Laura Drane appointed to lead A&B Cymru into its next chapter as the charity highlights the growing value of partnerships between business and the arts.
A&B Cymru, the charity connecting business and the arts across Wales, has appointed Laura Drane as its new Chief Executive, as it reveals that its work generates an estimated £1 million of private sector support for the arts in Wales each year.
Around half of that annual contribution is direct financial investment, with the remainder provided through business expertise, skills and in-kind support.
Laura takes over at a significant time for the sector, with arts organisations facing increasing financial pressures while businesses are looking for new ways to demonstrate social value, develop their people and connect meaningfully with customers and communities.
A&B Cymru currently works with more than 180 arts members and over 50 business members across Wales, from individual practitioners and sole traders to national arts institutions and multinational companies.
Its CultureStep investment programme alone has helped leverage almost £5 million of private sector investment into the arts since 2014, supporting almost 350 partnerships involving more than 250 businesses and reaching communities in every local authority area in Wales.
Laura brings more than 25 years’ experience as a facilitator, producer and consultant, having delivered more than 120 contracts across the UK and internationally. She spent three years in a senior role at Arts Council of Wales, where she had strategic input into its £29.6m revenue funding review and led sector review and development work. She has also worked with The Audience Agency on research informing proposals for a Culture Bill in Wales and co-founded What Next? Cardiff/Cymru, which brings the cultural sector together to engage with and influence public policy.
Speaking about her priorities, Laura Drane, incoming Chief Executive at Arts & Business Cymru said: “Welsh businesses are missing a huge opportunity if they see supporting the arts simply as philanthropy or sponsorship. The strongest partnerships deliver on both sides, bringing vital investment, skills and expertise into the arts while helping businesses develop their people, strengthen their profile, reach communities and connect with creativity and innovation.
“For businesses, this is also about investing in your people. Arts organisations need strong Board members with commercial skills, and those roles give employees valuable experience at Board level while making a real contribution to the sector.
“And to arts organisations that don’t know how to approach business, call us. A&B Cymru has three decades of experience in creating partnerships that work
“Rachel, the team and Board have built a fantastic foundation over the past 30 years. My job now is to build on that, respond to the changing cultural and economic landscape in Wales and bring more people together across business, the arts and, increasingly, heritage. I want A&B Cymru to help organisations develop the skills, partnerships and resilience they need for the future.”
Laura also plans to build A&B Cymru’s relatively new work with the heritage sector, using the charity’s networks to develop partnerships and share skills across business, arts and heritage organisations.
The value businesses derive from those partnerships is reflected in A&B Cymru’s long-standing membership relationships.
More than half of its business members have subscribed for five years or more, with almost a third maintaining their membership for at least a decade.
Graham Edwards, Chief Executive of Wales & West Utilities, said: “It’s fair to say that A&B Cymru has helped us to become an industry leader. Working with the charity has really challenged our thinking and the partnerships they’ve brokered have extended to all parts of our business. The innovative way they enabled us to engage colleagues has resulted in our most successful customer service training to date. I can’t recommend them highly enough.”
Laura succeeds Rachel Jones, who is stepping down at the end of November after 30 years with the organisation. During her tenure, A&B Cymru has developed a mixed-income model incorporating public and private funding, membership, sponsorship and earned income, while expanding its work with arts organisations and businesses throughout Wales.
Rachel Jones said: “It’s been an absolute honour and a joy to lead A&B Cymru for the last three decades. The charity is truly unique and I’ve been constantly inspired by the many creative and visionary people I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with – people who bring so much commitment and passion to all that they do.
“Over those 30 years, I’ve seen an increasing number of businesses recognise that working with the arts isn’t simply about giving something back. The best partnerships create genuine value on both sides, bringing much-needed investment, skills and expertise into the arts while helping businesses engage their people, reach communities and address their own objectives in creative ways.
“I’m enormously proud of what A&B Cymru has achieved and grateful for the trust placed in me by our Board, supporters and members. I’m genuinely excited for the organisation as it enters a new chapter under Laura’s leadership. At a time when both the arts and business communities face significant challenges, its work has never been more crucial.”
