John Bellars © RSC
Executive Director CATHERINE MALLYON will step down from the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in December after eleven years in post.
Alongside her role as Executive Director, Mallyon has been a board member at the RSC since 2012.
Formerly Deputy Chief Executive of Southbank Centre, she oversaw the reopening of Royal Festival Hall after refurbishment in 2007 and the renewal of Hayward Gallery in 2010.
During her earlier career, Mallyon was General Manager of Arts and Theatres at Reading Borough Council, and General Manager of Oxford Playhouse.
She is a trustee at the Birmingham Hippodrome and has held various positions on the Boards and Councils of Arts Council England. She has recently completed a term as Chair of the Centre for Cultural Value, and is a member of the advisory councils at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the Orchestra of the Swan.
Mallyon oversaw the transition to the new Co-Artistic Directors TAMARA HARVEY and DANIEL EVANS, who were appointed last September and took up their posts in June.
The pair commented: “We couldn’t be more grateful to Catherine for her support and guidance as we have stepped into our roles here at the RSC.
“Her expertise and knowledge of the company are second to none, and her care and insight have proved invaluable as we prepare to announce our first season. She will be much missed by everyone here, and we wish her every happiness and success for the future.”
Mallyon said leading the RSC has been an “enormous privilege”.
“It has only become possible for me to think beyond the RSC, about the many things I still hope to do professionally and personally, now that we have emerged from the challenges of recent years and arrived at such a positive place.
“With such a strong leadership team and a wonderful audience and artist-focused creative vision, this feels like the right time to pass on the baton, as the RSC moves into this next chapter – which I know will be a hugely exciting one.”
Details of the recruitment process for Mallyon’s successor will be announced in the coming weeks.