Alan's career spans business, government and the arts. Working with high profile global clients he became Chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi, based in both London and New York. He was then appointed Chief Executive of the COI (Central Office of Information) the department responsible for the government’s major marketing and communication campaigns, the Government News Network and DirectGov (Now Gov.UK). Subsequently he pursued his passion for the arts as Chief Executive of Southbank Centre with the mission to open it up to all the people across all art forms. More recently he had been able to apply all this experience as Chief Executive of the Creative Industries Federation, representing a creative economy now worth over £120 billion. Finally, he was a Governor of Factory International as it built and opened the revolutionary Aviva Studios in Manchester then became Chair of London Contemporary Dance, The Place, relishing all their efforts to push the frontiers of the dance world and all the other art forms it encompasses. Alan is now a Patron of The Place.