Strategic Advisor & Mentor

Harry Chawla is the Founder and Executive Director of The Artist House, working alongside Sheetol Chawla to shape its strategic direction, organisational development, and long-term vision as a research, archive, and exhibition platform. A business leader and governance professional with more than two decades of leadership experience, Harry brings strategic oversight, executive leadership, and institutional thinking to the development of The Artist House and Sheetol Chawla’s wider artistic practice.

Born in India and later establishing his career in New Zealand, Harry migrated to Aotearoa in 2001. He completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, in 2002, laying the foundation for a career spanning leadership, governance, retail operations, and organisational development.

Over more than two decades, Harry has built extensive expertise in business leadership, people development, strategic planning, customer engagement, and operational excellence. He currently leads one of New Zealand’s largest retail operations, overseeing a workforce of more than 300 employees and serving approximately 40,000 customers each week. His experience encompasses tactical planning, organisational strategy, leadership development, governance, implementation, and long-term business growth.

Beyond his professional career, Harry has maintained a strong commitment to education, mentorship, and community leadership. He has completed advanced leadership and professional development programmes, including Dale Carnegie leadership training, executive development programmes through Foodstuffs New Zealand, and governance studies through Fonterra. He has also served as a Board Director of the Middlemore Foundation and as a former Advisory Board Member associated with Cornell’s technology and innovation initiatives.

Harry’s contribution to Sheetol Chawla’s artistic journey began long before the establishment of The Artist House. Recognising her creative potential, he played a pivotal role in encouraging her return to formal creative education in New Zealand—a decision that would ultimately help transform a lifelong relationship with art into a dedicated professional practice.

As the practice evolved, Harry recognised the importance of building a permanent framework around the work: one capable of supporting its research, preservation, presentation, and long-term cultural legacy. This vision became the foundation for The Artist House, conceived not simply as a studio, but as a dedicated environment for research, archive, and exhibition.

As Founder and Executive Director, Harry provides strategic and organisational leadership across the development of The Artist House. Working closely with Sheetol, he helps guide its long-term planning, institutional relationships, governance, operational development, and future direction, while supporting the conditions necessary for ambitious artistic research and production to evolve.

His role also extends to the broader vision of establishing a permanent artistic archive—one that preserves the evolution of Sheetol Chawla’s wearable sculpture practice while creating space for cultural exploration, historical storytelling, education, dialogue, and diplomacy through art.

Working alongside Sheetol, Harry continues to develop relationships and opportunities that connect the practice with communities, cultural organisations, institutions, and international networks. His combination of executive leadership, governance experience, strategic thinking, and commitment to lifelong learning provides an important foundation for the continued evolution of The Artist House and the legacy it seeks to build.