The retiring CEO of the Cornish Pirates has been announced as the new director of the Minack Theatre.
The Board of the Minack Theatre Trust CIO said it was "delighted" to announce that they have appointed Rebecca Thomas as director.
Rebecca has been CEO and finance director of the Cornish Pirates Rugby Club since 2010, a post from which she steps down at the end of the current season.
She will start her new role at the Minack on June 1, taking over from Zoë Curnow, who is leaving the Minack after 17 years.
Rebecca grew up in Cornwall and attended Exeter University, where she gained a BSc Hons degree in mathematics with accounting.
She went on to qualify as a charteredaccountant with Deloitte in London and Newcastle, going on to work for businesses across the retail, manufacturing and service industries.
She joined the Cornish Pirates in 2010 as finance and business controller, having relocated back to Cornwall from the north east.
Rebecca joined the Board of Cornish Pirates in 2018 and stepped up to become the CEO/finance director in 2020, where she has spent the past four years steering the professional sports team through Covid and other challenges.
Her move to the world of theatre and tourism doesn’t mean Rebecca is giving up her passion for rugby, as she will remain on the Board of the Cornish Pirates as an advisory director.
Charles Sinclair, chair of the Minack Theatre Trust CIO, said: "Rebecca joins us with a wealth of experience from running another famous Cornish institution, a business career and a passion for theatre."
Alongside her professional career, Rebecca has performed on the Minack stage herself with Redruth Amateur Operatic Society Trust, a society she joined at the age of ten, and for which she was the treasurer for seven years.
She is also a member of Haarts Productions here in Cornwall, performing in cabaret and specialised entertainment events in the county.
She is looking forward to the exciting challenge of leading one of Cornwall’s best loved tourist attractions and theatres, saying: “I feel extremely privileged to have the opportunity to take on this role at such an iconic venue and one that holds great memories for me personally.
"The heritage and story of the Minack Theatre is something so unique to our county and it is such a special place for all who visit, I am delighted to be joining the wonderful team there.”
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