Staff

Executive Office

Brooke Webb GAICD – CEO

For the past 27 years, Brooke has held senior and executive-level roles, leading the creation of commercial theatrical productions, concerts, and large-scale festivals, working both within Australia and internationally.

Brooke has led the creation of large-scale, commercial productions for global entertainment companies, multinational corporations, state governments, not-for-profit organisations, local councils, and private SME agencies. Her diverse experience includes serving as the Artistic Director at Cirque Du Soleil (Canada, North America, South America, and the Middle East), Executive Director – Concerts and Touring at Universal Music in New York City (USA), Resident Artistic Director on The Producers collaborating with Mel Brooks, Susan Stroman and the US Creative Team (Australian Tour 2003–2005), Festival Director for The Taste of Tasmania, Executive Producer for Woolworths Carols in the Domain, Festival Producer at Sydney Opera House, and Project Manager – Major Events, also at the Sydney Opera House.

Brooke earned her Bachelor of Arts from the Australian National University (ANU), followed by a post-graduate degree in Theatre Directing from the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) and a Master of Arts Management from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). Brooke has also commenced her doctorate studies in Creative Arts Therapy at the Melbourne Institute of Experiential Arts Therapy (MIECAT).

In 2024, Brooke was appointed by Minister for the Arts, John Graham, to serve on the Library Council of the State Library of New South Wales.

Programming 

Ann Mossop – Artistic Director

Ann is an ideas curator and festival programmer. Throughout her career she has been involved with important initiatives to bring the work of writers and thinkers to broader audiences.
 
Prior to her appointment at the Writers’ Festival, she was the Director of the Centre for Ideas at UNSW Sydney, a new program she established that hosts live and digital public conversations about important issues. Recent highlights include talks with speakers like Dr Anthony Fauci, Daniel Kahneman, Grace Tame and Julia Gillard as well as writers William Dalrymple, Geraldine Brooks, Masha Gessen and Daniel Lavery.

As Head of Talks and Ideas at the Sydney Opera House from 2010-2017, she established the Opera House’s extensive talks and ideas program. The Ideas at the House series featured writers, thinkers, artists, cooks and comedians including Jackie Chan, Noam Chomsky, Roxane Gay, Elizabeth Gilbert, Stephen Hawking, Alicia Garza, Jamie Oliver, Yoko Ono, Grayson Perry, Jennifer Saunders, Alice Waters and many more. She led key projects like the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, which brought substantial audiences to hear speakers like Slavoj Zizek, Salman Rushdie, Vandana Shiva and Naomi Klein on Opera House stages. She was also the founder of the All about Women festival, which has taken place annually at Sydney Opera House since 2013.

She is a past member of Sydney Writers’ Festival’s Board and was involved with the establishment of the Sydney Writers’ Festival as an independent entity in 1998.

Nathan Luff – Manager of Children's & YA Programs

Nathan joined Sydney Writers’ Festival in September 2022. He is the author of multiple books and plays for young readers, including The Nerd Herd series and Bad Grammar. Nathan previously worked as a primary school teacher, focusing on literacy and the performing arts. Prior to that, Nathan was a Creative Producer for the Powerhouse Youth Theatre in Western Sydney, and Festival Director of the Wakakirri National Story Festival, an arts festival for Australian schools promoting education through the telling and sharing of stories.

Lauren Bennett – Festival Producer

Lauren joined Sydney Writers' Festival in October 2022. She is a creative producer with experience across the small to medium arts sector in both Melbourne and Sydney. Most recently, Lauren was Associate Producer at Australian Theatre for Young People. In mid-2022, she commenced her first board position with Theatre Works. 

With a passion for new writing, Lauren has worked as a producer on 30+ productions, programs and developments since her practice began in 2017, including with Theatre Works, Midsumma Festival, Lab Kelpie, Drama Victoria, and various independent theatre companies. Previous projects have spanned sketch comedy, circus, dance, musical theatre, and predominantly, new Australian plays. 

Lauren completed a Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing and Politics) at the University of Melbourne, and has a background in writing, performing and directing for the stage.

Michelle Sverdloff – Associate Producer

Michelle is an arts and events professional who loves to produce meaningful and engaging experiences for audiences and the community. She is passionate about storytelling that challenges, inspires and connects people. Before joining Sydney Writers’ Festival, Michelle worked in the production department at Michael Cassel Group across several large-scale commercial theatre productions, including The Lion King, Hamilton and Titanique. Prior to this, she worked freelance in company and stage management for seven years, touring nationally and internationally and working for such companies as Opera Australia, Griffin Theatre Company, Bell Shakespeare and Ensemble Theatre.

Michelle holds a Masters of Business (Arts & Cultural Management) from Deakin University and a Bachelor of Communication (Theatre/Media) from Charles Sturt University.

Annette Hughes – Logistics Coordinator

Annette Hughes is a cultural producer with long and deep experience in the Australian publishing industry from bookselling to a range of roles including independent publisher, literary agent and for several years artistic director and event manager of Reality Bites literary non-fiction festival in rural Queensland. Prior to publishing, she worked for 15 years in the Australian contemporary art industry as curator and gallery manager of Ray Hughes Gallery. As an artist, she is a published author and musician/songwriter on three studio albums by her duo, Datson Hughes.

Administration

Andy Grant – Executive Assistant and Office Manager

Andy is a skilled scheduler, planner and administrator with over 20 years executive and operational administrative support experience, working in a variety of Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant and Office Management roles in creative, cultural, people-focused organisations. He’s worked in a cross-section of industries including performing arts, music, media, not-for-profits, higher education and hospitality, supporting senior management and teams in companies including the ABC, Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney Dance Company, Royal Albert Hall, Opera Australia, Warner Music, Festival Mushroom Records, Ministry of Sound, NIDA and UTS. 

