Douglas Gautier, executive director of Hong Kong Arts Festival Society, aims to build on the festival's reputation as a world-class event.

Douglas Gautier, recently appointed executive director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival Society Limited, has lived and worked in Hong Kong for most of his professional life since arriving in 1979.

With a nearly 30-year track record in the arts dating back to his university days in Adelaide, Australia, Mr Gautier is currently responsible for one of the region's most prestigious cultural events, the Hong Kong Arts Festival. He also has a mandate to foster and develop the performing arts, and indeed, cultural tourism, in Hong Kong.

"Like many of us in Hong Kong, I initially came for a set period of three years. However, when I got off the plane I loved the place so much that I am still here, more than 20 years on.

Hong Kong already had a thriving arts scene when I arrived in the late 70s. There were many enthusiasts who were keen to see further development and expansion of the arts in Hong Kong. We didn't have the Cultural Centre back then, but we had City Hall. The Arts Centre had just been built and was a great innovation, and I was fortunate enough to be at the centre of it all because I had been brought to Hong Kong specifically to look after RTHK 4, the arts channel. It was a very creative period.

Before long I was also on the programme committee of the Hong Kong Arts Festival. Between 1980 and 1986 I directed six productions for the festival, mainly opera, so had a close association with the festival and even in those days felt I would like to do the job.

I had views about the festival and how it might develop further. As deputy executive director of the Hong Kong Tourist Association (now Tourism Board) from 1997 - 2000, I was trying to draw on Hong Kong's existing cultural tourism assets, rather than create new ones.

The Hong Kong Arts Festival has a great track record. At 31 years old, it is one of the best, biggest and brightest festivals in the region, and very highly regarded on the international circuit.

When you look at the work being done to brand Hong Kong as a major city in the region, you see events from the Rugby Sevens and the international races, to the film festival and fashion galas. Hong Kong is truly a world-class city to which the Arts Festival further adds kudos.

Together with my team, I look forward to the challenges ahead. There is lots to do considering the interest, creativity and innovation of artists in the region, and looking at different ways of presenting music, dance, theatre, visual arts and film.

There are two definite parts to Hong Kong's performing arts scene. We have very strong flagship companies, whether you are talking about the repertory theatre, the dance company, the Chinese orchestra, the Philharmonic or others. Then there is a second layer of smaller companies and experimental groups, which are already involved strongly with the festival, particularly in new and commissioned work. Hong Kong provides a very fertile ground.

We will continue to ensure that the Hong Kong Arts Festival has its own special blend, from the selection of artists to how the programmes gel and complement each other. The festival brings together various genres to create events and performances that people won't see anywhere else.

The mix is eclectic and always should be. We should continue to showcase the best of China, not only traditional arts but also some of the remarkable contemporary work that is being created there.

Hong Kong is one of the world's great cities. It has a strong culture of its own and appetite for the arts. It also has a world-class festival and we aim to keep it that way."

Related links:
Hong Kong Arts Festival Society Limited www.hk.artsfestival.org
Hong Kong Tourism Board www.discoverhongkong.com