Clare Connor

Clare Connor is Chief Executive of The Place and London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS), leading the organisation since 2017 through major artistic and organisational growth. She has shaped a ten‑year vision for “a world with more dance,” expanded artist‑led programming, and strengthened The Place’s role as a home for independent dance makers, touring work and community participation. Under her leadership, LCDS also became an independent Higher Education Provider with World‑leading Specialist Provider status.

Her 25‑year career spans senior roles at the Southbank Centre, where she led major capital fundraising and international partnerships, and Stratford Circus Arts Centre, where she co‑founded Future Arts Centres. She began her career teaching dance across schools, communities and Higher Education, and is an alumna of LCDS.

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 Evening Standard’s Progress 1000 most influential people in dance (2018), awarded the Freedom of the City of London (2024) and the Jane Attenborough Award transformative impact on the dance sector (2026).