Manager for The Australian Opera, General Manager of the State Opera of South Australia and Director of the National Opera of New Zealand.  He has also been Program Director of the Festival of Sydney and Executive Director of CAPPA (the Confederation of Australian Professional Performing Arts) and founding Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Arts Management.

As principal of Macdonnell Promotions (1986-2003) he was one of Australia’s leading arts management consultants to both the public and private sectors and to literally scores of arts organisations here and abroad.

He is the author of two major works on arts policy. From 2003 to 2007 Justin was Artistic Director of the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, USA.

He became Executive Director of the Anzarts Institute in January 2008 which since then has undertaken major strategic exercises and research for, amongst others, the Australia Council, Arts Tasmania, Northern Territory Government, Koori Radio, Short+Sweet, City of Sydney, West Australian Government, Australian Youth Orchestra, Symphony Australia, University of Melbourne, University of Tasmania, Kultour and Sydney Dance Company.