The art of top-tier orchestration
Robert Arculli spent six years at the helm of the HKEx board. Now he's putting those skills to work in his role as HK Arts Festival chairman
Hong Kong Arts Festival chairman and former chairman of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEx) Ronald Arculli says there are many similarities between managing the city's largest arts event and Asia's biggest stock exchange operator.
Both jobs involve good management in terms of fundraising and budgeting, and both play important roles in Hong Kong's determination to remain an international financial centre.
The annual arts festival, which celebrates its 41st anniversary this year, officially opened on Thursday. This year its HK$105 million budget covers 147 shows, ranging from opera and ballet to concerts and plays. There are 107 additional arts events held, too. Feature acts include One Man Two Guvnors, the American Ballet Theatre performing Romeo and Juliet, as well as La Traviata put on by the San Carlo Theatre from Naples.
The main difference between the arts festival and HKEx is that the latter is a listed company for profit, while the festival is not for profit and funded by the government, corporate sponsorship and tickets sales.
Arculli, who spent six years as the chairman of HKEx, was elected in September by executive members of the Hong Kong Arts Festival to head the organiser of the annual arts event, replacing Charles Lee Yeh-kwong. Like Arculli, Lee is also a former HKEx chairman.
During his HKEx chairmanship, Arculli stressed the importance of attracting international companies to choose Hong Kong for their initial public offerings.