Andy’s also an active and enthusiastic supporter, subscriber and lover of the arts and culture and is proud to be part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival team.

Development

Lauren Dixon – Head of Development

Lauren joined Sydney Writers’ Festival in November 2023. She started her career as a marketing manager at Allen & Unwin and Palace Cinemas. Following these roles, she moved to the Walkley Foundation for Journalism where she ran their events, scholarships, and awards programs for over 10 years. During this time, she became General Manager of the Foundation and managed relationships with corporate, government, and media partners. She has a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Business from QUT.

Connor Phipps – Philanthropy and Partnerships Coordinator

Connor joined Sydney Writers' Festival in October 2024. They are completing a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and Politics at UNSW and has a background in the arts and literary communities on and off campus. During their studies, Connor has been the senior editor for UNSW's literary journal, hosted a series of interviews with authors, screenwriters, and editors, and run writing competitions.

Finance

Kate Chalker – Finance Manager

Kate joined Sydney Writers' Festival in October 2024. With a career spanning over 15 years in the arts and design industries, she has extensive experience in driving business growth, financial performance and operational excellence. With a wealth of experience in strategic management, financial oversight and process improvement, Kate brings a strong track record of leadership across creative industries and environmental sectors. She is a qualified CPA, member of the Governance Institute of Australia and has just completed an Executive Masters of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Sydney.

Marketing

Sarah Hunt – Head of Marketing & Digital

Sarah joined Sydney Writers’ Festival in January 2023. She has worked in arts marketing across Australia and the UK, including positions at Opera Australia, Edinburgh International Festival, Sydney Festival, Dark Mofo and Sydney Opera House. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Italian Studies from the University of Sydney.

Vivienne Crowle – Digital Marketing Manager

Vivienne returned to Sydney Writers’ Festival in January 2025, after having interned in 2022. Prior to this she has worked in marketing and communications at Sydney Dance Company and the International Federation of Journalists. Vivienne holds a Bachelor of Media from UNSW (Communication and Journalism).

Julia Clark – Marketing Coordinator

Julia is returning to Sydney Writers’ Festival in 2026 as the Marketing Coordinator for the second year. She has a PhD from the University of Sydney where she also obtained her Bachelor of Arts in English and Linguistics and Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English. Julia is also a poet, academic and reviewer with years of experience reviewing the Sydney performing arts.

Production

Tristan Taylor – Director of Production and Operations 

Tristan has held various technical roles in arts and entertainment events for over thirty years. Previous highlights include festivals and productions at Sydney Opera House, national and international touring with Performing Lines, being part of the lighting team at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London, and teaching Theatre Technology in Hanoi, Vietnam. Tristan is a graduate of the University of Wollongong, Bachelor of Creative Arts (Theatre Technology), and Deakin University, Graduate Diploma of Arts and Entertainment Management.

Hall Murray – Production Manager

Hall joins Sydney Writers' Festival in 2026. He started his career in Circus Monoxide, an outdoor show performed in front of a double-decker bus which toured to towns and cities across the country. He has worked since in various production, technical and management roles at Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney Opera House and the University of Wollongong. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Communication – Theatre/Media) from Charles Sturt University, Bathurst.

Oliver Brighton – Event Manager – Live-streaming

Oliver Brighton is a production specialist and sound designer working across live performance, arts events and cultural production. With a background in film, theatre and technical direction, he has built a career supporting creative teams to deliver high quality live experiences through collaborative production processes.

His work sits at the intersection of storytelling and production, exploring how technical craft can support narrative, atmosphere and audience engagement in live events. He brings a strong interest in the broader arts landscape and the ways audiences connect with stories across different forms and platforms.

Oliver is excited to be joining the team at Sydney Writers’ Festival and contributing to an organisation that celebrates ideas, literature and public conversation.

Ticketing 

Iain Shand – Ticketing & Customer Service Manager

Iain joined Sydney Writers’ Festival in October 2022. Prior to this, Iain had been working within membership, ticketing and consumer products since 2019 for the Central Coast Mariners FC. Iain also has a vast background in hospitality and in sports leisure, working across Australia and back in Scotland where he is from. Iain studied Sport and Exercise Science at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

Roy Wallace-Cant – Ticketing Coordinator

Roy joined Sydney Writers' Festival in 2024 as a member of the ticketing staff and is returning in 2026 as Ticketing Coordinator. He initially studied a combined degree of Computer Science and Arts (Theatre and Creative Writing) at UNSW where he developed a love of the arts. Since then, Roy has worked all across Sydney's many arts organisations, including Sydney Festival, Sydney Film Festival and, most recently, Sydney Theatre Company. With a background in writing and performing, Roy is passionate about storytelling and how it affects every aspect of our lives.

Nina Goc – Ticketing Coordinator

Nina first started working with Sydney Writers' Festival in 2024 and returns this year as a Ticketing Coordinator. Nina is deeply passionate about the Arts and has worked for many Arts organisations, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney Theatre Company and the Museum of Contemporary Arts. She holds a Bachelor of Communications (Strategic Communications) from UTS and is currently completing a Masters in Digital Communications and Culture at the University of Sydney. Nina is excited to work with such a culturally important organisation.

Volunteers

Laura Seibt – Volunteers & Internships Coordinator

Laura joined Sydney Writers’ Festival in January 2026. She previously studied English philology and special needs education in Germany, where she began her volunteering journey. With extensive experience in event operations, Laura has worked and volunteered at major events including UEFA EURO 2024, Vivid Sydney and SXSW Sydney. She is passionate about community building, inclusive teamwork and creating meaningful experiences for volunteers behind the scenes.