Principal For A Day is a Victoria-wide event which provides business and community leaders with the opportunity to experience first-hand a normal day in a government school.  Our school is lucky to have Fiona Menzies, CEO of Creative Partnerships Australia as our visiting “Principal”.  

 Fiona Menzies commenced as CEO of the newly created Creative Partnerships Australia in February 2013.

Immediately prior to that, Fiona was the Development Manager at the Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas, where she was part of the inaugural team that established the Wheeler Centre as Melbourne’s newest cultural institution in 2009.

Fiona’s interest in private giving to the arts began when studying at the University of Melbourne where she completed her undergraduate thesis on a private arts collection donated to the State of South Australia. Fiona then completed a Masters degree at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, again focussing on a donated collection; costume designs for a ground breaking 1914 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Fiona then took a sidestep into politics where she worked as Adviser then Chief of Staff to two Commonwealth Government Arts Ministers. During that time, Fiona worked across the arts and film portfolio, but also continued her interest in giving by playing a key role in the introduction of new measures in the taxation system to increase private sector support for the arts.

Following her time in government and some time out of the paid workforce while looking after small children, Fiona worked in media and communications for a property investment firm, then for a children’s cancer research charity in Melbourne.

Fiona has served on the board of the Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust and is currently on a school foundation board in Melbourne.

We hope that Fiona enjoys her visit to our wonderful school.