Appointments to the Board of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland
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Communities Minister Gordon Lyons MLA has reappointed William Leathem as Vice-Chair, and Paul Brolly, Joe Dougan, Laura McCorry and Gearoid Trimble as Board Members to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Board from 1 February 2025 until 31 January 2029. He has also extended the period of appointment of the Chair, Liam Hannaway, from 1 February 2025 until a new chair is appointed. They have all served on the Board from 1 February 2021.
The Arts Council has a key role to play in developing and improving the knowledge, appreciation, and practice of the arts, and increasing public access to and participation in the arts. It is also responsible for the distribution of National Lottery grants. Its statutory functions are set out in The Arts Council (Northern Ireland) Order 1995. It is a Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Department for Communities.
Notes to editors:
- The Chair position is remunerated at £10,000 per annum and requires a time commitment of at least 40 days per annum.
- The Vice-Chair position is remunerated at £3,500 per annum and requires a time commitment of approximately 20 days per annum.
- Member positions require a time commitment of approximately 11 days per annum. These positions are unpaid. However, travel and subsistence allowances are payable in line with NI Civil Service rates.
- These reappointments have been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland’s (CPA NI) Code of Practice. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, CPA NI requires the political activity of appointees to be published. Any relevant details are provided in the below biographies.
- Biographical Details:
• Liam Hannaway (Chair) - Mr Hannaway is a former Chief Executive and Chief Accounting Office of a district council, with experience of establishing governance arrangements, committee structures, setting direction/strategy, through the establishment of corporate plans and managing budgets. He was responsible for the publication of the council community plan using leadership and negotiating skills, as well as stakeholder engagement to obtain agreement for the plan from public sector officials, politicians and community representatives. He has a long history of interest and involvement in the Arts: in a voluntary capacity as an actor and director with Lislea Dramatic Players and as a former Chair of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland for Ulster; in local government, he was instrumental in the development of the F.E. McWilliam Gallery and Sculpture Park. He is currently the Chair of the Amateur Orma Council of Ireland until October 2025. He does not hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the last five years.
• William Leathem (Vice-Chair) - Mr Leathem is a former elected member of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, where he served as Chair of both the Development Committee and Governance & Audit Committee. He is presently the Chair of USEL (Ulster Supported Employment Limited). This has a time commitment of 12 Board meetings per year with a remuneration of £296.25 per meeting. He is a former Board Member of the Ulster-Scots Agency, Libraries NI and Consumer Council NI. He is currently the Project Manager for Ballinderry War Memorial Hall. Mr Leathem has varied audit and governance experience, project management experience and financial management skills, which he will bring to this role. Mr Leathem has had political activity for the DUP within the last 5 years.
• Paul Brolly (Member) - Mr Brolly is a media professional with over 25 years experience working across high profile output within the areas of television and radio broadcasting, digital platforms, communications and marketing. He is currently Head of Creative for BBC Northern Ireland and a Board Member for the Belfast Marathon. He is a former Chair of the Golden Thread Gallery Belfast, and a former member of the Antrim and Newtownabbey Council Arts and Culture Advisory Panel. He does not hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the last five years.
• Joe Dougan (Member) - Mr Dougan’s background is primarily in the live music industry. He has been a key senior organiser of the Belsonic and Custom House Square outdoor music events in Belfast for over 12 years. He oversees venues such as The Limelight in Belfast and The Academy in Dublin, as well as internationally established electronic music brand Shine. He is responsible for an annual programme of live music and entertainment across Northern Ireland in a range of venues. He promotes events for Northern Irish musical acts and has prioritised developing new Northern Ireland musical talent. He also manages comedy and media talent, and produces live comedy events. These varied roles have given him an oversight of, and responsibility for, financial, audit and governance matters as well as procurement processing and budgeting. He does not hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the last five years.
• Laura McCorry (Member) - Mrs McCorry is Head of Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, where she leads an expert team in the conservation, development, and management of the historic visitor attraction, whilst also ensuring the castle fulfils its role as Northern Ireland's official royal residence and home for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Prior to this, Laura held a variety of strategic leadership roles locally and internationally, including Public Engagement Director at National Museums Northern Ireland as well as Director of Corporate Development and Director of Product Development at Tourism Northern Ireland. Laura also worked in the United States for several years as Business Development Director for the inward investment agency responsible for foreign direct investment in Northern Ireland, as well as for the North of England Inward Investment Agency. Laura is a member of the Tourism Partnership Board that advises and makes recommendations to the Department for the Economy (DfE) in support of the development and delivery of a Tourism Action Plan. Laura is also a Board Member of Tourism Ireland. She does not hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the last five years.
• Gearoid Trimble (Member) - Dr Trimble is a senior public servant and currently works with Foras na Gaeilge, the North-South implementation body for the promotion of the Irish language, a role in which he has extensive experience in grant administration, corporate governance and budgetary management. With over 25 years' experience working with the Community and Voluntary sectors, both as a practitioner and as a policy-maker, he has overseen the implementation of national policies and island-wide public funding schemes. He holds a PhD in Irish Literature, is a published author and also a Research Associate with Ulster University. He sits on the boards of the following organisations: Creggan Local History Society, Gaelscoil na bhFál, Intercomm, Ring of Gullion AONB Parternship Board & Pobal an Chaistil Tta. He does not hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the last five years. - Media enquiries via email to DFC Press Office.
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