Dave Moutrey OBE is to step down from the role of director and CEO at HOME, following 26 years leading Greater Manchester Arts Centre Ltd, trading first as Cornerhouse, and as HOME since 2015.
In the role, he conceived and led both the merger of Cornerhouse and Library Theatre Company and the £25m capital project to create HOME which has attracted almost 1million visits per year since it opened.
Under his leadership, HOME has established itself as a major contributor to the arts sector in Greater Manchester, nationally and internationally. With work spanning film, theatre and visual arts, alongside a significant programme of artist development and community engagement, Dave has worked with the team to lead and oversee the delivery of a wide range of artistic programmes and major artistic projects.
He has championed ambitious new initiatives and projects at HOME, including work currently underway on the HOME Arches, due to open in 2024. HOME Arches is a £3.5m project to create new space for artists, in order to nurture, attract and retain creative talent in Manchester.
Since 2018, Moutrey has been on a part time secondment with Manchester City Council as director of culture and creative industries. When he leaves HOME, he will move into this role full time, leading the implementation, embedding and delivery of the city’s new Cultural Strategy, currently being co-created with residents and the cultural sector, and due to be published in early 2024.
Moutrey said: “It will be incredibly hard to leave such a great team of people, and our amazing venue, however the timing feels right to move on. I am excited about the opportunity the new Cultural Strategy presents for Manchester, and as HOME begins to focus on plans for 2026 and beyond, I believe that the person who develops the strategy to take the organisation forward should be the person who is there to deliver it.
“I am enormously proud of the exciting and diverse programme at HOME, the focus we have on delivering for our audiences, and working with our communities. I am so grateful to the artists and partners I have had the pleasure of working with over the years – their creativity and passion has been inspirational.
‘Mostly I am proud of the team and the talent we have at HOME. I know they will continue to do incredible work and welcome audiences and artists with enthusiasm, warmth and humour.”
Kathryn Jacobs, chair of HOME’s board of trustees said: “The news about Dave Moutrey leaving HOME is a time for celebration and reflection. Celebration of all that he has achieved during his tenure at GMAC, Cornerhouse and HOME, as well as the prospect of having one of the leading figures in the arts – locally, nationally, and internationally – embedding culture, and the role and promotion of the creative arts, even more firmly into the heart of our city.”
“As a Board, it’s been an enormous pleasure to work alongside him and for us to plan the future of HOME. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude. The team at HOME – present and past – hold him in the highest regard, and the love and respect that he commands is a testament to his leadership, wisdom and the kindness he has always demonstrated. He leaves us with a fabulously talented team, focused on the future and the exciting new work that we have planned – which he will always be a part of, as the man who made HOME possible.”
Councillor Luthfur Rahman OBE, Deputy Leader for Manchester City Council, said: ‘Manchester already has a global reputation for the arts and culture with a raft of incredible world-class venues. Through our new ten-year plan, with Dave at the helm, we want to go even further to harness the power we know the arts have to change and improve lives.
‘Dave has been a huge figure in the cultural landscape of Manchester for many years and has been instrumental in our approach to culture in the city since 2018. There are few people who understand the symbiotic relationship between the city, our residents and the arts.’
Dave will officially step down at the end of March 2024. Plans for his succession will be released by the Board of Trustees in December.
