Cultural policy Michael Kinzer will be the new Director of Pro Helvetia from July 2025

Michael Kinzer will be the new Director of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia from July 1, 2025. He is currently Head of the City of Lausanne's Culture Department. This was announced by Pro Helvetia on Wednesday.

Born in 1972, Kinzer is Co-President of the Conference of Cities and Towns of Culture in addition to his role at the City of Lausanne. In the course of his career, he has held a number of positions, including generalHe announced at the end of 2023 that he would be stepping down from his role as Director on June 30, 2025. event coordinator for Expo.02. He has also served on numerous juries and cultural commissions at regional and national level, for example as Chairman of the Federal Jury for Music. Kinzer has worked mainly in French-speaking Switzerland, in artistic leadership and management positions.

He succeeds Philipp Bischof at Pro Helvetia. He announced at the end of 2023 that he intended to step down as Director on June 30, 2025. This was triggered by a love affair with a member of management who reported directly to him. "I would like to thank the outgoing Director Philippe Bischof today for his great commitment and dedication to Switzerland's cultural life," said Michael Brändle, President of the Board of Trustees, in the press release.

Kinzer was appointed as Director as part of an application process carried out by an external management selection office. A search committee appointed by the Board of Trustees oversaw the process.

SDA