Birmingham Repertory Theatre has announced the appointment of Andy Street CBE as the new Chair of the Board.
Most recently Andy served as Mayor of the West Midlands from 2017 to 2024, helping to establish the West Midlands Combined Authority and oversee a huge influx of public and private investment into the region. Prior to that he was managing director of John Lewis, guiding the employee-owned business to one of the most successful spells in its history – culminating in the department store chain being named the most trusted brand in Britain.
In Birmingham, Andy served as Chair of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership from 2011 to 2016 – helping to establish Britain’s most successful enterprise zone in Birmingham city centre – and has also served as Vice-Chair of Performances Birmingham. He has always been a vocal advocate for arts and culture in the city, regularly citing its critical role as the lifeblood of Birmingham and the means by which the city’s story is told.
Andy will bring his wealth of experience in the public and private sectors to support the theatre at an exciting time, as shortly The Rep will be appointing a new Artistic Director to work alongside Chief Executive Rachael Thomas and the new Chair to propel the theatre into the next stage of its development.
Andy said of his appointment:
It is a huge honour to be asked to chair one of my home city’s great cultural institutions, and one that I am personally a huge believer in. Arts and culture are mission critical to the success and the story of Birmingham, and The Rep is right at the heart of that.
“But whilst the theatre has a strong reputation locally, I believe we could be doing much more nationally and perhaps indeed internationally. Working with Rachael, her team, and the rest of the board, I intend to help make The Rep the best regional theatre in Europe.
“With my next career move potentially taking me into a national position I was determined to keep strong ties to Birmingham, and I couldn’t have wished for a better way to do that than by chairing The Rep. I cannot wait to officially get started.”
Rachael Thomas, The Rep’s Chief Executive, added:
“We’re delighted that Andy Street is joining The Rep as the next Chair of the Board of Trustees. Andy’s passion for Birmingham and culture is well known: he lives in the city and as Mayor was a tireless advocate for the cultural sector, recognising the benefits a vibrant sector brings to the region.
“Over the years he’s also been a regular visitor to The Rep and knows our work well, seeing work across all three of our stages – from large scale theatre productions in The House to one man shows in The Door.
“Together with the whole team here, I look forward to working with Andy to ensure that The Rep continues to be recognised as one of the most dynamic and exciting producing theatres in the country.”
Andy Street formally takes up his role as Chair of the Board on Friday 1st November.
Photo credit, Kris Askey