Cathy Hunt (BA Hons M. Phil)
Director
Cathy is one of the founding directors of Positive Solutions with over 20 years experience of working in the arts and creative industries both in Australia and the UK. Her previous professional experience was in the management of art centres, touring performing companies and festivals, including as Founding Director of the UK Liverpool Festival of Comedy and Artistic Programmer of Battersea Arts Centre, London.
In Australia, Cathy has worked extensively on cultural policy development including cultural plans for local governments, strategy reviews and planning for State government, cultural facility developments and organisational and business planning for arts organisations. This has included the preparation of a regional and district cultural facilities strategy for the Government of Hong Kong, with GHK Consulting (HK).
From 2009-2012 Cathy was on the Board of Directors of Queensland Events and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Cathy is currently acting as the cultural consultant to Foresters Community Finance Ltd, identifying how their range of financial products developed for the social sector can be accessed by artists and cultural organisations.
Cathy has a first degree in English and Theatre Studies and a Master of Philosophy (through the School of Architecture, University of Liverpool UK), on the design and development process of buildings for the performing arts.
David Fishel (MA, M.Litt)
Director
Prior to co-founding Positive Solutions in 1990, David managed arts organisations ranging from small scale touring theatre companies to arts centre and theatre venues. David has led business and strategic planning processes for sports, cultural, educational and Indigenous organisations. He has delivered training in board development, management and leadership skills, arts-business partnerships and strategic planning.
David’s consulting work in the area of governance and board development has included planning and facilitation of board development workshops and board audits for hundreds of arts and non-profit organisations across Australia including Wangaratta Jazz Festival, Cairns Chamber of Commerce, Open Minds, South East Alliance of General Practice, Access Arts, the Australian Major Performing Arts Group and on behalf of many state government agencies.
He has been a board member of several cultural organisations, was Chair of Circa/ Rock'n'Roll Circus, Chair of Creative Enterprise Australia, the entity responsible for operating QUT’s Creative Industries Enterprise Centre, and a Council member of QUT. David is currently a board member of BoardConnect Ltd and Chair of Brisbane Writers Festival.
David is author of The Book of the Board, now in its second edition, a handbook for board members of non-profit organisations, published by Federation Press in Australia, and as Boards That Work by the Directory of Social Change in the UK.
David is a graduate of Liverpool, Newcastle and Oxford Universities.
Pauline Doyle (B.Commerce Hons)
Financial Analyst and Manager
Pauline was the Finance and Business Services Manager at Merrigong Theatre Company for a period of seven years. In this role Pauline managed all financial aspects at Merrigong as it grew from a business with an annual turnover of $1.5m to a turnover of $3.06m and from a season of 11 entrepreneurial shows to a season of 32 entrepreneurial shows.
Her responsibilities included preparation of the annual budget for the venue and hirer sectors of the company, producing monthly reports analysing the company’s performance against the budget, reporting on each completed artistic project against their individual budgets and preparing ongoing forecasts as the year progressed. She also undertook extensive financial modelling for the hirer sector of the business based on the different types of hirer events that came to the venue – commercial and community; comedy, musical, variety and drama; large and small scale; long and short seasons.
Pauline holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Wollongong. Pauline joined Positive Solutions as a full-time Financial Analyst and Manager in September 2010. Since that time Pauline has worked on the Rail Heritage Museum Business Model Development for Trainworks Limited at Thirmele NSW, the Funding Review of Trainworks Limited following their first 12 months of operations, Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park Business Modelling, proposed theatre in Casey, Shire of Yarra Ranges Arts Culture and Heritage Structure Review, Katherine Regional Cultural Precinct Feasibility Study and Business Plan, Concept Development and Organisational Planning for Port Interpretive Centre at Gladstone and most recently the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct Governance Framework Options.
Liz Bissell (B.Arts Hons)
Research and Project Coordinator
Liz’s professional experience includes research, writing and editing for a number of trade and technical publications in the education and arts industries, for clients including Queensland Artworkers Alliance, the Queensland Writers Centre and Education Queensland.
Her work within the education sector has included lecturing in Australian Literature and research roles at various Queensland universities and the presentation of papers at several international conferences. Having completed an Honours Degree in Writing and Literary Studies with the University of Queensland in 2006, as well as attaining a Diploma of Editing and Publishing and a Certificate III in Business Administration, Liz has recently submitted a PhD in Arts with the University of Queensland.
Since joining Positive Solutions in August 2010, Liz has provided research and administrative support to a number of projects, including a research study on a new funding mechanism for the performing arts in Hong Kong for the Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong Government, a cultural planning process for the South Bank precinct in Brisbane with South Bank Corporation, a cultural facilities audit for Gold Coast City Council and a study into Creative Leadership for the Australia Council for the Arts.
Sara Bannon (B.Mus)
Company Administrator
Sara was the Manager of Southern Cross Soloists for three years and Operations Coordinator for a further two years. During this time she coordinated the ensemble’s performance and touring season and the Bangalow Music Festival (of which she is now a Life Member). Since its inception in 2006 up to 2011, she directed the SunWater and Stanwell Winter Music School (SSWMS), an award-winning music camp for secondary students in Rockhampton.
Sara was the Event Coordinator for the Bonyi International Youth Music Festival in Brisbane in 2007 and the Artistic Coordinator for tutti world youth music beijing, an international music camp in 2011. She also worked with Queensland Arts Council for two years as Executive Assistant and Secretary to the Board.
Sara completed her Bachelor of Music (bassoon) at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, receiving an Academic Award for Excellence. She currently provides administration and research support in her role as Company Administrator of BoardConnect and Positive Solutions and acts as a consultant to various arts organisations.
Lucy Buzacott (B.Arts Hons)
Research and Administration Officer
For more information please contact us.