British Council welcomes new director of arts

RUTH MACKENZIE has been named director of arts at the British Council.

Mackenzie joins the Council this month from her previous role as program director, arts, culture & creative industries policy for the government of South Australia.

She has previously served as a special and expert adviser to DCMS, co-artistic director at Chichester Festival Theatre, executive director of Nottingham Playhouse, director of Scottish Opera, and general director of Manchester International Festival, as well as holding roles at Arts Council England and the Southbank Centre.

Internationally, she has held positions including director of Paris’s Théâtre du Châtelet, artistic director of the Holland Festival and artistic director of the Adelaide Festival in Australia.

She was the director of the London 2012 Festival and in 2020/21 worked on the ‘Let’s Do London’ domestic tourism campaign with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

MARK STEPHENS, director of cultural engagement at the British Council, said Mackenzie brought “extensive and impressive experience of both the arts and government sectors around the world”.

Mackenzie added, “The British Council’s mission for peace and prosperity is inspiring for creatives, artists and communities round the world, and I am honoured to be joining as the new director of arts to build on the important cultural soft power they achieve.”