The Hallé board appoints first female chair

The Hallé Orchestra’s governing body, The Hallé Concerts Society has today announced that Debbie Francis OBE has been appointed to the role of chair of the Society’s board. With her appointment already in effect, Francis has succeeded David McKeith, who has held the role of chair since 2008.

Francis becomes only the fourth chair of the Hallé since 1997 when it moved from The Free Trade Hall to The Bridgewater Hall. The first female Chair in the Hallé’s 165-year history Francis will support the organisation in continuing to extend its reach across communities and audiences.

David Butcher, chief executive of the Hallé, said: ‘First, I must pay tribute to the extraordinary contribution of David McKeith over fourteen years where he has overseen many developments, not least the opening of the Oglesby Centre at Hallé St Peter’s, enabling our ensembles and outreach programmes to expand alongside our artistic and business growth and guiding the Society so astutely through the COVID pandemic. We now have a fantastic platform for future pioneering initiatives and we are fortunate to have found such a distinguished and progressive successor in Debbie Francis - the first female Chair in the Hallé’s long history - and I hugely look forward to working with her in the coming years.’

With degree from Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Manchester, Francis (pictured below) is a fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants and runs her own training and consultancy business. She will bring a broad range of management experience to her new role, with previous positions including northern cities executive for Arcadis UK, managing director of Direct Rail Services and London north-western route finance and commercial director with Network Rail.

Commenting on her new appointment Francis said: ‘This is a passion and not a job for me, so it is an absolute honour to be asked to chair the board. I know that I have big shoes to fill as David McKeith has been a force for good throughout his tenure, but I look forward to helping the Hallé maintain its reputation and standing as one of the finest orchestras in the world.’