(Credit: Samantha Toolsie)

Opera North has announced the appointment of Henry Filloux-Bennett as Executive Director.

Filloux-Bennett is currently Executive Director and Deputy CEO of HOME in Manchester. He has also been the Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield and previously the Head of Marketing at The Lowry and Head of Marketing & Communications at Nottingham Playhouse.

He has also worked as an author and playwright and wrote “Nigel Slater’s Toast,” commissioned by the Lowry. In 2020 he wrote “What a Carve Up!” based on the novel by Jonathan Coe. He also adapted Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”

In a statement Richard Mantle, General Director, Opera North, said, “I am delighted that Henry Filloux-Bennett has been appointed as our new Executive Director, joining the Company in May 2023. He brings with him a wealth of experience through his theatre career and as a writer. This is a pivotal moment in the history of Opera North as we develop our strategic priorities and re-build our way out of the impact of the pandemic and the current cost of living crisis. Henry will be a key part of the leadership of Opera North into the future, bringing with him significant experience of business planning, budgetary and financial forecasting, programming, stakeholder management, commercial strategies and food and beverage hospitality.”