Chair / Co-Chairs

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We're seeking a dynamic, relational Chair or Co-Chairs to lead the Board of Chapter, a radical international cultural hub and civic space at the heart of Cardiff.

• Location:Cardiff
• Salary:Reasonable expenses paid
• Closing date:9 a.m. Friday 24th July

Chapter is an international arts centre and civic hub in Cardiff, dedicated to experimentation and radical thought for the last 55 years.

We’re currently seeking an experienced and visionary leader to succeed our outgoing Chair and guide the Board of Trustees through a period of transformational change.

This is a pivotal moment to join an organisation that welcomes approximately half a million visitors annually and commissions thought-provoking multidisciplinary art that challenges the status quo.

The successful candidate will be an inspiring leader capable of convening diverse voices to navigate the complexities of the current arts funding landscape.

They’ll provide strategic oversight, support for our Co-Directors and high-level advocacy to ensure long-term sustainability. We’re looking for an individual deeply passionate about the power of art to build community cohesion and who believes that social justice should be central to all organisational practice.

Whether you have an established background in the creative, public, or charity sectors, your ability to leverage personal networks for the collective benefit of the organisation will be essential.

Help us reimagine our future and foster a safe, convivial space for everyone to dream and practice new futures together.

Founded by artists and writers over five decades ago, Chapter remains a vital catalyst for creativity and critical thinking in Wales. We’re a multidisciplinary cultural centre featuring a contemporary gallery, two cinemas, two theatres, a café bar, over 50 artists’ studios, community spaces and a vibrant garden.

Our building is a bustling civic hub, alive from early morning until late at night with people visiting free exhibitions, attending workshops, watching a film or performance, or simply connecting over a cup of tea.

Our ethos is rooted in prioritising social and cultural equity through a collaborative approach. We advocate for artists and communities as ‘world builders’, ensuring our programme is informed by the ‘needs of now’.

Over the last three years, we’ve intentionally re-centred our local community at the heart of our venue, ensuring it remains a safe and inclusive space for marginalised perspectives. By fostering dialogue through shared histories and imagined futures, we continue to be an essential international centre that remains deeply embedded in the unique cultural fabric of Cardiff and Wales.

We’re proud to be the lead organisation for Film Hub Wales and a Real Living Wage Employer, managing a group turnover of approximately £3.5 million.

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The Chair/Co-Chairs will provide critical non-executive leadership, ensuring that strategic decisions align with our core values of equity, radical thought and experimentation.

• Convene and lead five annual board meetingsand the AGM, fostering an equitable environment where all trustee voices are heard.
• Line manage and mentor the Co-Directors, conducting appraisals and maintaining a strong interface between the executive team and the board.
• Act as a high-profile public advocate, using your influence and networks to raise our reputation locally, nationally, and internationally.
• Assume overall responsibility for financial performanceand sustainability, representing the organisation in high-level communications with major funders like the Arts Council of Wales and the BFI.
• Champion our commitmentsto anti-racism, environmental responsibility and social justice.
• Oversee effective governanceand succession planning to ensure a diverse, high-quality board.
• Support ambitious fundraising effortsto navigate the current economic landscape.

This role is an opportunity to steer and support a prestigious organisation during a time of both challenge and immense creative potential.

We’re seeking an experienced leader who embodies personal integrity and a brave approach to social justice.

The ideal candidate will possess:

• Demonstrable strategic leadership experience, ideally gained as a CEO or senior leader within the charity, arts, or public sectors.
• A collegiate and collaborative leadership style, with the interpersonal skills to hold both trustees and the executive team to account.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, alongside a sophisticated understanding of charity governance and legal duties.
• A robust network of contacts that can be leveraged to introduce new supporters and partners to Chapter.
• A deep-seated passion for the arts and a belief in the transformative power of community cohesion.
• Facilitation skills that promote psychological safety and encourage diverse perspectives in decision-making.
• Experience in managing risk and liability, with a solution-focused mindset that balances macro strategic goals with micro-operational realities.
• The ability to act with authority and credibility as an international ambassador.

Applications are particularly welcome from those who are D/deaf, disabled, neurodiverse, LGBTQIA+, or from Global Majority backgrounds, as we strive to ensure our board is more representative of the vibrant communities we serve.

The time commitment for the Chair or Co-Chair position involves several regular meetings, annual strategic sessions, and ongoing engagement with the organisation’s work.

• Board meetings:lead five board meetings per year, as well as any extraordinary meetings and the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
• Sub-committee participation:attendance is required at Finance and Risk Sub-Committee meetings, which take place five times a year.
• Strategic oversight:an annual board away day to review and discuss strategic aims and objectives.
• Executive support:monthly meetings with the Co-Directors and lead their annual appraisal meetings.
• General engagement:the role encourages attendance at events, opening nights and other engagements to stay connected with the breadth of our work.
• Training:attendance at any identified training as required.

