As Sydney Opera House chief departs, she would like to thank … Alan Jones

August 9, 2026 — 5:00am

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After 14 years in the role, Louise Herron AM stepped down on Thursday as CEO of the Sydney Opera House. She will soon take up a role as a vice-chancellor’s fellow at Sydney University, to help advance the university’s focus on “leadership for good”.

Fitz: Ah, sing it Frank Sinatra! So now, the end is near, and so you face the final curtain in the Opera House Concert Hall. We may get to regrets you’ve had a few, but right now, what are your primary emotions on the day of leaving?

LH: My primary emotion is that it is the perfect moment for me to leave. Over that time as an organisation, we have achieved so much together. Building projects have been a constant since the time I arrived. The construction of the new loading dock was under way. That massive project involved removing 25 Olympic swimming pools’ worth of sandstone from under the building without it moving a centimetre. That feels like a long time ago. And as I leave, the NSW government has generously announced further funding of $120 million to do what’s needed to fix under the northern boardwalk and in the three smaller western venues: the Drama Theatre, Studio and Playhouse. In between, we’ve done some incredible projects – renewing the Concert Hall, working on the Joan Sutherland Theatre, creating the Yallamundi Rooms and Centre for Creativity, clearing the forecourt. So many wonderful things.

Fitz: Ah, so when we walk towards the Opera House, we see this architectural jewel that we’re so lucky to have, but you see the state of play of a dozen projects?

LH: I see a thing of beauty as I walk towards or around it. But within this, I see a lot of machinery and maintenance. I also see all the love and passion and care from all the artists and people who work here. I see the challenges of creating programs to make this place more accessible. I see all of that. I think of the Opera House as a 3D jigsaw puzzle in every respect. And it takes a couple of years to find your way around.

Fitz: On that subject, on the occasion of you kindly launching my own book on the Opera House at the venue, you might recall me noting there were no fewer than 1000 rooms in the whole building and it was an honour and a privilege to stand in any of them, let alone the Utzon Room. Do you think by now you’ve stood in all 1000 of them, bar the men’s toilets?

LH: Most of them! Every door is numbered according to a system that denotes the level it’s on, being the number of feet above the mean tide level.

Fitz: So when the days grow old and we grow cold, and we talk about Louise Herron’s time running the show, at the place of........

© The Sydney Morning Herald