Stratford Festival Executive Director Anita Gaffney has been named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women.
She'll receive the Top 100 Award in the BMO Arts, Sports & Entertainment category. The Women's Executive Network hosts an awards ceremony Thursday night in Toronto.
“Anita is not one to seek attention or awards. She is humble, self-reflective, and thoughtful,” said Sylvia Chrominska, chair of the Stratford Festival’s Board of Governors. “But she is also a forward-thinking, determined and tireless leader, who is called upon by the government, her industry peers, and community organizations for her thoughts, input and counsel. She is indeed one of the most powerful women leaders in the performing arts, but her abilities reach far beyond gender, making her one of the most powerful and effective people working in the arts today.”
The WXN’s Top 100 Awards pay tribute to outstanding women across Canada who have advocated for diversity in the workforce, and who serve as an inspiration for the next generation of leaders. Gaffney has been Executive Director of North America’s largest classical theatre company, since 2013.
“We are celebrating 100 of Canada’s highest achieving women in diverse fields,” said Sherri Stevens, CEO of WXN. “All 100 are role models for the generations who will follow, which is why it’s very important to recognize and celebrate their great achievements.”
With a budget of $61 million, the festival is one of the most self-sufficient cultural organizations on the continent with 95 per cent of revenue earned from sales, fundraising and other festival activities.
Since being appointed executive director, Gaffney has guided the festival towards financial stability, eliminating an inherited $3.4 million deficit and posting an operating surplus in each year of her tenure.
She has also supported the introduction of a number of new initiatives including the Stratford Festival Forum, the Laboratory, the HD film series and the Stratford Direct bus service. Her leadership has also seen the launch of a $100-million campaign to support the construction of the Tom Patterson Theatre Centre – scheduled to open in 2020 – and the activities housed in this new facility.
Gaffney joined the festival in 1991 as a publicity assistant, and over the past 27 years has held a variety of positions, including director of marketing during the theatre’s years of peak attendance. She designed the festival’s customer relationship marketing system, which remains in use today and has been emulated by arts organizations around the world.
She leads all administrative and operational business activities and, together with Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino, sets the strategic direction for the organization.
In addition to her marketing expertise, Gaffney is highly regarded for her skills in government relations, finance, change management and strategic planning, honed during her years as the Festival’s Administrative Director. During this time, she led lobby efforts on behalf of major cultural organizations in Ontario, which ultimately inspired the creation of the province’s $27 million Arts Investment Fund.
An active member of the Stratford community, Gaffney is past chair of the City of Stratford’s economic development agency, InvestStratford, and the Stratford Public Library. In 2011 she served as the campaign chair of the United Way Perth-Huron, raising $1.2 million. Within the broader arts community, she has volunteered with the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and provided marketing and administrative support to Culture Days Ontario. She currently serves on the board of Destination Ontario.
In 2008 Ms. Gaffney was selected to participate in the Governor General’s Leadership Conference, and in 2006 she received a Business Excellence Award for Personal Achievement from the Stratford and District Chamber of Commerce. In 2010 she was named Woman of the Year in the Arts by Optimism Place Stratford.
She has an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University and has continued her executive education through Harvard Business School.