Mon 04 Dec 2006

Festivals Edinburgh, the organisation created by Edinburgh's festivals to oversee mutual areas of interest and help maintain Edinburgh's reputation as the leading festival destination, has announced Faith Liddell as its inaugural director.

One of the most widely experienced and respected figures in the Scottish arts world, Faith Liddell has worked in a wide range of key strategic and creative roles across literature, theatre, music, film and visual arts for the last fifteen years. A former director of Dundee Contemporary Arts, she has worked with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh's Hogmanay, collaborated with the Edinburgh International Film Festival and was director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival for three years.

Now a leading arts consultant, her current roles include Executive Producer of award-winning theatre company Suspect Culture, working on the world's biggest short story prize and international cultural project development.
Click here to read the full press release.

There have also been three new appointments to the senior management team of the Edinburgh International Festival.

Rob Conner has been appointed Finance Director. Rob joined the Festival in 2002 as Financial Controller. He became ICAEW qualified in December 2000 (Blick Rothenberg, London) and has since worked as project/management accountant to the BBC, Deutsche Bank and Scottish Water.

Alison Riach has been appointed Planning and Operations Director. Alison’s career in the arts started in Scottish Opera where she was Company Manager before becoming Controller of Planning. She has worked in similar roles with English National Opera and Welsh National Opera. As Senior Director, Artists and Repertoire, of Sony Classical’s European office in London, she worked throughout Europe on recordings with Sony artists including Murray Perahia, John Williams, Joshua Bell, and Yo-Yo Ma.

Jackie Westbrook has been appointed Marketing and Communications Director. Jackie joined the Festival as Marketing Manager in 1997, having previously worked at the MacRobert Arts Centre, Stirling Council, the Glasgow Jazz Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe, Glasgow International Children's Festival and Mayfest.

These appointments complete the Festival’s senior management team.