Annabel joined Storyhouse as Chief Executive in October 2023, after 15 years as Chief Executive & Artistic Director of ARC in Stockton on Tees, one of the North East's largest arts venues. She is also Co-Director of Future Arts Centres, a national network of 140+ arts centres, committed to championing their artistic and social contribution to the cultural and civic life of UK towns and cities.As a freelance consultant, she has undertaken work around organisational development for a range of clients, including companies, venues and local authorities, as well as mentoring and facilitation at both executive and board level.During her time in the North East, she was Deputy Chair and Strategic Lead for Creative Place for the Tees Valley Combined Authority’s Business Board (LEP) and co-chaired the Creative Place Advisory Group. Other roles included serving as a North East Culture Partnership board member (2013-2021), where she helped develop the region’s Case for Culture strategy, and supporting Sunderland Culture as a board member from 2016-2022. In 2020-21 she led the independent Tees Valley Creative & Visitor Economy Task Force, established by the Tees Valley Mayor. She is passionate about supporting artists, and sees bringing venues together as a critical part of this. From 2012-2023, she established and chaired Venues North, a group of 45+ venues from across the greater North committed to helping artists get their work seen more widely. She has produced and toured work nationally by artists, writers and theatre-makers including Jonathan Coe, Daniel Bye, Patrick Gale, Jackie Kay and Luca Rutherford. Alongside her role at ARC, she spent a year as a part-time freelance Associate Producer at Dep Arts Ltd, working with artists including Bryony Kimmings, Third Angel and Greyscale.