Job Ladder – Hilary Carty

Director, Cultural Leadership Programme (2006-to date)

I dont work to a rigid 5-year plan, so I could never have predicted the career junctions on my journey from dancer and teacher to cultural leadership. This is a key arena for cultural transformation a creative interaction with the people and organisations that will fashion our futures, and an opportunity to profile and strengthen the diverse routes and pathways to leadership that underpin our sectors in the 21st Century. Irresistible!

Director, Culture & Education, London 2012 (2004-2006)

Working on Londons successful Olympic bid provided a chance to develop and promote the value and contribution of culture to the Olympic Movement, to the UK, to the cultural sector and to the public at large. It was a stimulating opportunity to re-ignite passion with inspiration and to dare to dream: a tough but exhilarating two-year journey, jostling with the cut and thrust of politics, sport, business and the pace and danger of a fast moving campaign. Thank heavens we won!

Director of Dance, Arts Council England (1994-2003) and Director, Performing Arts, ACE London (2003-2004)

With the role of Director of Dance at the Arts Council (and later to the wider Performing Arts), the emphasis was on policy and long-term planning, a move perhaps stimulated by sweating through my part-time MBA in Strategic Management. Policy development and strategic planning are critically powerful tools in the management of change. They are the tools of business and the business was creativity, so I worked to blend the two for maximum impact and influence. I had to hone my advocacy skills to the full, advocating for the artform, for the arts and for sustainability across creative practice.

General Manager, Adzido (1990-1994)

Working with Adzido to shift the company from community project to professional dance company proved a great challenge. My knowledge of the UK and international touring scene had to grow exponentially to find new avenues for the companys exhilarating performances and education work. At the heart of this work was the building and valuing of partnerships and relationships with promoters, with creative teams, with funders and, perhaps most importantly, with the diverse audiences who clamoured for a poster, a CD or even a signature as a memento of their experience.

Dance and Mime Officer, East Midlands Arts (1986-1990)

As Dance and Mime Officer I was involved in policy development on a regional scale a great time for big-picture thinking with the development of National Dance Agencies and the burgeoning independent dance sector pushing the boundaries and catalysing change across the UK arts portfolio.

Freelance Tutor/Community Arts Worker: Leicester and Birmingham (1984-1986)

My first role as a freelance tutor and community dance artist provided opportunities for working with a wide range of experienced and community groups. Through showcases, festivals, workshops and classes we proved time and time again the transformative power of the arts and I learnt to be adaptable, to work for a shared goal but to accept different perspectives.