The Exhibitions Group is delighted to announce the appointment of Ben Pearce as its new Executive Director. Ben will join the team in August 2026, taking up the organisation’s first salaried Executive Director role as it moves into its next phase of growth.
The appointment follows a successful first three years of Arts Council England funding, during which The Exhibitions Group built a new brand identity, raised its profile across the museum and gallery sector, and grew its programme of activity. Ben will lead The Exhibitions Group’s continued development, strengthening its diversified income model, growing membership, and raising the organisation’s national and international profile.
Ben is an experienced arts and heritage charity leader. He was most recently Interim Executive Director of Outside In, the Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation providing a platform, training and national touring exhibitions for creators traditionally excluded from the mainstream visual arts world. Over the past three years he has also worked with a range of cultural, heritage and nature charities across the UK on development and major projects, including Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne and Charleston, Lewes. He is a Strategic Applicant Consultant for national funder The Fore, and an Associate Consultant for Amplify. Ben is also a Trustee and the Deputy Chair of GEM.
Ben was previously Director of West Horsley Place, and of national creative health organisation, Paintings in Hospitals (now merged with the charity CW+). Prior to this he was Project Director at the Royal Academy of Arts for the first phase of its 250th anniversary redevelopment.
Ben Pearce, incoming Executive Director, said:
“I’m really excited and honoured to be joining The Exhibitions Group at such an important moment for the visual arts sector. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to build on the fantastic work of Reyahn, the team and Board, and I’m looking forward to working, together with our partners and funders, to grow The Exhibitions Group’s reach and impact, and help shape a sustainable, vibrant future for exhibitions.”
Miranda Stacey, Co-Chair of The Exhibitions Group, said:
“We are thrilled to welcome Ben as The Exhibitions Group’s first salaried Executive Director. His track record of building sustainable organisational growth and his deep commitment to inclusion and access across the cultural sector make him exactly the right person to lead us into this next chapter. On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Reyahn for her outstanding leadership, and I look forward to working closely with Ben as we grow The Exhibitions Group’s impact and support for our members and the wider exhibitions sector.”
Photo credit – Ellie Grace Photography
