Petra van den Houten

Chief Executive (Maternity Cover)

Petra is an experienced arts & culture consultant and creative producer who has over 25 years of experience in the cultural industries. Most recently she was Director of Development, Marketing and Communications at Liverpool Biennial and prior to that Head of Major Gifts at the Royal Northern College of Music. Petra was born and raised in the Netherlands but moved to the London after her History of Art MA and has lived in Manchester, a city that she loves, for over 20 years.
Petra started her career working for PR agencies where she delivered events for Pepsi Cola, Karl Lagerfeld, The Four Freedom Awards and various others before immersing herself in the art world. She is a former Associate Director of Christie’s, Deputy Director of Sotheby’s and has worked extensively with artists, musicians, collectors and philanthropists in Europe, USA and the Middle East. She is a Board member at esea contemporary, Manchester, former Board member of Manchester Art Gallery and holds an MA in Art History from Leiden University, The Netherlands.
When she is not working or attending gigs and exhibitions, Petra spends her time walking her retired racing greyhound, trying new recipes and crafting; textiles are a big passion!