Monday Interview: Mark Skipper, CEO at Northern Ballet

Running a charitable business with an annual turnover of around £10m should be and is operated in just the same way as any other successful business, says the CEO of Leeds-headquartered Northern Ballet.

Mark Skipper has worked for the organisation for 32 years, first starting in stage management and as head of planning; before securing the chief executive job in 1996. And Skipper is just as passionate about the organisation and its journey now – as well its future ambitions and growth plans – as the day he started.

Prior to joining Northern Ballet, Skipper was a banker but he moved to Northern Ballet as he “started to get more interested in theatre.”

The organisation – which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary – was first established in Manchester, before moving to Halifax in 1990. In 1996, Leeds City Council agreed that the organisation would be a great fit for the city and in 2000 Northern Ballet moved into its first purpose-built home, which boasts seven studios, where it has remained ever since – on Quarry Hill.

Skipper said: “Coming here was just transformational. It makes us a credible, national player. It is one of the best dance facilities in the world and we are proud to have it here in this city and county.

“The city council did invest and they still get huge value out of us being here. Of all the national ballet companies, we are the biggest tourer in this country. We are reaching towns and cities all over and taking the brand of Leeds with us.”

In fact, international recognition is also being secured as the company has productions going overseas – as well as its sets and costumes for certain performances – to countries including Canada and America.

Northern Ballet is attracting people to visit Leeds too. Skipper says its presence in the city also plays its part in the cultural scene, which helps to attract and retain professionals and businesses to the city.

At the top of the agenda for Skipper and the team is to continue to widen audience appeal and make ballet increasingly accessible to a wide range of socio-economic groups. In this regard, Northern Ballet has this year partnered with cinema chains to show performances on the big screen. And in the Autumn, it will broadcast a live screening of its Dracula production in cinemas nationwide.

The organisation has also teamed up with CBBC to show children’s ballet on television; its last airing alone hit 1.5m viewers. Skipper added: “It’s about investing in our assets and being creative about how we reach people beyond theatres. There is even more in the pipeline – we have lots of exciting projects coming up.”

It is essential to run the entity as any other business would, he added. The organisation employs 44 dancers, as well as its support staff and a dedicated orchestra, and puts on around 250 performances a year; with the tours always kicking off in Yorkshire – performing across venues in Leeds, Hull, Bradford, Sheffield and other cities.

In the last 12 months, net sales totalled £2.1m across the organisation and £2.5m came in from touring; resulting in the “best ever” return to plough back into the charitable organisation – around £1.2m. Despite this, Skipper said he and the team always had to be adapting because the marketplace “is more tricky now” as touring costs are increasing, government funding reducing and audiences have less disposable income available.

In addition to that, Northern Ballet has had invest heavily in digital to respond to changing audience preferences and the ambition to attract the “next generation” of ballet fans. He added: “Even ten years ago, we wouldn’t have imagined the digital reach we are achieving. I have to admit that at first, I was against it because it could be taking away from live performances. But when you think about it laterally, you realise that you are reaching people who perhaps can’t afford or get to a theatre. It is a great use of investment in terms of the arts. It has to be about providing better accessibility – both in availability and affordability.”

Skipper says that to do this, the productions always had to offer something different. In 2020, Northern Ballet will create two new full length productions – Geisha and Merlin – which he hopes will gain critical acclaim once again, just like the recent production of Victoria did. He added: “What this means is that we can continue to always work on the other projects because it’s important to always retain our creativity. That is hugely important for our business to succeed. By having a fully ballet repertoire, those bigger productions can offset anything else we do.”

The organisation is supported by the business community and needs to raise funds from corporate sponsorship. Skipper said he was pleased and proud that Leeds-headquartered First Direct had given long-term partnership support and that it was always great to welcome other, new businesses. Many of its rooms are also hired out for events and the Pheonix Dance Partnership is also based in the building.

Skipper added that, like any business, it was important to ensure income generation was across many facets and was “balanced” across several funding streams. In fact, he said one area that would prove helpful would be a tax relief scheme whereby cultural organisations can claim 20% tax relief on creating new work.

He added: “This is beneficial as government funding is at a standstill.”

Skipper added: “We are running this as a businesses. We are proud to be creating something different and I love adapting to changes in the industry. We have achieved a lot and we are excited to continue to invest, grow and respond to the opportunities and challenges.”