Summary
Jennifer Cleary takes up the new role at Manchester City Council with a remit to embed the arts in the city's growth strategy. She joins from Arts Council England where she directed combined arts and the North, leading initiatives including the Theatre Breakthrough Fund for Black, Asian and ethnically diverse theatre makers and the Inclusive Sport and Culture Festival with UK Sport.
Cleary previously held the post of Director of Creative Engagement at Manchester International Festival and has sat on the board of Marketing Manchester's Internationalisation and Marketing Advisory Board. She was also instrumental in early development of the Greater Manchester Cultural Skills Consortium and Factory Academy, both aimed at creating pathways into the cultural industries.
At Bolton-based Intercity, James Pearse arrives as Chief Technology Officer from high-profile roles at Atech Cloud, Open Systems and Microsoft, bringing over 20 years' experience. The cloud and cyber security firm has more than doubled revenues from £25m to £55m and is targeting £100m by 2030, serving clients across public sector, healthcare, manufacturing, property, retail and sport.
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Common questions
- What is this article about?
- Manchester City Council has appointed Jennifer Cleary as Director of Culture and Creative Industries, bringing 20 years of senior arts leadership from Arts Council England. Separately, Bolton-based cyber security firm Intercity has named James Pearse as Chief Technology Officer as it targets £100m revenues by 2030.
- When was this published?
- This article was published on 30 July 2026.
- Who published this article?
- This article was published by TheBusinessDesk.