Alex is an optimist who loves learning about people, places, and ideas. A lover of inquiry, he believes that asking the right questions is far more important (and more challenging) than feeling entitled to having all the answers.

Alex Sarian is a bestselling author and global authority on institutional relevance. He is President & CEO of the Werklund Centre, one of Canada’s most dynamic arts centres, where he leads the largest cultural infrastructure project in Canadian history. He recently oversaw the transformation from Arts Commons to Werklund Centre, following a landmark $75 million gift—the largest private donation to the performing arts in Canadian history. He also established the Werklund Centre Foundation to steward philanthropic capital and ensure long-term financial sustainability.

Appointed in 2020 at age 36, Alex became the youngest CEO of a major performing arts centre in North America. Before returning to Canada, he spent nearly two decades in New York City in senior roles at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. There, he led international consulting efforts across 15 countries, advising governments, foundations, and creative institutions on civic engagement and public value.

Named one of The Globe and Mail’s 10 most influential figures in Canadian arts and culture (2024), Alex is also a recipient of the 40 Under 40 award for leadership in business, culture, and public life.

Born in Toronto and raised in Buenos Aires, he holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from New York University and has completed executive education at the Ivey Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has taught at NYU, Pace University, and City College of New York, and served as advisor to global organizations including Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, SXSW, and the Varkey Foundation.

His acclaimed book, The Audacity of Relevance (2024), was hailed by Forbes as “a manifesto for the arts in times of crisis,” and is now required reading in arts leadership programs worldwide.

Photo Credit: Jeremy Fokkens