VANCOUVER, BC.- The Vancouver Art Gallery Association welcomes two new members to its Board: Manon Gauthier and Geoff Meggs. The new trustees were elected on Friday, September 19, and will assume their new roles immediately.

Jon Stovell, Chair of the Gallery’s Board of Trustees says: “We are delighted to welcome Manon and Geoff to the Board at this pivotal moment in the Gallery’s history. Both bring extraordinary vision, leadership and experience that will strengthen our ability to champion the arts in British Columbia and across Canada. Their deep commitment to culture and key experience in public and civic leadership will be invaluable as we shape a bold new chapter for the Gallery and for the communities we serve."

Manon Gauthier is a renowned cultural leader in Canada, with more than 30 years of experience in arts administration, communications and philanthropy. Her most recent tenure as executive director of the Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation and commissioner of the centenary celebrations resulted in the recognition of Riopelle as a Canadian cultural icon. A stalwart leader, she has contributed to the development of businesses and organizations nationally and internationally. She has held senior management positions in leading international public affairs agencies, in addition to having led the transformation of the Segal Centre for Performing Arts, a Montréal icon of cultural and artistic diversity. Elected to the Montréal City Council in 2013, she contributed to the revitalization of the Québec metropolis, serving on the City’s Executive Committee, responsible, among others, for cultural affairs. She is currently the executive director of the Audain Foundation.

“The future of the Vancouver Art Gallery is built on vision, leadership and stewardship”, says Manon Gauthier. “I am deeply honoured to join the Board of Trustees and determined to help, in any way possible, define and shape an ambitious future for the institution—one that will instill a shared sense of community, and one that will celebrate the excellence of British Columbian art and artists, in Canada and beyond.”

Geoff Meggs has decades of experience at the provincial and municipal levels in B.C. He was appointed chief of staff to Premier John Horgan in 2017 and served until Horgan’s retirement in 2022. He served three terms as a member of the Vancouver City Council, where he chaired various city committees and represented the city on the Board of Metro Vancouver. He also held a range of senior communications roles in the Labour Movement, served as executive director of the B.C. Federation of Labour, and as communications director to Premier Glen Clark. He began his career in journalism, writing for The Calgary Albertan and The Canadian Press. He went on to win numerous awards as editor of The Fisherman, the biweekly newspaper of the province’s fishermen’s union. He is the author of several books about B.C. fisheries and politics.

”The Vancouver Art Gallery is one of the province’s most important cultural institutions, a showcase for our artists and a vital driver of the city’s economy,” says Geoff Meggs. “I look forward to working with the other Trustees to ensure the Gallery realizes its full potential in the years ahead.”