We are pleased to share that Nick Parr will be joining The Abbey Centre as our new Chief Executive Officer.
Nick brings extensive leadership experience across the cultural, charitable and commercial sectors. Most recently, he has been Venue Director for Trafalgar Entertainment, overseeing major venues including the Cliffs Pavilion and Palace Theatre in Southend-on-Sea. In this role he has led large teams, delivered over 1,000 events annually for hundreds of thousands of visitors, and overseen complex capital and refurbishment projects.
Earlier in his career, Nick served as CEO of Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre and held senior leadership roles at ATG Entertainment and Capital Theatres Edinburgh, where he helped strengthen organisations, support governance and deliver sustainable growth. Across these roles he has built a strong reputation for combining commercial expertise with a commitment to community engagement and partnership working.
Nick joins The Abbey Centre at an important time for the organisation. His experience in organisational leadership, income generation, partnership development and community programming will support us as we continue to build on our work as a vital hub for local residents and partners across south Westminster.
Nick has shared the following message:
“It is an honour to have been invited by Dom and the Board of Trustees to lead The Abbey Centre. From my first visit, I was hugely impressed by the range of activities and the commitment of the staff and volunteers working in the Centre. I am looking forward to joining the team in May and meeting colleagues and stakeholders across Westminster.”
Nick will begin meeting colleagues, partners and stakeholders once in post in May, and we’re excited to give him a warm Abbey Centre welcome when he arrives.
The Board has also elected a new Chair, Dom Gilchrist, who has been a trustee since 2019 and is a civil servant in central government.
Dom shared this message:
“I’m proud to continue supporting the Abbey Centre’s work in my new role as Chair. I look forward to welcoming Nick and working with the rest of the Board to support the Centre and its team.”
We are very grateful to our outgoing Chair, Jonathan Buckingham, for his leadership over the last three years.
We also want to thank our departing CEO Mark Linehan for heading our charity not once (in 2008 – 2010) but twice, as he came back for another round in 2017.
Mark and Jonathan’s level-headed leadership has seen our charity through some of the most turbulent times in its 77-year history, during the lockdowns and cost-of-living crises. Despite these challenges, they have helped us to seize new opportunities, deepen our impact and support more residents of south Westminster than ever before.
We look forward to this next chapter and to working together to continue strengthening the Abbey Centre’s impact.
