Jonathan has spent the last 30 years working in the charity and community sector. His career has taken him from the British Army into homelessness and mental health services, charity leadership and community-based work. He has led four organisations as CEO, with experience in fundraising, developing services and building partnerships.
His work has reached thousands of people, which includes helping provide more than a million meals and supporting around 2,000 people to move away from homelessness.
Throughout his career, Jonathan has strived to keep people at the centre of how organisations work. He believes in collaboration, co-production, and in making sure people feel trusted and have a say in decisions that affect them.
“My route into community arts hasn’t exactly been a straight line – from the British Army to working in homelessness and mental health, founding a charity and leading 4 organisations at CEO level. The common thread has always been people: making sure they feel valued, have opportunities and get a say in what happens next.
“That’s what drew me to CAN. Creativity can bring people together, build confidence and make room for voices that don’t always get heard. Being part of an organisation that’s been doing that for nearly 50 years is a pretty exciting prospect.”
He’s looking forward to getting to know the people who make CAN what it is, building on the relationships already in place and working with Anna, the team, artists and communities on what comes next.
In Jonathan’s words:
“I’m looking forward to working alongside Anna, the team and our communities, bringing my experience of running charities, building partnerships and turning good ideas into things that actually happen. There’s a lot to build on, and I’m certainly not short of ideas. The team may already have noticed.”
Rajesh Patel, Chair of Community Arts North West’s Board of Directors says:
The CAN Board are very pleased to welcome Jonathan Billings as the Co-CEO of CAN. Moving over from the Community Sector, he brings substantial experience of working with vulnerable communities and will help to ensure that CAN broadens its fund-raising strategies and has sound governance.
Jonathan would love to hear from people interested in working with CAN, supporting our work or having a conversation about a creative idea.
