Leadership

Leadership

Celia Smith

CEO


Celia Smith is the CEO of Luminato Festival Toronto, Canada’s leading multi-disciplinary, international festival of arts, culture and creativity that takes over the GTA region with big, bold, contemporary work every June. She is also chair of the Toronto Arts Council; faculty at Schulich School of Business, co-founder of the League of Toronto Festivals, along with the leaders of Pride Toronto, Salsa on St. Clair and Toronto Caribbean Carnival; co-founder of LEAN (Leadership Emergency Arts Network), a national pro-bono response to help arts organizations across the country during COVID. In former lives, she was the COO of TAS, a community-focused mixed-use private developer; President of Artscape, a non-profit housing and community hub creator; and General Manager of the Canadian Stage Company.

Olivia Ansell

Artistic Director


Olivia Ansell is the Artistic Director of Luminato Festival Toronto, presenting her inaugural festival programme in June 2025. She is also currently concluding her tenure as Festival Director of Sydney Festival, where she will complete her fourth and final festival in January 2025. Previously, Olivia spent three years as Head of Contemporary Performance for Sydney Opera House Presents. A graduate of Queensland University of Technology, the Australia Council’s Executive Leadership Program and Chief Executive Women Leadership Program Sydney, Olivia was voted one of Vivid Sydney’s Top 100 Creative Catalysts. She is also a lecturer in Movement for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s Con Opera School.

Read more about Olivia Ansell

Douglas Knight C.M.

Board Chair


Douglas Knight is a member of the Order of Canada and serves as chair & CEO of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, and as a senior fellow at Massey College. A graduate of the University of Toronto and the London School of Economics, he was a senior media executive and a leading digital media strategist in Canada and the United States for 40 years. He served as president of St. Joseph Media, publisher & CEO of The Financial Post and the founding chair & CEO of ImpreMedia LLC in New York. 


He has served on corporate, industry, community and cultural boards for many years, including serving as chair of the Business and the Arts Awards and of Opera Atelier, vice-chair of the Toronto Symphony and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, a trustee of the Arts Foundation of Greater Toronto and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at the Faculty of Music of the University of Toronto.

maxine bailey

Vice-Chair


maxine bailey (she/her) is a dynamic member of Toronto’s arts community, her passion for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility for all runs deeply in everything she does. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Canadian Film Centre (CFC). Previously, maxine served as the Vice-President of Advancement at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) where she founded Share Her Journey, a five-year fundraising commitment to achieving gender parity both on and off-screen.



She also co-founded the Black Artists Network in Dialogue (BAND), which showcases Black cultural contributions nationally and internationally, and currently participates on the advisory boards and steering committees for the Toronto Arts Council/Foundation Advocacy Committee, the Canadian Academy, Luminato Festival Toronto and the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund. maxine was named one of NOW Toronto’s Local Heroes and as a voracious reader, she sat on the juries of the Scotiabank Giller Prize as well as the Trillium Book Award.

Peter Herrndorf CC O.Ont

In Memoriam (1940 – 2023)


Peter A. Herrndorf CC O.Ont, served as President and CEO of Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC) from 1999–2018, and served as Luminato’s Chair from 2018 – 2023. Among the many accomplishments during his tenure, he was instrumental in establishing the National Arts Centre Foundation, the NAC’s Indigenous Theatre Department and leading Canada’s largest performing arts organization through a $225.4M architectural and production renewal project that modernized the NAC’s 49-year-old building. Prior to joining the NAC, Herrndorf was Chairman and CEO of TVOntario and held various programming and executive-level roles including Head of TV Current Affairs Programming, Vice President of Corporate Planning and Vice President and General Manager at CBC’s English Language Radio and Television Networks. He also served as Publisher of Toronto Life.



In 1992, he and his colleague Brian Robertson created the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA). His other awards and distinctions include the inaugural Peter Herrndorf Arts Leadership Award (Business for the Arts); Diplôme d’honneur (Canadian Conference of the Arts) for outstanding service to the arts in Canada; William Kilbourn Award (Toronto Arts Awards Foundation); John Drainie Award (Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television); and honorary degrees from 10 Canadian universities and colleges.

Make a donation in honour of Peter Herrndorf

Founders

David Pecaut

Co-Founder (1955–2009)


An accomplished civic leader and humanitarian, David Pecaut worked tirelessly on initiatives designed to make our city and country a better place. David was a Senior Partner in The Boston Consulting Group and advised companies and governments on public policy issues around the globe. A well-known speaker and writer, David was a frequent commentator on CTV, CNN, CBC, CNBC, and CBS, and in publications ranging from the Wall Street Journal to Maclean’s.



David was also the voluntary Chair of the Toronto City Summit Alliance (now CivicAction), a diverse cross-sectoral coalition of civic leaders whose mission is to accelerate social and economic development in the Toronto region. The founder of dozens of initiatives aimed at new comers, youth, neighbourhoods and lower-income workers, David Pecaut was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in November 2009.


Tony Gagliano

Co-Founder, Chair Emeritus


Tony Gagliano presently serves as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of St. Joseph Communications which was founded by his parents in the basement of their home shortly after emigrating from Italy. Under Mr. Gagliano’s leadership, St. Joseph Communications has evolved from a small family business with a handful of associates to a national, fully integrated communications/media corporation with more than 2,100 associates from coast to coast.


Tony Gagliano is actively involved in a number of organizations. He is a Board member of the St. Michael’s Hospital Board, Salt + Light Foundation, Villa Charities and Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games.


In addition, he is a cabinet member of Ryerson University in Toronto, a council member of the Royal Conservatory of Music, an honorary board member of Scouts Canada, and a Board Member and President of the Art Gallery of Ontario. Tony Gagliano is founding chair of Luminato, Toronto’s Festival of Arts & Creativity.



Most recently Tony Gagliano was the recipient of the 2010 Outstanding Volunteer award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Toronto Chapter and Graphic Monthly Magazine’s 2010 Printer of the Year.

Board of Directors

Chair

Douglas Knight C.M.


Co-Founder, Chair Emeritus

Tony Gagliano


Vice-Chairs

maxine bailey

BOARD

Krystal Abotossaway

maxine bailey

Paul Boniferro

Helen Burstyn C.M

Laurissa Canavan

Linda Chu

Eva Czigler

Tony Gagliano

Ravi Jain

The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean PC CC CMM CD FRCPSC

Douglas Knight C.M

Tiana Koffler Boyman

Jennifer Laidlaw

Mitchell Marcus

Judy Matthews

John Monahan

Johnathon Redbird

Jason Ryle

David Simmonds

Carol Wilding FCPA, FCA


Luminato Laureates

Mohammad Al Zaibak 

Salah Bachir, C.M. 

Charles Baillie, O.C 

John Bayliss

Julia Deans 

Cam di Prata 

Rupert Duchesne C.M   

James Fleck, C.C.

Robert Foster, C.M. 

Michael Foulkes 

Anthony Graham 

Lucille Joseph

Peter Mansbridge, O.C. 

Roberto Martella 

Chetan Mathur 

Susan McArthur 

Robert McEwen, C.M. 

Mark Mulroney 

Jonas Prince 

Gretchen Ross 

Javier San Juan 

Gary Slaight, C.M. 

William Thorsell

Ken Tanenbaum


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