If you didn’t know Georgia Malone, reading and listening to the numerous tributes that followed her passing in April 2025, you’d be forgiven for thinking that she was superhuman. 

But what made her an arts superhero was her humanity. Her trademark drive and determination was rooted in deep care for the future and well being of the arts community, and it always began with individuals. 

“Georgia was ambitious and driven, but never just for herself,” says friend and former Perth Festival colleague Jayne Cleave. “She wanted to succeed, but never at the expense of others.”

Iron fist, velvet glove

Georgia’s version of ambition made her an excellent leader, someone who could effect change by drawing the best out of the people around her. 

“Georgia’s grit, determination and pragmatic approach to her work was coupled with a continual ability to care deeply about the bigger picture and build her team up around her to be the best versions of themselves,” says Arts House Program Manager/Creative Producer  Sarah Rowbottam, who first worked with Georgia in 2006 at Perth Festival, where Georgia was marketing co-ordinator and Sarah was marketing intern.

Georgia’s ability to lead was not something she learned, says Georgia’s mother Jo Malone, who was also her colleague, first at PICA then at GM Consulting. 

“Those leadership qualities were something innate in her,” says Jo. “Georgia had this way of assessing and understanding people, because she listened to them. She would see their potential.” 

A perceptive judge of character, Georgia was known not to tolerate any nonsense. But she also knew how to create a pleasant working environment, as PICA CEO Hannah Mathews recalls from their time working together at PICA¹.

“Georgia had the respect of the staff, they worked hard together and socialised together which I really admired,” says Hannah. “Our chair described her approach as ‘iron fist, velvet glove’ … There was a really nice camaraderie amongst the team which I think Georgia worked hard to build and nurture … She knew how to have fun, how to put people at ease, how to encourage the best in others.”

¹

 Georgia worked at PICA at various times and in various roles:

Interim director (2022)

General manager (2020-22)

Marketing manager (2007-10)

Hannah Mathews has been CEO at PICA since 2023 and was PICA curator (2005-07)

A mover and shaker

Georgia was incisive; a person who had her finger on the pulse and made brave decisions.

“Georgia was confident – worked hard, played hard, made bold choices and wasn’t afraid to call it how it was,” says Sarah Rowbottam.

That courage stood her in good stead when she produced the Disrupted Festival of Ideas for the State Library of WA over four years.

“To talk about Georgia is to remember her keen intelligence and her ability to dig deep into the zeitgeist to program speakers, thinkers and artists who captured the issues and ideas of what was happening now and what was about to emerge,” says former Director of Community Learning and Development at the State Library Liz Spencer, who engaged Georgia to produce Disrupted in 2016.

Former PICA Director/CEO Amy Barrett-Lennard recalls that Georgia’s initiatives as marketing manager had a massive impact on audience growth at PICA.

”Georgia’s experience, passion and strategic approach really propelled the organisation forward. Audiences trebled, programs expanded and many new partnerships developed as a result of her significant efforts and impressive networks. She was the ultimate professional, utterly reliable and superbly creative in problem solving.”

As marketing manager at Sydney Dance Company (SDC) 2010-2014, Georgia made a similar impact on audience numbers.

“Georgia could hold on to the higher echelon thinking … And that was, I think, one of the things that she really contributed [at SDC], because marketing contemporary dance is not the easiest of challenges,” says Anne Dunn, then executive director of SDC. “Georgia found the things that needed to be found in there, that could turn an idea into a reality.” 

In particular Anne recalls a marketing campaign Georgia ran for a work called Shared Frequency, which marked the beginning of a shift in imagery for the company, with an emphasis on the dancers’ bodies; long, lean and gleaming.

“There was an interview that ran in, I think it was probably the Sydney Morning Herald, and there was a big front page interview in the weekend [edition], and we had a street poster campaign go up on the same weekend. 

“The company sold more tickets that weekend to that show than they had in any other weekend for about ten years or something. It was a remarkable result – this beautiful confluence of press landing at the same time as the street campaign with these really bold images.

“Georgia understood that audiences need to connect, that it wasn’t enough for the art to be beautiful. It actually had to find an audience … She got that it couldn’t just be about the art, that you had to be able to read the information on the advert, to get that information to an audience … it was, how do you take this beautiful thing, and actually turn it into something digestible for an audience where they go, oh, yeah, I can go to that. I’m not going to be terrified.”

Georgia’s ability to see the bigger picture was apparent from early on, says Jo Malone. From childhood Georgia enjoyed assisting her mother at work, and by the time she was in her teens, “she hit her straps,” recalls Jo. On one memorable occasion Georgia was helping her mum organise a statewide conference for school principals.

