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Melanie Pocock, Linzi Stauvers, Ian Hyde.

Photo: Ayesha Jones.

Changing Faces

Ikon unveils collaborative leadership structure

Arts Professional
2 min read

Birmingham-based contemporary art gallery Ikon has revealed a new leadership team format with permanent appointments for IAN HYDE as Chief Executive Officer, MELANIE POCOCK as Artistic Director (Exhibitions), and LINZI STAUVERS as Artistic Director (Education). 

Hyde joined Ikon in 2016 as Deputy Director, later becoming Chief Operating Officer. He is also Company Secretary and facilitates the charity’s Board of Trustees. 

Before his roles at Ikon, Hyde was an elected councillor for Manchester City Council and worked in a freelance capacity across organisations, including SHOUT Festival for Queer Arts and Culture, Boardmasters and Manchester Pride.

Pocock has been at Ikon since 2020, joining from the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore, where she was Assistant Curator. Previously, she held curatorial positions at Modern Art Oxford and Art Scene China. 

A member of the International Association of Art Critics (Singapore), Curatorial Committee of the Association for Art History (UK), and a contributing editor at ArtAsiaPacific, Pocock has also been published in exhibition catalogues and journals. 

Stauvers joined Ikon in 2017 and has worked in education departments at the National Portrait Gallery, Milton Keynes Gallery and The Hepworth Wakefield. From 2011-16, she was a Producer at Pavilion, Leeds.

In a statement the trio said: "Through this new collaborative structure, covering commercial enterprise, exhibition curation and education practice, we are excited to oversee the future development of Ikon in showcasing the visual arts regionally and internationally. 

HELEN HIGSON, Chair of the Ikon Board of Trustees, said: "We have been on a thorough and considered journey to reach this point, taking time to consult with sector colleagues, supporters, and artists and working with a specialist recruitment agency to reach the best possible outcome.

"Ian Hyde, Melanie Pocock and Linzi Stauvers bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, both local and international, and the 
new style of leadership we were looking for.”