In anyone’s career, stepping up to a CEO role is defining moment. In most cases, this time comes after gaining decades of experience in a variety of positions, obtaining relevant qualifications and consistently pursuing the desired career path. It’s both the culmination of a lot of hard work – and just the start of it.
Coralie Bishop, CEO of the Foundation for the WA Museum, made this move 12 months ago in July 2022. After a career in the arts and not-for-profit sectors spanning over 20 years in marketing and development, working for organisations including Perth Festival, West Australian Opera and Leadership WA, the Board of the Foundation for the WA Museum chose her to lead the Foundation’s next strategic phase.
Established in 1995, the Foundation for the WA Museum mobilises, harnesses and directs support for the Western Australian Museum to increase the cultural, scientific, educational and social impact of the Western Australian Museum and help secure its long-term financial sustainability.
After a decade of the Foundation’s work being focused on the new WA Museum Boola Bardip (which opened amidst community excitement and to international acclaim in November 2020), it was time to evolve with the Museum’s strategy.
Coralie Bishop is driven by a deep belief in the necessity of a thriving arts and culture sector for a thriving community, and the conviction that support and funding for culture and the arts is critical and non-negotiable. “Artworks have boundaries, performances have durations and there are only so many artefacts and stories that can be presented in the physical space of a museum or gallery. But there is no limit to the curiosity and imagination they inspire. I believe that connection, exploring and sharing ideas are part of our humanity” says Ms Bishop.
Foundation for the WA Museum CEO Coralie Bishop - image by Kelly Pilgrim-Byrne
“If I ever need some motivation or a reminder why we do the work we do, I walk through Boola Bardip and watch a father and son laugh together at a story in the Reflections gallery, talk to a researcher about WA’s biodiversity in the Wild Life gallery or sit outside and hear the screams of delight as children, and some adults, play in the smokewater at the entrance. Museums are very special places. They help us understand ourselves and each other. They allow us to express ourselves.”
The Foundation’s support for the Western Australian Museum is focused on growing the funds under management in its Discovery Endowment Fund; obtaining direct funding support for specific WA Museum projects; and setting up a program of sustainable, regular grant giving that supports the strategic priorities of the WA Museum.
The Foundation assists the Western Australian Museum by supporting storytelling initiatives and major exhibitions, funding ground-breaking scientific research and discovery, and providing the means to acquire new items for the Western Australian State Collection. The Foundation also helps to enable education, learning and outreach programs (including the science communication competition FameLab Australia, and its junior version, FameLab Academy), and supports activities at regional Museum sites.
As WA Museum CEO Alec Coles stated in a recent opinion piece, “Wherever you are, there will be a museum near you – large or small; old or new; private or public. And whichever it is, to some degree, it will help us – help you – explore the past, question the present, and shape the future; because that is what good museums do.”
WA Museum Kids Programs (image courtesy of WA Museum)
Looking back on her first year as CEO, Ms Bishop can reflect on how her expectations of the role compare with reality. “It has been incredibly rewarding and fun to be able to work with a highly supportive Board and Chair on a new strategy framework, review our approach to grant distribution and make the organisation and operational changes this required. I thrive on building relationships, driving strategy, big picture thinking and new ideas, and trust me, there are lots of BHAGs (big hairy audacious goals) that I can’t talk about just yet – but stay tuned!” On the flipside, she has also had to manage unexpected challenges: “I’m definitely not alone in bemoaning the skills shortage in WA, especially in the forpurpose sector. And it is always a challenge to secure support in a tight global market. However, I didn’t expect the huge learning curve about what the WA Museum does and the scale of their work and impact. I also had to do some big learning about investment strategies for large endowment funds.”
Her tips for first-time CEOs? “Listen to your champions rather than your critics, build a team around you that you enjoy working with, and be comfortable with uncertainty. There is no such thing as an average week or “business as usual” – and I wouldn’t have it any other way!”
Where to from here for the Foundation? Suffice to say, the work that has been done over the past 12 months will take centre stage in the eyes of the public over the next 12 months. “The Foundation for the WA Museum solely exists to support the WA Museum. You will hear a lot more about how we are doing that, and what impact this is having. Most importantly, I look forward to continuing the collaboration with Alec Coles and his team. It is a real privilege to be able to do my part in ensuring a great institution like the WA Museum will be working in the WA community for generations to come.”