“It was a complex program with multiple breakout rooms, plenary sessions and so on,” says Jo.  “And then the director general of the WA Education Department stood up at the conference and said, ‘I’ve been looking at the program, I just want to change some of these things around. And of course, we’re going, ‘Oh, my God.’

But Georgia had managed to work out  – in a matter of minutes – exactly where every delegate needed to go, and as they streamed out of the plenary session she was giving the new instructions to each of them.

“And I’m going, ‘how did you do that?’  It was just extraordinary,” says Jo. “She could just see the whole thing. And she was always like that. She could see the beginning to the end of something, and everything that had to happen in between, in a split second.”

A polymath of the arts

During her career, Georgia worked with an astonishing number and variety of arts organisations, both as an employee and consultant. That meant that her visionary approach was coupled with an understanding of the arts industry across a range of genres that few could match. Her colleagues at Minderoo Foundation, where she worked in various management roles until her passing, knew how lucky they were to have access to that knowledge. 

“From day one, Georgia enthusiastically embraced [her role at Minderoo] – she was eager to try a new professional environment at that stage in her career,” says Andrew Baker, Head of Vibrant and Connected Communities at Minderoo Foundation.

“She made fast friends, asked smart questions, and thrived in a cross-disciplinary environment where her broad interests, education and knowledge shone through. Her encyclopedic knowledge of the arts was invaluable but so was her knowledge of politics, operations and management.

“Georgia worked on a range of things at Minderoo – active citizenship, youth arts and more –  but her central piece of work – the one closest to her heart – was the WA Arts Strategy, says Andrew. “Through this project she could direct her immense knowledge and deep passion towards very practical support for key arts organisations and artists, delivering a refreshed Minderoo Artist Fund as part of that.”

The quiet achiever

“Georgia had a tendency to lead outside of the limelight, the kind of leadership style I’ve become so fond of as my own career has progressed,” says Sarah Rowbottam.

Liz Spencer agrees, saying that Georgia led “without bringing glory upon herself. She continues, “Georgia  was always the consummate professional; the quiet achiever; the bringer of perfection to everything she did.” 

“Georgia was quietly and enormously influential,” Amy Barrett-Lennard adds. “Always positive, she constantly sought out new experiences and embraced change like no-one else I know. Georgia was extremely talented but also very humble – no job was too big or too small.

These sentiments are echoed by Andrew Baker.

“… Georgia’s most hated phrase was ‘that’s not my job,’ and she lived that value. No task was too big or small for GM. To the end, she was relentlessly focused on impact and outcomes, and she just got shit done.”

Mentor to many

Though Georgia’s colleagues speak with awe about her prodigious smarts, it’s apparent that she never used her intelligence to intimidate.

“Georgia was whip-smart but never made others feel small,” says Jayne Cleave. “She took up space, but always made room for others — especially those in the sisterhood. She believed in her own strength and helped her friends find their inner warrior, too.”

Georgia’s desire to strengthen others is a theme that emerges again and again in conversations with Georgia’s colleagues. She was a mentor, and a generous one.

“I first met Georgia in my interview to be her intern at PICA in 2010,” says arts marketer  Emily Fiori. “I was in awe of her passion, vision and smarts. The opportunity to work with and learn from Georgia set me on my path for my entire career in the arts and I know that I’m not the only one who learned the ropes from her. Georgia had this amazing skill of bringing people together, supporting people to feel safe to open up and truly connect with others.”

Perth Festival’s Rachel Audino, who worked with Georgia at GM Consulting and Perth Festival, is similarly grateful to Georgia.

“Georgia was one of the people who really kick-started my career in the arts and supported me through every job opportunity – her guidance set me on a wonderful path and I’m so grateful,” she says.

“[She taught me] to pick your battles cause you can’t win them all [and] how to navigate and build great relationships with people. She was also brilliant at having the right perspective on situations – she definitely taught me how to step outside of myself and think from many angles.”

And for those times when battles were needed, Georgia gave her young colleagues the skills they needed to fight, says Screenwest’s Kirby Briety, who worked with Georgia at Perth Theatre Company and GM Consulting.

“[Georgia taught me] to be myself, be bold and don’t be afraid to be loud/outspoken,” says Kirby. “It may ruffle some feathers but it’s the only way to find the people who you want to work with and work for. I learned to back myself, despite outside noise/judgements. 

“I also learned a lot of how to be social at the theatre events … I gained confidence and skills to handle myself in many situations.” 

Kirby recalls the degree to which Georgia wanted the best for those she was mentoring.

“Georgia gave me the time off to work on the Giants for Perth Festival, a career highlight. She vouched for me, supported and covered for me and encouraged me to go for it.”

It was that extra level of care that set Georgia apart, reflects Aaron Beach, who was executive director of Co3 Contemporary Dance, 2015-2017, when Georgia was the company’s marketing and communications manager.

