John Kotzas

John Kotzas has a distinguished career in the cultural sector. He is Chief Executive of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), one of Australia’s most successful and renowned centres of live performance.

John joined QPAC in 1989, undertaking various creative and directing roles both for QPAC and a number of significant national celebrations. In 1995 he played a key role in the Australia Remembers celebrations on behalf of the Australian Government and in 1996 he was the Managing Director of the inaugural Brisbane Festival. John led the team that developed the internationally-recognised Out of the Box Festival, one of the few arts events in the world that is focussed on children eight years and under.

As Chief Executive, John has strengthened QPAC’s international profile and its contribution to the life of a vibrant cultural city. During his leadership of QPAC, the Centre has developed as a leading presenter, producer, investor, arts educator and public space. The creation of the QPAC International Series in 2009 has resulted in annual, exclusive presentations of some of the world’s greatest performing arts companies, including the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra and exclusive seasons of the Paris Opera Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, the Hamburg Ballet, Hamburg State Opera, Hamburg Orchestra, Bolshoi Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, France’s Ballet Preljocaj and The Royal Ballet.

In 2012 John was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University from the Queensland University of Technology, Creative Industries, and in 2015 John was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Griffith University in recognition of his distinguished service to the arts. In 2016 he was presented with the Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy) for his commitment to Italian arts, culture and the community in Australia.