Geoff Sweeney is to chair the board of trustees of Derby-based regional dance house Déda.
Sweeney, who lives in Derby, is development director in charge of fundraising at Birmingham Royal Ballet. He was previously development director of the former Derby Playhouse.
He takes over as chair of Déda from Michaela Butter MBE, director of Embrace Arts in Leicester.
He said, “I’ve been involved with Déda for many years both professionally during my time at Derby Playhouse and as a customer, with my two children attending ballet and contemporary dance classes at the venue.
“I’ve had the opportunity to see the organisation at work on different levels and have always been very impressed with the positive impact that it makes to the local community and with its artistic quality.
“Déda makes a vital contribution both to the cultural well-being of the city and county and to communities through its inclusive work with children and adults.
“I’m delighted to be joining at this exciting time and to be working with the strong leadership team to take the organisation to the next level.”
Déda director Stephen Munn added, “these are exciting times for Déda. Phase one of a £500,000 expansion project was successfully completed in September 2014, creating new facilities to generate new business.
“We’ve broadened our dance-focussed remit to include physical theatre and circus to develop our customer base. A partnership with the University Of Derby has led to the creation of a BA (Hons) dance degree which will generate additional income in a climate of ever-reducing public funds.
“We’re confident the vision and experience that Geoff has in the industry will greatly enhance our work as a regional leader in dance-focused arts.”