Honorary Fellow announced as new Chair of Creative UK
St John's Honorary Fellow Catherine Mallyon CBE will succeed Belinda Budge as Chair of Creative UK in March 2026. Creative UK is the national membership body for the Cultural and Creative Industries. The body exists to champion creativity in its widest form: representing world-leading organisations from sectors as diverse as advertising, animation, architecture, broadcasting, crafts, design, digital, education, fashion, games, heritage, museums, music, performing arts, photography, publishing, theatre, TV, visual art and more.
About Catherine:
Catherine is currently Chair of Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust and Executive Director, Transition, at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in Islington. She was formerly Executive Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company until 2023, and previously Deputy Chief Executive of Southbank Centre.
Her recent Board memberships include Arts Council England, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, West Midlands Combined Authority Cultural Leadership Board, and the Creative Industries Federation. Catherine has also served as Chair of the Advisory Boards of both the Bristol + Bath Creative Cluster and the Centre for Cultural Value, based at the University of Leeds.
Catherine is an Honorary Fellow of St John’s and holds an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Warwick. Catherine was awarded a CBE in the Queens Platinum Jubilee Birthday Honours list (2022), for services to theatre and the arts.
Catherine gave the St John's College Founder's Lecture in 2024, reflecting on executive leadership within the creative arts. Watch that lecture here:
" Creative UK demonstrates the extraordinary societal impact of our creative industries, whilst showcasing the UK as a global leader in creativity and innovation. I am looking forward to working alongside the inspiring team and Board to grow and enable the UK’s shared creative future, achieving this through celebration, connectivity, advocacy and the provision of resources and financial opportunities. It is an honour to succeed Belinda Budge as Chair and to play a part in delivering the full potential of the UK’s cultural and creative industries " Catherine Mallyon CBE