Opera North announces new Chair

The Opera North Board of Trustees welcomes a new Chair following Paul Lee OBE’s decision to step down after 12 years in post. Taking on the role will be Merran McRae.

Merran has extensive experience in governance, strategic leadership and partnership across the public, charitable and cultural sectors. Previously Chief Executive of Wakefield Council, she is now Chair of Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and has held several non-executive roles in the cultural and charitable sectors, including currently as Deputy Chair at Yorkshire Sculpture Park and previously as Trustee and Chair of Nominations at The Hepworth Wakefield. A qualified Executive Coach supporting senior public sector leaders, Merran was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant in the West Yorkshire Lieutenancy in 2024.

On her appointment, Merran McRae says: “I am delighted to be appointed Chair of Opera North. I am passionate about the power of culture and creativity to enrich individual lives, strengthen communities and contribute to the identity and vitality of individual places, and Opera North embodies all this. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead the Board of an organisation with such a strong artistic reputation and with deep roots in the North combined with a wide reach across the UK and internationally.”

Laura Canning, General Director, Opera North, says: “I am thrilled to announce Merran’s appointment as Chair. Her impressive experience across a range of sectors will be an undoubted asset to the Board and to the company as a whole. This is a challenging time for creative organisations, but one in which Opera North’s artistic ambition is second to none and in which we continue to innovate, produce exciting work and introduce thousands of people every year to the highest quality live opera, music and performance.”