The Federal Government has announced two new appointments to the Screen Australia board, with actress and writer Pallavi Sharda and former SBS CEO Michael Ebeid joining for three-year terms.
Sharda is known for her work in Garth Davis’ Lion, along with series such as Pulse, Les Norton, Retrograde, and The Twelve, and international titles ranging from 18th century period drama Beechum House to family feature Tom and Jerry, and last year’s Netflix rom-com Wedding Season.
She also has extensive experience in Bollywood, having left Australia at 20 to pursue other opportunities.
Speaking to IF last year, the Indian-Australian actress said she was keen to use her own story to encourage new ways of intercultural thinking.
“I’m still very cognisant that many of the skills that I have come from having grown up here,” she said,
“Much of my mindset is from the open-mindedness of how I grew up in Melbourne and the intercultural activity that was possible in those years.”
Ebied was previously CEO and managing director of SBS, which he joined in 2011 from the ABC, where he was director of corporate strategy and marketing.
He left the public broadcaster in 2018, having overseen the launch of SBS On Demand in late 2011, while also managing the launch of NITV free-to-air, Food Network, and SBS Viceland.
Ebeid is currently a non-executive director of the Sydney Opera House and also sits on the board of Broadcast Australia.
Arts Minister Tony Burke said Sharda and Ebeid had played “significant roles in ensuring our screen content better reflects modern Australia”.
“More and more our screen content is looking like modern Australia,” he said.
“It’s probably the platform where Australians have the best opportunity to see themselves and know each other.”
The pair join existing board members Marta Dusseldorp, Sacha Horler, Helen Leake, Deborah Mailman, and Nicholas Pickard in serving under chair Nicholas Moore and Megan Brownlow.