Dave Moutrey

Dave Moutrey is a senior manager and leadership professional working in the arts in the United Kingdom. Since March 2024 he has been Director of Culture and Creative Industries for Manchester City Council, responsible for implementing the council's cultural strategy.

In July 2010 Moutrey was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Salford^[1] in recognition of his decades of work supporting young people’s entry into the arts and socially engaged arts practice. In June 2022 he was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Honours list for services to culture especially during Covid.^[2]

He is a BAFTA member, a Fellow of the RSA and a member of the Chartered Management Institute.^[3]

Career

Previously, he was Director and Chief Executive of HOME,^[4][5] the Manchester centre for international contemporary arts, theatre and film which opened in 2015 formed by the merger of Cornerhouse and the Library Theatre Company. At that time Dave was also Director of Culture for the City of Manchester, a role that he performed concurrently with his position as Director and CEO of HOME.

Moutrey was Chief Executive of Arts About Manchester from 1990-1998, before joining Cornerhouse as Chief Executive and Director; prior to these roles, Moutrey was the manager of the Abraham Moss Theatre.

In 2016 Moutrey joined the British Council Arts Advisory Group^[6] for 6 years and the Board of the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in 2017. In early 2022 he was appointed Chair of the Theatres Trust.^[7]

He is also a qualified drama teacher ^[8] and a strong advocate for the importance of the arts in education and wider society.^[9] He also stated in an interview that he'd like to take theatre pioneer and suffragette Annie Horniman for a pie and a pint.^[10] When asked why he does what he does, he stated that 'I do enjoy it, I believe it has a purpose [...] there is no better drug than seeing an audience of one or thousands have their lives changed in some very small way by an artwork that you have helped create the space for'.^[11]

References

1. "Honorary degree for city's culture boss | News portal | University of Salford, Manchester". news-archive.salford.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
2. "David MOUTREY | Order of the British Empire | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
3. "Management & Leadership". Retrieved 4 January 2017.
4. Groves, Nancy (2 October 2012). "Arts head: Dave Moutrey, director and chief executive, Home | Culture professionals network | Guardian Professional". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
5. . Manchester Confidential. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
6. "Six top names join British Council Arts Advisory Group | British Council". www.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
7. "Chair and Trustees appointed to the board of the Theatres Trust". GOV.UK. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
8. "HOME". 7 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
9. Moutrey, Dave (24 November 2014). "Dramatic difference: how arts teachers changed my life". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
10. "HOME". 7 January 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
11. Groves, Nancy (2 October 2012). "Arts head: Dave Moutrey, director and chief executive, Home". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 April 2017.