NEW chairman of The Lowry, the arts centre on Salford Quays, is Rodney Aldridge, OBE, the man behind the development of Capita Group and a former chairman of the CBI's Public Services Strategy Board.

A chartered accountant, Mr Aldridge began Capita as an IT consultancy for local authorities in 1984: in 22 years its workforce has grown from one to 26,000, and it has moved into property consultancy, insurance, financial services, and more recently has been involved with the London congestion charging scheme and the infrastructure for Child Trust Funds.

He retired from Capita last summer and set up his own foundation to help young people under-achieving in education and public service reform. He is also a sponsor of the new city academy near Darwen and a trustee of the Prince's Trust. He was recently appointed chair of V, a new charity aimed at championing youth volunteering in England.

Now chair of both The Lowry Trust and The Lowry Operating Company, he says he is "keen to continue to develop the vision and build on existing achievements. The Lowry's social agenda is particularly appealing to me, as I'm a strong believer that a good education and an opportunity to develop are fundamental to a full and successful life." Tweet