Appointments to the Board of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland

Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons MLA, has appointed Nora Douds as Chair to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Board from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2029. He has also appointed five new Members to the Board from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2029:

• Michael Cameron
• Dee Crooks
• Paul Grocott
• Margaret Henry
• Darren Milligan

The Arts Council has a key role to play in developing and improving the knowledge, appreciation, and practice of the arts, and increasing public access to and participation in the arts. It is also responsible for the distribution of Lottery grants. Its statutory functions are set out in The Arts Council (Northern Ireland) Order 1995. It is a Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Department for Communities.

Notes to editors: 

1. The Arts Council NI Chair receives remuneration of £12,336 per annum and requires a time commitment of approximately 40 days per annum. Travel and subsistence allowances are payable in line with NI Civil Service rates.

2. Arts Council NI Board Member positions require a time commitment of approximately 11 days per annum. These positions are unpaid. However, travel and subsistence allowances are payable in line with NI Civil Service rates.

3. These appointments have been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland's (CPA NI) Code of Practice. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, CPA NI requires the political activity of appointees to be published. Any relevant details are provided in the below biographies.

• Ms Nora Douds (Chair)

Nora is an experienced Non-Executive Director and the founder of Podd Consulting, with over 20 years of expertise in strategic planning, governance, and organisational development across the hospitality, tourism and cultural sectors. She has worked with a wide range of businesses and boards, supporting leadership teams to enhance performance, develop talent, navigate change, and achieve sustainable growth. She has held a number of senior leadership positions and, most recently served as Chairwoman of the Northern Ireland Museums Council, until September 2025. She has a particular focus on improving customer experience and the service-user journey across both public and private sector organisations.

Nora holds a BA (Hons) in Music from Queen's University Belfast and maintains a strong personal interest in the arts, playing violin in a quartet and singing in her community choir. She does not hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity

• Mr Michael Cameron

Michael is a playwright and producer having staged a number of theatre productions in venues across Northern Ireland and brings sectoral skills and knowledge to the Board. Until 2024 he was a Board Member of the Arts Advisory Panel for Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, through which he was involved with implementing a number of arts strategies and plans. He was formerly employed within the Northern Ireland Office where he had a range of responsibilities which primarily focused on areas of political dispute including paramilitarism and community development. He has had no political activity within the last five years and holds no other public appointments.

• Mr Dee Crooks

Dee is a Community Development Practitioner and Operational Manager at Newtownabbey Arts and Cultural Network (NACN), a grassroots youth arts and community development organisation. He holds a BSc in Community Development Practice and has extensive experience collaborating with government bodies, youth workers, and community stakeholders to address social disadvantage through the arts. Dee has led innovative, research-driven programmes that engage communities in areas of socio-economic deprivation, using the arts as a catalyst for inclusion, education, and wellbeing. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, he has implemented long-term strategies to future-proof NACN, integrating artistic development with education and employability pathways. Passionate about widening access, Dee is committed to ensuring that young people and communities who have had limited exposure to the arts are supported to experience its transformative benefits. He has had no political activity within the last five years and holds no other public appointments.

• Mr Paul Grocott

Paul is a senior civil servant within the Department for the Economy (DfE). His responsibilities have included leading policy makers and analysts on the impact of Brexit on the Northern Ireland economy and leading on the Department's emergency grant support schemes during the Covid-19 pandemic. In all roles he has worked collaboratively and in partnership with a range of stakeholders including Ministers, politicians, government officials, business leaders, academics and trade unions. He was also instrumental in the DfE's 10x Economic strategy to drive economic growth through innovation, inclusion and sustainability. He has had no political activity within the last five years and holds no other public appointments.

• Mrs Margaret Henry

Margaret is currently Head of Engagement for the National Lottery Heritage Fund in Northern Ireland. Before joining The Heritage Fund she was CEO of thrive, a cultural charity based in NI, leading the strategic planning and direction of the organisation. She co-founded the Arts Collaboration Network. Margaret has held a number of roles across the cultural sector and worked in the BBC where she was Head of Marketing for BBC Sport and Radio 5 Live at the time of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Margaret has served on a number of Boards including the Old Museum arts centre (now the MAC), Building Change Trust and Tinderbox Theatre Company. She is currently the Chair of the Funders Forum for NI. She has had no political activity within the last five years and holds no other public appointments.

• Mr Darren Milligan

Darren is a Programme Executive at the North-West Cultural Partnership, an organisation he helped form to create with the aim of delivering a range of cultural programmes for Derry-Londonderry. He has worked in a range of arts organisations to curate, develop and deliver successful sustainable and impactful programmes of work. As a musician, music tutor and arts professional, he has performed extensively across the UK and Ireland, engaging with a range of artists, funders, venues, festivals and community groups. He has had no political activity within the last five years and holds no other public appointments.