Jan Müller.
The Federal Government has appointed Dutch archivist Jan Müller as the CEO of the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA), where he will serve a four year term.
Müller joins from the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision – one of Europe’s largest audio-visual collections – where he has served as CEO since 2009.
He has also been chair of the Europeana Foundation since 2015, an institute that houses over 50 million digitised items from museums, libraries, archives and collections across Europe.
Prior to this, Müller worked in advertising for over 20 years, including as CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Amsterdam. He was president of the International Federation of Television Archives from 2012-16 and is the chair of both the Dutch Media Literacy program and the Dutch National Coalition for Digital Preservation and Sustainability.
“The NFSA has a great history and committed staff and stakeholders. I welcome the opportunity to help maximise its relevance to the community it serves and the industries it celebrates,” said Müller of his appointment.
NFSA chair Gabrielle Trainor said Muller’s appointment heralded an exciting new stage for the institution.
“We are in transition from an archive whose visitation and use has been limited by our physical footprint and outreach effort, to a collection which also can be accessed for research, education and enjoyment by exponentially more people, from their devices, online,” she said.
“This requires re-invention of our physical presence and public engagement and a substantial ongoing investment in digitisation. Jan’s experience will be invaluable in leading us through this evolution.”
Minister for Communications and the Arts Mitch Fifield called Müller “a global leader in film and media archives and museums and digital culture.”
“His expertise will strengthen NFSA’s digitisation, public engagement and international and local partnerships,” he said.
Meg Labrum, NFSA collection general manager, will continue as Acting CEO until Müller starts in October.