Lynne Williams

Lynne joined the Guildhall School as Principal in January 2017.  Under her leadership, the School has achieved Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework; has been named as the UK’s number one conservatoire and as the world’s number seven performing arts training institution.

Prior to Guildhall, Lynne held a variety of arts, education and culture posts both in Australia and the UK including as Director/CEO of Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).

Lynne has a deep commitment to arts education and increased public access and has developed and promoted work across the full spectrum of the arts. Her experience in performing arts began in Australia where she studied and performed as a professional singer and was instrumental in setting up a new music theatre company and a new creative arts faculty for the University of Wollongong.

In 2019, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her services to the Australian and international arts industries, and especially for her work in arts education and training.