Aria’s former executive chef Joel Bickford has made the move to The Point Group.

Bickford has been appointed culinary director of Shell House in Sydney’s CBD and the multi-pronged offering at Fort Denison.

“The team’s vision to breathe new life into two remarkable Sydney buildings is so exciting and the perfect next step in my career,” says Bickford.

“It’s a great opportunity for me to challenge myself and work alongside a progressive, dynamic and forward-thinking team of people and I’m excited about creating these important new dining experiences for Sydney at a time when we all need some inspiration.”

The chef, who spent four years at Aria in the top position, has been working on the dining experiences at Shell House Dining Room & Terrace and Sky Bar Rooftop, which are slated to open in October pending restrictions.

Shell House will encompass a ground-floor bar and all-day dining bistro, a dining room on level nine, a cocktail bar inside the clock tower and a rooftop sky bar.

Fort Denison Dining is scheduled to launch in September 2022, and will revolve around modern Australian dining, sustainable seafood and heroing local producers.