Darren is the Director of Business and Development at The Minories. He works at the intersection of creativity, community and sustainable growth. My route here has been a bit unconventional: I started out as a headteacher, then moved into a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project focused on organisational development and impact in the cultural sector.

Across these roles I’ve built experience in leadership, strategy, stakeholder management, fundraising, venue hire, marketing and impact evaluation – all of which now feed into supporting The Minories’ future. I’m particularly interested in how arts organisations can be welcoming, financially resilient and rooted in their local communities, while still taking creative risks.