It is officially announced today that Sian Alexander has been appointed the new Executive Director of the Lyric Hammersmith. She will officially take up the role from 5 October 2015.
She succeeds Jessica Hepburn who is leaving the Lyric after nearly a decade as Executive Director to focus on her writing career and who, as her last act for the Lyric is swimming the English Channel to raise money for the theatre’s work with disadvantaged children.
Sian Alexander has been a senior management consultant in the arts for the past five years during which time she has worked with the Nuffield in Southampton, Creative Industry Finance, Tricycle Theatre and the World Stages Consortium among others. From 2012 to 2014 she was Executive Director of the Bush Theatre and prior to that was Associate Director of Julie’s Bicycle from 2010 to 2013 and Head of Theatre in London at Arts Council England for 10 years until 2010. She is Chair of the Trustees for Frantic Assembly together with being on the Boards of Julie’s Bicycle and the Gate Theatre. Sian became a Clore Fellow in 2006.
Sean Holmes, Artistic Director said “I’m delighted Sian Alexander will soon join us as our new Executive Director. 2015 has been monumental for the Lyric with the reopening of the building following its £20 million capital development and the coming years will be a very exciting time. I look forward to working with Sian as we take the Lyric on into its next chapter.”
Sian Alexander said “The Lyric is my local theatre and I’ve been a huge fan of its work for years. It is an honour now to lead the theatre alongside Sean Holmes and to work together to realise the fantastic potential of the Lyric’s new spaces for artists, audiences and young people.”
Details on how to sponsor Jessica Hepburn’s swim across the English Channel can be found on the JustGiving page:www.justgiving.com/Jessica-Hepburn