Clare Connor has been Chief Executive of The Place and London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS) since 2017. During her tenure she has led the organisation through its ambitious 50th Anniversary and shaped a transformative ten‑year vision for “a world with more dance,” driving significant organisational growth and increasing turnover by a third.
Under her leadership, LCDS became an independent Higher Education Provider, achieving World‑leading Specialist Provider status from the Office for Students in recognition of its global innovation and leadership. She has also overseen the evolution of The Place’s public artistic programmes, introducing a co‑designed model that champions independent artists and deepens audience engagement with contemporary dance. This expanded approach spans rural touring, outdoor festivals, international partnerships and hyperlocal community participation, all rooted in access, ambition and well‑being.
Clare’s 25‑year career in the performing arts and education sectors includes senior roles such as Director of Business Development at the Southbank Centre, where she led major capital fundraising and international partnerships, and Director of Stratford Circus Arts Centre, where she co‑founded the national network Future Arts Centres. Earlier in her career she worked as a lecturer and teacher of dance across schools, communities, colleges and Higher Education. She is also an alumna of LCDS and was first in her family to attend university.
Clare is a member of the Office for Students Provider Panel, a national advisory group that brings sector expertise into the regulation of Higher Education in England. She is also an Executive Group member of GuildHE, representing more than 60 specialist institutions and colleges and over 150,000 students; a Trustee of Sadler’s Wells, where she chairs the Learning Committee; and an advisor to the Sir Robert Cohan Legacy CIC.
She was named one of the most influential people in dance in London in the Evening Standard’s Progress 1000 (2018) and in 2024 she was awarded the Freedom of the City of London, nominated by the City of London Mayor. In 2026, Clare received the prestigious Jane Attenborough Award in recognition of her visionary leadership, championing of inclusion, and transformative impact on the dance sector.