Sydney Jewish Museum Appoints New CEO Effective February 2022

Sydney Jewish Museum Appoints New CEO Effective February 2022

The President of the Sydney Jewish Museum, Professor Gus Lehrer, together with its Board, is pleased to announce that after an extensive, worldwide search, they have appointed a new CEO: Kevin Sumption.

Kevin is currently the CEO and Director of the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM), where he has served for almost 10 years with great distinction. Prior to that role, he was the Director of Exhibitions and Programmes at the Royal Museum, Greenwich in London, and held positions at the Powerhouse Museum and at the University of Technology, Sydney.

Similar to the SJM – which was established by Holocaust survivors 30 years ago – the ANMM is also relatively young, having opened its doors in 1991. Under Kevin’s leadership since 2012, the ANMM has substantially increased its students and general adult visitation, and increased the profile of its touring and online exhibitions.

Kevin succeeds Norman Seligman, who has served as CEO of the SJM for almost 20 years, and who has made an enormous contribution to its growth and redevelopment. During Norman’s tenure, the reputation of the SJM as a world class Holocaust museum and educational institution has been significantly enhanced.

The Museum’s President, Professor Gus Lehrer, commented that Kevin was the best candidate in an outstanding field, which reflects well on the esteem in which the SJM is held in the community at large.

The Museum Board is confident that under Kevin’s leadership, the Museum will reach a new level in its mission to educate the community about the history of the Holocaust and personal responsibility, as mandated by the Holocaust survivors who founded the Museum.

At a time of growth for SJM’s education programs, collecting capacity, display technologies and exhibitions, the Museum looks forward to the leadership of Kevin to help grow the SJM’s profile.

After completing his responsibilities at the ANMM, Kevin will commence in his new role at the SJM in February 2022.