Who leads the UK’s arts councils?

With changes in national and regional governments this year, and with the announcement this week that Sir Nicholas Serota’s tenure as chair of Arts Council England has been extended for 18 months, Arts Professional has put together an up-to-date guide of who will be responsible for determining the distribution of funds across the four nations in the coming years.

As arts and culture policy making is devolved to the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, we’ve included key figures across the nations.

Arts Council England (ACE)

Chair, ACE

DCMS appoints the chair of ACE for terms of four years. Sir Nicholas Serota has held the role since 1 February 2017, having previously been director of Tate from 1998.

During his tenure, Tate St Ives (1993) and Tate Modern (2000) opened, with the latter being expanded in 2016. Before this, he was director of the Museum of Modern Art in Oxford and the Whitechapel Gallery in London.

Serota will complete his second term on 31 January 2025. His tenure has now been extended by a further 18 months – until 31 July 2026 – to “maintain stability during the [ACE] review process”.

Chief executive, ACE

Darren Henley has been ACE’s chief executive since 2014. Previously, Henley worked at Classic FM, becoming managing director in 2006. While there, he conducted two independent reviews for the UK government, on music education (2011) and on cultural education (2012).

At ACE, he has overseen reductions in arts funding as the grant from government has been cut. He recently wrote in a blog that while the “pressures on the public purse are intense”, ACE “will make the case at every opportunity that an investment in culture… will pay exponential dividends”.

This week (17 December), DCMS said that the independent review of ACE, which was paused ahead of July’s general election, will now restart in the new year, led by Labour peer, Baroness Margaret Hodge.

Area directors, ACE

Hazel Edwards, ACE’s area director for the South East, took up her post in 2021. She was previously associate dean for research and innovation at the University of the West of England and has a background in museums.

ACE’s South West area director, Phil Gibby, has been in post since 2010. He was previously director of development and communications at Welsh National Opera, regional director for the charity Arts & Business, and development manager at Bristol Old Vic.

Peter Knott was appointed area director for the Midlands in 2013, having worked for ACE since 2002. Previously, he was director of media for the Brit School and development manager for the London Film and Video Development Agency (now Film London).

ACE’s area director for the North, Rebecca Ball, joined in August from Sunderland Culture, where she was chief executive. She has more than 20 years’ experience in the arts and culture sector, including at ACE between 2000 and 2010.

Michelle Walker became ACE’s area director for London in 2023. She was previously cultural events manager at the London Borough of Southwark, strategic lead for culture at Wandsworth Council’s Nine Elms development, and executive director at Festival.Org, whose programme includes the Greenwich+Docklands International Festival.

Arts Council of Wales (ACW)

Chair, ACW

The chair of the Arts Council of Wales is appointed for a three-year term by the Welsh government. The current chair, Maggie Russell, took up her post in April 2023. She has more than 35 years’ experience working in the arts in Wales, the UK and internationally.

A film and television producer, Russell previously ran the drama team at BBC Wales and has held other senior management positions at the broadcaster, including head of talent and head of on screen diversity.

Chief executive, ACW

ACW appointed Dafydd Rhys chief executive in 2022. He was previously the director of Aberystwyth Arts Centre and has been an ACW trustee since 2017.

Rhys began his career in television. After working at HTV Cymru on children’s and light entertainment in the 1980s, he went on to hold roles as commissioning editor, broadcast director, and content director at the Welsh language channel S4C.

In January 2024, Rhys called for a “mature national debate” on the value of arts, following the announcement of cuts to its budget. The organisation said its allocation of £30.4m in the 2024/25 draft budget was “the lowest since 2007/08”.

Creative Scotland

Chair, Creative Scotland

The Scottish government appoints the chair of Creative Scotland every four years. Robert Wilson, who has held the post since 2018, was reappointed for a second term in 2022 until February 2026.

Wilson has previously been chair of the Edinburgh Art Festival, as well as a trustee for various organisations, including the Royal Botanical Gardens Edinburgh.

He is the co-owner and chair of the alternative medicine company, Nelsons. With his wife Nicky Wilson, he co-founded Jupiter Artland, a contemporary sculpture garden near Edinburgh.

Chief executive, Creative Scotland

Iain Munro was appointed chief executive of Creative Scotland in 2019, having been acting in the role since 2018 and as deputy chief executive before that.

He was previously chair of the creative ageing organisation Luminate and Scottish chair of the London 2012 Legacy Trust.

Munro replaced Janet Archer, who resigned in 2018 following a crisis over arts cuts that saw several board members resign. His tenure has also seen controversy, with the Scottish government announcing a review of Creative Scotland, the first since it was created in 2010.

Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI)

Chair, ACNI

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Communities, which appoints the chair of ACNI for four-year terms.

Liam Hannaway has held the role since 2021. From 2014 until his retirement in 2019, he was chief executive of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. In that role, Hannaway oversaw the merger of the three councils, putting new governance and management structures in place.

In 2023, he called for cuts to ACNI’s budget to be “reversed”, saying the Northern Ireland government’s investment in the arts had seen a real-terms reduction of almost £10m since 2011. His first term in office is due to end on 31 January 2025.

Vice chair, ACNI

William Leathem joined the ACNI board as vice chair in 2021. He is a former elected member of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.

Leathem is also chair of Ulster Supported Employment Limited, a social enterprise that helps people with disabilities or health conditions into employment. He has previously served on the boards of the Ulster-Scots Agency and Libraries NI.

Leathem’s first term in office also ends on 31 January 2025.

Chief executive, ACNI

Roisin McDonough has been chief executive of ACNI since 2000. She was previously chief executive of the West Belfast Partnership Board, an organisation supporting the regeneration of the area.

In 2019, McDonough settled a case against ACNI for age discrimination, being awarded £12,000 without admission of liability.