Benaki eyes expansion, trust fund

The Benaki Museum is seeking to establish a permanent presence in Australia and the United States, while also creating a trust fund and building on the progress of recent years to increase revenues, the respected organization’s chief executive officer told Kathimerini in an interview, describing its five-year sustainability plan.

“Regardless of the present circumstances, [the museum] has made strides,” said Haris Siabanis. “Like many other organizations, we lost significant revenues not just from exhibition tickets, but from museum shops, educational programs, events, rent and, obviously, from corporate and private donations [during the economic crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic].”

Siabanis said that the Benaki was able to break even for the first time in its history in 2016 after serious economic woes in 2012-15, and recently settled the last of its outstanding commitments.

“We have embarked on a journey and the pandemic has merely delayed our departure. There is no doubt that we will accomplish it, together with the people who embrace what we do,” he said, vowing “to do everything in our power to multiply the benefits of even the smallest donation.”