“Georgia didn’t just support artists, she helped guide and shaped them,” he says. “She mentored so many of us, not just in how to do the work, but how to do it with integrity. I still carry lessons from her about clarity, boundaries, and why it matters to show up with care.”

Make your friends your family, and your family your friends

Listening to Georgia’s many colleagues reflect on her work, it is clear that she was someone who understood people, understood what motivates them, and what brings them joy. So perhaps it’s no surprise that though she cared passionately about her work, it was never at the cost of family and friends. Indeed the reverse was true. 

Speaking at Georgia’s memorial, CEO of Ten Days on the Island Vernon Guest² observed that one of the many “life hacks” he had learned from Georgia was, “Make your friends your family, and your family your friends.” 

It was a “hack” Georgia truly lived, as Anne Dunn remembers.

“As a manager, you can be friends with some people that you manage but you don’t have to be … Georgia was really great at navigating that kind of multiple level relationship. She was always incredibly respectful in the workplace … but we could just completely put it to the side, outside of the workplace. She did that with absolute grace. And she did it with multiple people. 

“It’s one of the things I learned from her … to never forget in the workplace that, yeah, you have a working relationship, but at the end of the day, you’re people, and sometimes that means you’ll be friends with people, and that’s really valuable,” says Anne.

²

Vernon worked with Georgia in the early days of both their careers at Perth Festival, and more recently at Ten Days on the Island, when she was Head of Marketing and Partnerships (2020-2021).

Georgia’s legacy

Georgia’s legacy to the Australian arts industry is immense. As Andrew Baker said at her memorial. “She was an incredible mentor across her career, and in that she has left a lasting impression on so many. I think in the years to come many of us here today will be able to proudly say, ‘Georgia Malone taught me that’.”

At Minderoo Georgia’s approach will continue to shape the way the organisation works, in particular when it comes to the way in which artists tell their stories to those outside the sector. 

“That’s really important and challenging work, and GM set a high standard which we’ll endeavour to maintain,” says Andrew. “The work she did means the program will continue; her work will go on.”

Georgia’s legacy is about tenacity, generosity, knowing when to fight and knowing when to stop.

“Georgia instilled in me, and no doubt countless others, the philosophy that every impact you make is important or can be,” says Amy Barrett-Lennard.

And perhaps that’s what kept Georgia fighting for her beloved arts.

“I love that Georgia never gave up on anything,” says Anne Dunn. “She never went, ‘This is too hard. I’m not doing it.’ She was always like, ‘yeah, we’ll find a way. We’re just going to keep working at it.’ 

“And Georgia had some really tough gigs. I remember talking to her about some of them, and that capacity to go, to keep going, but also, if it’s not the right thing to … know when to walk away.

“That tenacity, it was extraordinary. And I think, quite frankly, it’s the singular sentiment or singular kind of behaviour in the arts that actually keeps the arts going is tenacity.”

Jo Malone is determined that her daughter’s tenacity will live on. 

“Towards the end of her life Georgia said, ‘I’ve got so much more work to do,’ which is why I keep going, keep talking to people who have got influence, and people who have got capacity to make change,” says Jo.

“Georgia believed so wholeheartedly in the power of creativity and arts, whether you’re a practitioner or an audience member. We would talk about how important it is that those of us in the arts sector talk from a position of strength to government, to the corporate sector, to philanthropic networks, to communicate how important the arts are to their culture, and about what their role is in sustaining the arts. We have this huge power to communicate.”

Like Georgia, Jo believes that it’s vital that funders and philanthropists understand the importance of building long-term sustainability for arts organisations and artists, rather than focusing on shorter term goals. 

“Let’s work together to make sure that philanthropists understand how their donation or gift makes a difference,” she says,” Let’s ensure that they know they are actually empowering the arts sector by building sustainability, by looking at the bigger picture.”

The Ripple Effect Award

This belief in the bigger picture has inspired Georgia’s husband John Carter to establish a new annual award to honour Georgia and continue her legacy.

To be presented for the first time at the 2026 Performing Arts WA Awards, The Ripple Effect Award will celebrate an individual whose passion and love for arts and culture leads them to contribute above and beyond. The name of the award comes from Georgia’s own words:

“I want to know I have made an impact. That what I have done has had the ripple effect to make change and impact others. I want to have added value to the world and not just lived for myself.”

The inaugural Ripple Effect Award will be presented at the 2026 Performing Arts WA Awards, 20 April 2026 at the State Theatre Centre of WA.

A campaign is being held to raise money for the long term sustainability of The Ripple Effect Award – donate here.

Nina Levy wishes to thank the many friends and colleagues of Georgia Malone who contributed to this essay. Although not everyone could be quoted, every single contribution informed the writing and shaping of this testament to Georgia, and your time and love is deeply appreciated.