Manchester City Council has appointed Jennifer Cleary as its new Director of Culture and Creative Industries.
Jen brings more than 20 years of experience as a senior leader in cultural strategy, investment and major events. She is currently Director, Combined Arts and North at Arts Council England, where she has led the development of partnerships, programmes and opportunities designed to increase ambition, participation and equality across the cultural sector.
Her work at Arts Council England has included helping to establish a new Inclusive Sport and Culture Festival in partnership with UK Sport. She has also supported the Theatre Breakthrough Fund, which invests in new and ambitious ideas developed by Black, Asian and ethnically diverse theatre-makers in the North.
Before joining Arts Council England, Jen served as Director of Creative Engagement at Manchester International Festival. In that role, she led award-winning programmes covering participatory commissioning and producing, education, community engagement, artist development, talent development and fundraising.
She also played an important role in the early development of the Greater Manchester Cultural Skills Consortium and Factory Academy, initiatives created to transform pathways into employment and careers within the cultural and creative industries.
Jen currently sits on Marketing Manchester’s Internationalisation and Marketing Advisory Board. She was previously a board member of Walk the Plank, the arts organisation involved in delivering the annual Manchester Day celebration.
Leading Manchester’s cultural ambitions
As Director of Culture and Creative Industries, Jen will provide strategic leadership for Manchester’s cultural and creative sectors. The role is responsible for ensuring that arts, culture and creativity contribute to the city’s economic growth, regeneration, community wellbeing and international reputation.
She will oversee the delivery of Manchester’s ten-year cultural strategy, Always, Everywhere: Manchester’s Cultural Ambition 2024–2034, while supporting the continued development of creative industries across music, film, media, design and the wider cultural economy.
Working with cultural organisations, communities and businesses, Jen will help secure investment, oversee major cultural programmes and events, and ensure that both internationally recognised institutions and grassroots neighbourhood projects contribute to a more inclusive, creative and prosperous Manchester.
Jen Cleary said: “The arts are in the very bones of Manchester. As a city, our reputation is on a global scale and what Manchester has always done right is placing culture and the creative industries at the heart of its growth strategy.
“This means supporting and championing the arts at every level – from their national and international impact on the city to understanding how impactful the arts can be within communities.
“I’m hugely passionate about the difference culture and creative industries make to people’s lives – from their economic impact to their role in happiness, health and wellbeing, to the way they bring joy, curiosity and new perspectives to the world we live in.
“I’m really looking forward to being part of this ongoing story for Manchester.”
Councillor Garry Bridges, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, welcomed the appointment.
He said: “Culture and the arts are at the core of what we want our city to be.
“Manchester has firmly established itself as a cultural hub in the UK – from the grassroots events and performances that happen every day to the bigger events we’ve hosted and have been able to create a legacy from.
“Culture is a big part of what makes our city tick. Not just its role in helping our economy grow faster than other UK cities, but also making Manchester a great place to grow up in and a place that people flock to.
“Jen has a great track record, and we look forward to working with her on the next stage of our cultural ambitions.”
Jen Cleary will begin her new role in October 2026.