Changing Faces

Penny Hamilton will be the new Head of Public and Regional Marketing for the British Library. Currently Head of Marketing at the Natural History Museum and prior to that Marketing Manager at Tate Modern, she has also worked in the press office at the former Arts Council of England and at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester.

After three and a half years as its Managing Director, John Nicholls will be leaving London Calling Arts at the end of this month.

Wendy Middleton, formerly Head of Sales at Live Nation, has joined software development and data management company, Purple Seven, as Head of Sales and Marketing. Sarah Nicholson has joined the team as Account Manager and Melissa Winthorpe as Office Administrator.

Double bassist and record producer, Malcolm Creese, has been appointed as the Swaledale Festivals Artistic Director. He is also Chairman of the Romsey Arts Festival in Hampshire.

The board of Manchester Camerata has elected Geoffrey Shindler OBE as Chairman. He succeeds Joanna Hartley.

Acting General Manager of Blackpools Grand Theatre, Neil Thomson (pictured), has been appointed as Chief Executive/General Manager. He took over from Paul Iles earlier this year.

The sector skills council Creative & Cultural Skills, has appointed five new trustees to its board: Ric Green, Technical Director of Opera North; John Stalker, Chief Executive of Festival City Theatres Trust; Rosy Greenlees, Director of the Crafts Council; Andrew Wheatley, Director of Cabinet Gallery; and Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

The Course Director of City University Londons new MA in Creative Writing (Non-fiction) is Julie Wheelwright (pictured), an author and journalist who has also produced documentaries for TV and radio.

Roland Gulliver, previously with the Six Cities Design Festival in Glasgow, and Arts Manager for the British Council in Brussels, has joined the Edinburgh International Book Festival as Programme Manager.

The founder and Chairman of the Travelex Group, Lloyd Dorfman, is the new Chairman of The Roundhouse.

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra has appointed Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons (pictured) as Music Director from the start of the 2008/09 season. He succeeds Sakari Oramo, who will stand down at the end of this season following 10 years with the Orchestra.

Alice Mooney is the new Marketing Officer (Press and PR) for Hull Truck Theatre.

Clare Williams has been appointed as the new Theatre Director at Theatr Harlech (formerly Theatr Ardudwy).

Baz Chapman (pictured) has been appointed Programme Manager of Sing Up, the Music Manifesto National Singing Programme. Also joining the new team are Celi Barberia as Resource Officer, Kate Gibson as Team Assistant, Jo Hunter as Hearts & Minds Officer, Uchenna Ngwe as Musical Content Officer and Clare Whitmore as Principal Officer, Marketing.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra has announced that Mark-Anthony Turnage will continue as its Composer in Residence for a further three years. He was first named as the ensembles resident composer in 2005.

Do you think the appointment of a former DCMS Director as Chief Executive of Arts Council England will improve relationships between the arts and the government?