Birmingham Royal Ballet names new chief executive

Birmingham Royal Ballet has announced the appointment of Paul James its new chief executive.

Paul (pictured) has been acting chief executive since last December, and before that was the company's chief commercial officer.

Chair of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Sir David Normington, said: ‘I am absolutely delighted with the appointment of Paul James as chief executive. I know he combines a passion for our mission to take great ballet everywhere, with the leadership and management skills to help us meet financial and other challenges that lie ahead.

“He and Carlos Acosta will be a great team and I am looking forward to working with them both to bring exciting and ambitious programming to the widest possible audiences.”

Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Carlos Acosta, said: “I am looking forward very much to working closely with my colleague Paul James as I congratulate him on his appointment as our new CEO.

“I am deeply grateful to Paul for his steadfast commitment in stabilising the Company following the untimely death of our much-missed CEO Caroline Miller in December 2024.

“Paul’s contribution over the past 7 years has been instrumental in laying the strong foundations we have already achieved as a Company, and I welcome with enthusiasm the opportunity to build on these with Paul to achieve even greater things for the Company in the future.”

Paul James said: “It is an honour to be asked to stand alongside Carlos Acosta and lead this extraordinary Company forward.

“These are not easy days for the arts and cultural sector, but I know just what the team here can do, and together we will continue to transform the business of ballet.”

Before joining Birmingham Royal Ballet as chief commercial officer in October 2017, Paul worked as senior vice president of Global Brand Marketing for a Fortune 500 company based in New York and for a privately held hospitality brand in Singapore.

A passionate supporter of the arts, Paul is a trustee of Dancefest in Worcester and an advocate for dance's ability to provide transformative experiences for both audiences and participants.