Top arts role for Edge Hill chancellor

The chancellor of Edge Hill University has been named as the new chair of Arts Council England.

Dawn Airey, who has been the ceremonial head of the university since 2023, has more than 30 years of experience in the media industry including holding leadership roles at Sky, ITV and Channel 5.

Lisa Nandy, culture secretary, announced the appointment and added that Dawn ‘will take the helm at an incredibly important time, as this government seeks to unlock access to exceptional arts for everyone’. 

She added: “Dawn brings more than just a wide range of experience across broadcasting, theatre and the wider arts.

“She brings a passion for what the arts can do for this country and all the people in it. I have no doubt that she will insist on pressing ahead with long overdue action to put people back at the centre of their own national story.”

Dawn is currently the chair of the National Youth Theatre and the educational platform Digital Theatre+, she chairs the Barclays FA Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship board, and she is the Deputy Chair of the Board at Channel 4.

In the 2024 Birthday Honours, she was awarded a CBE for services to theatre and charity. She is a vice president and fellow of the Royal Television Society, and a fellow of the Royal Society for Arts.

Dawn, who is from Preston, said: “The importance of the Arts Council in championing art and culture has never been more needed because the sector has never been more vital.

“In a world where Al, technology and automation are increasingly dominant, human connection, experience, imagination and creativity are the things that bring us together.

“Like Edge Hill, Arts Council England champions excellence and experience for all and I’m excited to be part of it.”

Dawn will be returning to Edge Hill’s Ormskirk campus in July to lead the university’s week-long graduation celebrations, shaking the hands of around 4,000 students as they mark the completion of their studies.