Samantha Hamilton is the Director and CEO of the South Australian Museum, bringing deep experience and a strong track record in strategic and operational leadership, philanthropic and government engagement, business development, and higher education. She has successfully led large-scale, transformational projects, fostering partnerships, securing investment, shaping organisational culture, and driving innovation through change management and professional development.
Samantha’s career spans national and international cultural institutions, underpinned by extensive expertise in the preservation of cultural heritage. She has held leadership roles across the private and public sectors, both professionally and in volunteer capacities, including with Rock Art Australia, Arts Centre Melbourne, Museums Victoria, the Australian Museum and Galleries Association (Victoria), the Australasian Registrars Committee, and ICOM Australia. Her experience also includes working as a private conservator with private collectors, local governments, volunteer organisations, and remote First Nations communities.
She holds a PhD from the Grimwade Centre at the University of Melbourne, where her research focused on the preservation of remote First Nations community collections, as well as a Bachelor of Applied Science in the Conservation of Cultural Materials from the University of Canberra. Samantha has received national and international recognition for her training and research, and has presented widely at conferences and contributed to peer-reviewed journals and publications.
