Our Team, Your HOME

Chair of the Board and CEO of Pearl & Dean
Kathryn has extensive experience in many areas of the media industry including national newspapers, magazines and radio. She has also turned her hand to running cross-media initiatives that expanded her role into television, posters, radio and cinema.

Now as CEO of Pearl & Dean, she just focuses on film and cinema. Building on the reputation of Pearl & Dean, the team have grown their activities outside of the usual venues into pop up cinema, cinemas on luxurious ships, film partnerships and product placement. As well as her role at Pearl&Dean, Kathryn is a member of the RADA development board, the Council and Board of the Advertising Association and is on the Executive Council of SAWA, the worldwide trade body for cinema advertising. Kathryn is the Chair of the Advertising Association workstream on Inclusion, an initiative that involves every aspect of the communications industry.

She has also co-authored two books on diversity and inclusion. The first, published in 2016, was “The Glass Wall” and focused on gender equality and opportunity. The second “Belonging :The key to Transforming and Maintaining Diversity, Inclusion and Equality”, published in 2020, reflected the necessity of driving inclusion across all underrepresented groups.

Labour Councillor representing Old Moat, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Culture, Manchester City Council

Co-Director Hospitality/Licensed Retail

Ross Mackenzie has 30 years experience in licensed retail, and is the founder of the award-winning Liars Club Group – 6 highly profitable late-night bar/restaurants in Manchester and Liverpool, including Crazy Pedro’s that turnover £9m.

Ross founded, and recently sold, the trio of Black Dog Ballroom bars, he was voted NW Leisure & Retail Entrepreneur of the year in 2013 and 2016 at the EN for Business Awards.

Ross completed the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses course at MMU and he graduated from the ELITE program at the London Stock Exchange in 2019. Both courses focused on Business Growth and fundraising for growth.

Darius Thompson is Commercial Director at WhatsOnStage and TheaterMania, two of the most influential theatre media platforms in the UK and North America. He leads commercial strategy, revenue growth, partnerships and audience development, working at the intersection of theatre, media and live events to connect audiences with performance at scale.

Darius is also the Producer of the Annual WhatsOnStage Awards, the UK’s leading public-voted theatre awards. They are a significant moment in the theatre calendar, celebrating excellence across the West End, London and the regions, strengthening the relationship between audiences and live performance.

Based in Manchester, Darius brings to HOME extensive experience in audience engagement, cultural partnerships and the commercial dynamics of the industry. A regular visitor to HOME before his appointment, he values its role as a contemporary arts centre that produces, presents and commissions bold work across theatre, film and visual art as well as its commitment to making world-class culture accessible to diverse communities across the city.

Arts & Charity Leadership Coach and Psychotherapist

Jon is a qualified leadership coach and psychotherapist working with a wide range of clients, and specialising in supporting leaders in the arts and third sectors through the Resilient Leader initiative. He has over 35 years’ experience in theatre and arts management including roles as Director of the Theatres Trust, Director of the Federation of Scottish Theatre, Director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Executive Producer at Contact Theatre, Manchester and General Manager at TAG Theatre, Glasgow. He has always championed the arts as a social good and the important role of theatres and cultural spaces in making our communities, towns and cities great places to live. Jon has a keen interest in film, theatre and music alongside philosophy, psychology, running and hill walking. He lives with his husband in south Manchester. 

Arts Consultant

Martin is a senior leader in the arts sector, with more than 25 years’ experience that includes his role as Head of Arts at Guardian News and Media, followed by 11 years at the National Theatre where he was first Deputy Director of Development before being appointed Director of Communications. He left the National Theatre in 2018 to set up his own business, providing public affairs and corporate partnerships consultancy to the arts sector. His clients include RADA, the BRIT School, Artichoke, and Lightroom, the new immersive arts space in King’s Cross. He is a trustee of Theatre Peckham, a UK Council member of Creative UK, a Board member of the European Sponsorship Association, and he is a Governor at two Primary Schools in South London. He is an LGBTI+ activist, working with the Bisi Alimi Foundation, Intersex Equality Rights UK, Opening Doors London, and he is a Speaker for Schools, speaking at schools all over the country about careers in theatre and LGBTI+ issues. Martin is also a pianist and singer, performing at his own cabaret nights at the National Theatre, Crazy Coqs, the 1901 Arts Club and Wilton’s Music Hall. He lives in Camberwell, South London, with his husband Mark.

Non-Executive Director, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust

Director of Finance, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside