About

Debbie Read is a cultural management consultant, specialising in business strategy, fundraising and governance.  Debbie has delivered consultancy projects for arts organisations and museums from the small to large scale, across the UK.  She is based in Leicester and has been freelance since 2011.

As well as delivering projects herself, Debbie builds bespoke teams with several other consultants and associates, when additional skills are needed.  Debbie is an experienced trainer, facilitator and bid writer.

Previously, she was Director for Arts & Business in the East Midlands for 10 years, working in partnership with cultural organisations and commercial businesses on everything from sponsorship to business volunteering.  She was a national governance consultant for Arts & Business, and a trainer for induction training for business people joining cultural boards through the Board Bank.

Debbie was Head of Combined Arts & Planning at East Midlands Arts (now Arts Council East Midlands), managing arts lottery distribution, corporate and local government relationships, and regional funding for cutting edge visual and performance based combined arts work.

She has also delivered national sponsorship projects as part of the Millennium celebrations at the Dome, worked in theatre-in-education, as a small scale theatre touring promoter, and at the Edinburgh Festival.