Arts Council England appoints two new Executive Directors
11 Jun 2008 04:30 PM
Two leading figures from the worlds of art and finance will join Arts Council England’s senior management team in the autumn.
Andrew Nairne, currently Director of Modern Art Oxford, joins the Arts Council as Executive Director, Arts Strategy and Anupam Ganguli, currently Director of Finance for the Victoria and Albert Museum, will take up the position of Executive Director of Resources.
Andrew has been Director of Modern Art, one of the UK’s leading public galleries presenting art from around the world, since 2001. Prior to this, he played a key role in the development and opening of Dundee Contemporary Arts in March 1999, a £9 million arts venue of which he remained Director until 2001.
Andrew has curated exhibitions with artists of international stature for more than twenty years, was Director of Visual Arts at the Scottish Arts Council from 1993 to 1997 and served on the regional council of Arts Council England, South East from 2005 to 2008.
He is a passionate believer in the importance of working creatively with schools and communities to inspire and create the audiences of the future.
Andrew said: “I am delighted to be joining Arts Council England at a time of great opportunity for the arts in this country. The arts have the strong support of government on the one hand and new and increasingly diverse audiences on the other.
“I am looking forward to working with so many exceptional artists and arts organisations to help them fulfill their ambitions and see their art appreciated by more people than ever before.”
Anupam Ganguli is a chartered accountant and MBA, whose professional career spans Price Waterhouse Coopers, HSBC, the BBC and KPMG. Until recently he was deputy chair of the regional council of Arts Council England, London, and a council member since 2002.
He has undertaken voluntary work in the arts for a number of organisations including the Gate Theatre, the Florence Trust and Tamasha Theatre Company. He is currently a trustee of Almeida Theatre, Central School of Ballet, Chisenhale Gallery and a director of Dulwich Picture Gallery Enterprises Ltd.
Anupam is also a trustee of the Legacy Trust, a charity that will fund projects which will create an Olympics legacy. In 2001 he was awarded the Whitbread Employee Volunteer of the Year for voluntary work in the arts. Anupam also has a degree in Indian music.
Anupam said: “The Arts Council has played a pivotal part in England’s cultural and artistic success and I would like it also to be seen as a role model for best practice in resource areas, demonstrating excellence in all spheres of its own operations.
“My passion for and personal involvement with the arts have given me a deep understanding of the power of the arts to change lives. I look forward to working with Alan Davey and the senior team to help ensure that artistic excellence is experienced by diverse individuals and communities, thereby increasing the cultural richness of the UK."
Alan Davey, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said: “The appointment of two such exceptional and passionate people is great news not just for the Arts Council but for the sector as a whole.
“Both will play a leading role in shaping and delivering our vision of excellence and innovation for the arts in the exciting and challenging times ahead.”
Both appointees are expected to take up their positions in early September 2008.
For further information contact: Andrew Whyte, Executive Director, Advocacy and Communications, Arts Council England 020 7973 5129
or
Louise Wylie, Director Media Relations, Arts Council England 020 7973 5528 /
louise.wylie@artscouncil.org.uk Photographs: Jpeg images of Andrew and Anupam are available by emailing or calling Louise Wylie as above.
Notes for editors: Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people’s lives.
As the national development agency for the arts, we support a range of artistic activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital art, and carnival to crafts.
Great art inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves, and the world around us. In short, it makes life better.
Between 2008 and 2011, we will invest £1.3 billion of public money from government and a further £0.3 billion from the National Lottery to create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.