While the role is voluntary and unpaid, travel expenses and reasonable childcare requests are reimbursed. Any access to work requirements or reasonable adjustments for meetings will be supported where practicable.

The overall time commitment for this role will be approximately 1.5 – 2 days per month.

To view the role description and person specification, please go to the ‘How to Apply’ tab above, fill in your details and download the candidate pack.

For further information or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:

David Hingley | david@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07534 244249

Ella Garfinkel | ella@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07432 859534

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your interest in the role of Chair of our Board of Trustees.

You might have already visited Chapter, but just in case you haven’t, we hope you’ll find us a dynamic and vibrant place.

Each year we welcome about half a million visitors through our doors and offer thousands of activities, events and exhibitions. Our building is alive with people from morning to night – whether they’re visiting a free exhibition, attending a workshop, catching a matinee, working in their studio or simply keeping warm over a cup of tea, we aim to offer a safe and convivial space for everyone.

Our gallery showcases extraordinary, relevant and thought-provoking art; our theatres are a platform for playful and experimental live practices and our cinemas offer independent Welsh and world films alongside a range of unique festivals and events.

Through Film Hub Wales, we support communities to screen films across the nation and amplify the work of Welsh talent. We also nurture young people’s creative pathways through a range of ambitious programmes. All our work is underpinned by an inclusive and multi-dimensional programme of engagement shaped by, with and for our communities.

You’ll be joining an organisation that’s welcomed many recent accolades and developments which we’re really proud of. We’ve just embarked on a UK-wide programme with National Youth Theatre to develop creative pathways for disabled young people in Wales; we’re celebrating three-year funding from the BFI Audiences Fund; and in 2025, we were shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year – the world’s biggest museum prize.

The ambitious programme and warm welcome you receive as a visitor sometimes sit at odds with what’s a really difficult time for the arts. We, like many other creative organisations, have had to absorb significant cuts to funding, rising costs and a changing economic landscape for visitors which means that attracting sustainable levels of income is increasingly difficult.

In Wales, as we welcome our new government and First Minister, we’re emboldened by Plaid Cymru’s commitment to culture and their recognition of the role it plays in health, well-being and community cohesion.

As Chair or Co-Chairs, you’ll have the responsibility of convening people around this particular moment as we reimagine our future and explore big decisions in relation to sustainability and resilience. It’s a time to embrace radical ideas, brave leadership and transformational opportunity.

Over the last 55 years, people have been at the centre of our work. They’re precious, vital and vibrant. Together we shape a truly unique venue and a place that nurtures and celebrates creativity, curiosity and community.

We hope the information in our pack inspires you to get involved and we look forward to hearing from you.

Warm wishes,

Ewan Hilton
Interim Co-Chair

Hannah Firth and Sharon Stone
Co-Directors

Chapter is a vital catalyst for the cultural life of Wales and a respected international centre for world-class contemporary art. Established in 1971 to celebrate experimentation and radical thought, we’ve spent over five decades expanding worldviews and challenging the status quo. Our venue comprises a contemporary gallery, 50+ artists’ studios, two theatres, two cinemas, rehearsal and community hire spaces and a popular café bar.

We’re in a period of exciting transformation. Over the last three years, we’ve fundamentally shifted our priorities to ensure that our community is the starting point for every decision we make.

We’ve just embarked on a UK-wide programme with National Youth Theatre to develop creative pathways for disabled young people in Wales; we’re celebrating three-year funding from the BFI Audiences Fund; and in 2025, we were shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year – the world’s biggest museum prize.

Despite these successes, we’re facing real challenges. We operate as a non-profit charity and limited company with a turnover of approximately £3.5 million, supported by a dedicated team of 80 staff. Our income is a complex mix of ticket sales, café trading, studio rentals and grants from the Arts Council of Wales, the Welsh Government, BFI, plus a variety of trusts and foundations.

The current economic landscape, marked by rising costs and funding cuts, requires us to think differently about resilience.

Our future plans revolve around reimagining sustainability. We’re looking to explore radical ideas and brave leadership models that will allow us to maintain our role as a ‘world builder’ for artists and communities alike.

We believe that art has the power to support health and well-being and contribute to a more curious, cohesive society.

Joining us now means being at the forefront of this vital conversation, helping to secure a creative legacy for Cardiff that is both sustainable and profoundly inclusive.

We’re an Equal Opportunity and Fair Treatment Organisation and recognise that we have an important role to play in Wales as a vibrant and diverse community. We celebrate diversity and strive to ensure fairness and equity in everything we do.

We want to be proactive instead of reactive, to enable us to create a more just, equitable and inclusive organisation. We’re ambitious for EEDI to be more fully embedded and active across the organisation and at all levels, incorporating organisational practices and working cultures as well as policy compliance.

