Ivan Wadeson is Chief Executive at The Dukes in Lancaster, Lancashire’s producing theatre, independent cinema and creative learning centre.
Prior to that, for 11 years Ivan led a series of audience development agencies. He joined All About Audiences (then Arts About Manchester) as Chief Executive in April 2003. In autumn 2012, All About Audiences and Audiences London merged to create the new national audience development agency The Audience Agency. Ivan became joint Executive Director alongside Anne Torreggiani (ex-CEO of Audiences London) until he left in September 2015 to join The Dukes.
Ivan started working in the box office at the Edinburgh International Festival for two festivals. After this he worked at Liverpool Playhouse, First Call ticket agency and Stoll Moss Theatres in London.
Between 1993 and 1999 he worked at Sadler's Wells, where as Head of Marketing, he was part of the team that oversaw the National Lottery-funded re-building and re-opening of Sadler's Wells. He then moved to Manchester to be Marketing Director at the Royal Exchange Theatre from 1999 until spring 2003.
He is currently on the Boards of Curious Minds and Lancaster Business Improvement District. Ivan was Chair of the Arts Marketing Association between 2001 and 2005. He is a Fellow of the RSA and a Common Purpose graduate (2006-7).