Mary Nagele Chief Executive
Mary Nagele is CEO of Arts & Business NI. Mary has been leading the strategic direction of Arts & Business NI for over 16 years alongside A&B NI’s dedicated Board of Directors. Mary and her passionate team work to bring A&B NI’s vision of a strong and thriving creative sector for Northern Ireland to life. Previously she was Head of Marketing & Development at the Ulster Orchestra, Lyric Theatre and the Grand Opera House in Belfast. She also worked in a trade marketing role in the private sector for Bass Brewers Belfast and spent some time marketing leisure services in Manchester.
Maeve McKervey Head of Business
Maeve leads on the relationship management of our business members, inspiring them to explore creative options in relation to attraction and retention of staff, EDI, social value, brand profiling and professional development. Maeve joined Arts & Business NI in November 2016, and has 25+ years business development experience. At the SHS Group, as Brand/Commercial Manager she created and built effective partnerships with a wide range of suppliers and customers, operating at all levels. Maeve also worked as Trading Manager at Musgrave NI and was responsible for sourcing and managing 700+ food to go products. In this role she was responsible for managing successful partnerships with 71 suppliers. Maeve volunteers with Marie Curie and Culture Night Belfast, and is a passionate supporter of the arts.
Brona WhittakerHead of Arts
Brona has been working in the cultural sector in Northern Ireland for almost twenty years and during that time has worked with cultural organisations across Belfast including the Lyric Theatre and Replay Theatre Company. Brona joined Arts & Business NI as Arts Manager in 2007. As Head of Arts Brona leads on the design and delivery of A&B NI’s programme of fundraising and governance support services for the cultural sector. Brona spends her spare time having fun with family, running and talking
Sarah Mackey Executive and Business Support
Sarah provides support on business development, business member services and executive support to the CEO and Board. Sarah also coordinates the A&B NI Investment programme, which supports partnerships between arts organisations and commercial businesses. Sarah joined Arts & Business NI in 2014. Sarah has extensive experience in business operations, account management and executive support having worked for 17 years for a bank and for 10 years in a commercial office supplies company where she was Operations Manager. She provides support on business development and business member services and executive support to the CEO.
Holly FoskettArts Programme Manager
Holly works with the Head of Arts on sector development, arts membership services and programme delivery. Holly provides support and advice to arts organisations, leads on Arts Member communications and delivers arts sector training and events. Holly's background is in visual arts, arts events, and management. She has studied at Ulster University where she obtained a BA Hons in Photography and has also achieved an Arts Management and Cultural Policy in Queens University. She has previously worked in the Black Box and started her career through the Creative and Cultural Skills programme. She has worked with the NI Science Festival, The MAC, NI Mental Health Arts Festival and volunteered with Belfast Exposed, Framewerk and the Unseen Photography Festival in Amsterdam.
Angela MahonMarketing & Communications Manager
Angela is the Marketing and Communications Manager at Arts & Business NI. She studied at the University of Ulster Belfast and graduated with a degree in Design for Visual Communications. Angela joined the Arts & Business NI team in June 2022 and has over 10 years’ experience working in both the charity and arts sectors, having previously worked at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and prior to that the MAC Belfast. Angela is responsible for delivering innovative marketing strategies which showcase the amazing collaborations between our members.
Sarah Jones Blueprint Programme Manager
Sarah joined Arts and Business NI in January 2022 as the Blueprint Programme Manager. Previously working for Creative & Cultural Skills as Head of Partnerships NI, over the last number of years she has been responsible for the development and delivery of skills and employment programmes within the creative industries. Working on programmes in both NI and across the UK she has experience of working with a diverse range of funders and partners with an interest in the sustainability of the sector. Sarah manages the delivery of the Blueprint, our game-changing programme supporting organisations to improve their financial resilience over the next four years.
Amira McDonaghArts Administration Support
Amira works closely with the Arts team to provide operational support on our projects, events and programmes, including our pioneering long-term financial resilience programme Blueprint. Amira’s background is primarily in arts events and she has previously worked at The MAC, Down Arts Centre and ICC Belfast as well as across Australia on Adelaide Fringe Festival, Melbourne Comedy Festival, Rain Room by Random International and as part of the Visitor Services team at the Australian Centre for Moving Image She is also a visual artist, regularly exhibiting her work locally and further afield.
Our Funders & Partners
Arts & Business NI is generously supported by The Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