We want to encourage full contribution from our diverse community and to further ensure that no-one (staff, trustees, visitors, artists, partners, volunteers, consultants) receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of race, age, ethnic or national origin, sex, pregnancy and maternity, marital status, gender reassignment, disability, religion or beliefs, sexual orientation or any other unjustifiable grounds.

We recognise and value the cultural diversity that exists in society but also acknowledge that there are many forms of discrimination. We’re committed to taking positive steps to remove barriers to participation and access, so that everyone in the community can participate, shape and enjoy our programme and activities.

We understand that different members of the community have different access needs and so we’ve made some modifications to the way we work.

We offer the following amenities:

• Step free access to the building, all key meeting rooms and bathrooms
• Accessibility dogs are welcome
• Interviews can be held in meeting rooms that support hearing loops
• Interviews can be held online
• Interview questions can be provided in advance
• Papers and materials can be presented in different formats
• A sign language interpreter can be accessed for interview
• Working patterns and locations can be adjusted

Details of how to visit Chapter can be found here. This includes audio description files, captioned video and text and travelling to and from the venue.

On entering the Chapter website, you’ll find a BSL welcome video which is also captioned in Welsh and English. This describes how visitors can locate themselves.

Some of our reception/front of house and café teams are trained in basic BSL.

We can provide the following for candidates:

• A quiet space before or after interview
• Comfortable seating and/or lighting
• Step free access
• Hearing loop
• BSL interpreter
• Note taker
• Questions in advance
• Descriptions of the interview panel
• Communications provided in a format that suits the candidate, including Welsh, BSL and Easy Read
• If accommodation is needed, we can support any access requirements and use hotels that have, eg step free access, vibrating pillows, etc.
• Reimbursement of travel costs for interview

We have an access rider which can be shared with candidates ahead of interview to outline any requirements or adjustments you need.

For board meetings:

• We reimburse travel and/or accommodation costs for board meetings.
• We can cover childcare or caring costs for attendance at board meetings by negotiation.
• We can be flexible about meeting times by arrangement.
• We offer hybrid meetings although in-person or all-online is preferred.
• Comfortable seating and/or lighting
• Step free access
• Hearing loop
• Communications in Welsh, BSL, large print and Easy Read
• BSL interpreter
• Note taker

To arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:

David Hingley | david@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07534 244249

Ella Garfinkel | ella@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07432 859534

Thank you for your interest in this role. Please download the Role Description and Person Specification.

To formally apply, please submit a CV and supporting statement (ideally maximum 2 sides of A4 each) that clearly outlines your suitability for the role against the criteria provided in the person specification, including your interest and motivation in applying for this position.

Alternatively, we’re happy to receive applications in the following formats:

1. A videoof no more than 5 minutes.
2. An audio fileof no more than 5 minutes.

Applications are welcomed in BSL, English, or Welsh. Please send your application using WeTransfer or a similar platform.

Please include your home address, contact email and mobile.

Please ensure that your application is emailed to response@peridotpartners.co.uk, inserting “Application: Chapter — Chair” into the subject field. You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 2-3 days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please contact our admin team.

For further information or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:

David Hingley | david@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07534 244249

Ella Garfinkel | ella@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07432 859534

As a sector-leading executive search consultancy, we know the importance of creating recruitment processes that are fair, inclusive and free from bias. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a process that values differences.

If you require any job information in an alternative format (e.g. large print), please contact the lead consultant. Please also let us know if you would like to submit your application in an alternative format.

Applicants with disabilities are welcome to contact us in confidence at any stage of the recruitment process to discuss any reasonable adjustments or support that may be required to ensure fair and equal participation.

Recruitment selection processes are based on evidence of competence stated in the person specification and in relation to our values.

Closing date: 9 a.m. Friday 24th July 2026
Candidates informed of outcome: Thursday 30th July 2026
Interviews (in person): Thursday 6th August 2026

Peridot and Chapter are committed to promoting equality and diversity. To help us raise awareness and support a culture that is diverse and recognises and develops the potential of all, we need to appreciate the profile of candidates who apply for positions. We will send you an equality monitoring survey at the point of receiving your application and at the time of placement. This ensures that our processes remain inclusive and equitable throughout and provides us with important data to help us showcase our impact.

The information will be treated confidentially and anonymously and will help us to support our commitment to fair recruitment practice. All information provided will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be shared with anyone, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 launched on 25 May 2018.

The information provided does not form part of the decision-making process and will not affect your application. Learn more about why we collect this data here.

By completing the form to view, or if you have access to this page from an email invitation, Peridot Partners will have processed your personal information. For more information about Peridot Partners’ data processing activities and your rights, please read our Privacy Policy.