Francois Colbert is the Professor of Marketing and holder of the Carmelle and Rémi Marcoux Chair in Arts Management at HEC Montréal. In addition to his duties as supervisor of the master’s program in International Arts Management (MMIAM), he is founding Editor and Executive Director of the International Journal of Arts Management (IJAM), published by the Chair in Arts Management. He is also founder of the Diplôme d’études supérieures spécialisées en gestion d’organismes culturels (DESSGOC – Graduate Diploma in the Management of Cultural Organizations). In 2002 he was awarded the Order of Canada for his many achievements and for his unique contributions in developing the field of arts management.

Professor Colbert has been active in the field of arts and culture for over 40 years, particularly in the museum, film and performing arts sectors. He has led numerous training and professional development seminars in arts management, with a focus on the field of marketing management in a cultural context. He is a past or current member of the board of directors of many cultural organizations and has served as vice-chair of the Canada Council for the Arts (1995–2003). He currently teaches the course Marketing Cultural Organizations, offered as part of the DESSGOC program. Professor Colbert is the author of Le Marketing des arts et de la culture, now in its fourth edition, published in English as Marketing Culture and the Arts and also available in Chinese, German, Italian, Korean, Russian, Serbian, Spanish and Ukrainian. He is founding president of the International Conference on Arts and Cultural Management (AIMAC) and co-chair of its scientific committee.