Glasgow’s multi-arts venue, The Arches, has appointed Jackie Wylie as its new Artistic Director. She is currently Arts Programmer for the venue, having joined in 2004.
John Ashford (pictured), Theatre Director at The Place since 1986, will step down in July next year to concentrate on a new role as leader of the European dance network Aerowaves.
In Northern Ireland, following Peter Robinson’s ministerial reshuffle in the wake of his appointment as First Minister, Gregory Campbell, MLA has replaced Edwin Poots, MLA as Minister for the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.
The UK president of Live Nation, Paul Latham, has been named Chairman of the new National Skills Academy, the £15m scheme to boost backstage and technical training. Ric Green, Technical Director of Opera North, will be Deputy Chairman.
The Royal Ballet School has appointed Jim Fletcher (pictured) in the new post of Development Manager. He has previously worked in public affairs roles at Scottish Ballet and English National Ballet, and as Company Manager for The Royal New Zealand Ballet.
Lotte Juul Petersen is joining Wysing Arts from Copenhagen as Artists & Programmes Curator, and Annie Bacon, former Marketing Manager for Artes Mundi Wales International Visual Art Prize, becomes Development Manager.
Blackpool’s Grand Theatre has appointed an Education and Access Officer, Ian Lamond. He has previously held arts roles as Arts and Events Officer for Wyre Borough Council, Blackpool Festival Officer and Barnet Community Arts Officer.
Alun Ffred Jones has been appointed as Heritage Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government following the resignation of Rhodri Glyn Thomas. He is an Assembly Member for the Arfon constituency and has been Plaid Cymru lead spokesperson on finance since last year.
Ruth Baldwin (pictured) has been appointed as Arts Initiative Manager for NCH, the children’s charity, in a role that will support the personal development of young people through engaging with the arts.
Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Contact for nine years, John E McGrath, will be leaving his post in January 2009 to take up a new role as Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Wales.
Godfrey Worsdale (pictured) will be the new Director of BALTIC. Founding Director of mima, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, and prior to that Director of Southampton City Art Gallery, he has over 15 years of experience in gallery management and programming.
Central School of Ballet has appointed Ralph Bernard as the new Chairman of its Board of Governors. Also Chairman of Classic FM and former Chief Executive of GCap Media, the UK’s largest commercial radio group, he succeeds Lady Sieff, who will become the School’s President.
Sara St George (pictured) is the new Marketing and Development Manager and Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts. She joins from the Arts Institute, Bournemouth, where she was a Senior Lecturer, and is currently Chair of Activate, the dance and theatre development agency for Dorset.
Kat Hodgkinson has joined Youth Music Theatre: UK in the role of Young Person’s Officer. She will co-ordinate the national auditions programme and support the integration of new company members.
Sean Aita, who has spent five years as Artistic Director with the touring theatre company Forest Forge, is joining the Arts Institute at Bournemouth as Senior Lecturer on the BA (Hons) Acting course.