HOME Director to depart

Manchester's HOME has announced Director and Chief Executive DAVE MOUTREY is stepping down after 26 years at the helm.

Moutrey will leave in March 2024 to assume a full-time position at Manchester City Council as Director of Culture and Creative Industries, where he has been on part-time secondment since 2018. 

During his tenure, Moutrey led the merger of Cornerhouse and Library Theatre Company, overseeing a £25m capital project to create HOME, which opened in 2015.

He led various initiatives, including an artist development and community engagement programme, alongside the ongoing £3.5m HOME Arches project, set to open next year to provide a new space for artists.

Moutrey is Chair of Theatres Trust and a trustee at Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. 

"It will be incredibly hard to leave such a great team of people and our amazing venue, however, the timing feels right to move on," Moutrey commented.

"I am excited about the opportunity the new Cultural Strategy presents for Manchester, and as HOME begins to focus on plans for 2026 and beyond, I believe that the person who develops the strategy to take the organisation forward should be the person who is there to deliver it."

Chair of HOME KATHRYN JACOBS added: "The team at HOME – present and past – hold him in the highest regard, and the love and respect that he commands is a testament to his leadership, wisdom and the kindness he has always demonstrated.

"He is in our DNA, and we celebrate our bond with him and wish him every success in his new role."

The Board will release plans for his succession in December.