Head of Operations and Development Appointed
Tonia Lu appointed as Head of Operations and Development
Tonia Lu, who is currently interim CEO at Creative Kernow in Cornwall, is returning to Scotland in September to join us as our new Head of Operations and Development.
Tonia comes into her new role with a wealth of sector experience and knowledge. She has a PhD in Cultural Policy from the University of Glasgow and was Creative Business Advisor at Cultivator for 6 years – an EU funded Creative Kernow programme providing development opportunities for the creative and cultural sectors in Cornwall. In 2023 she moved to the role of Director of Creative Enterprise, playing a leading role in the enterprise development work in the organisation, before taking up her current post as Interim CEO earlier this year.
Tonia Lu said: “I am really looking forward to starting my new role at Luminate in September. Although it’s been 10 years since I lived in Scotland, I maintained strong links and have always planned to come back. I have a strong belief in the vital role of arts and creativity in our lives, and have admired Luminate’s work since my time in Scotland. It feels like the perfect opportunity to return and take on an exciting new challenge.”
Anne Gallacher said: “This new role is key to ensuring that Luminate can build resilience for the future, deliver our ambitious programme of work and continue to successfully support older people’s creativity.
Having Tonia in post will make a real difference. Her knowledge of cultural policy, and business experience from working in the creative industries and with visual artists is excellent, and we are very much looking forward to her getting started.”
Tonia will take up her new role at Luminate in September 2025.
About Tonia Lu
Tonia left Scotland in 2017 to join Creative Kernow and has extensive experience of working in programming and creative sector roles. Tonia worked as a visual arts and craft specialist business advisor on the Cultivator Programme where she supported over 300 artists, makers, creatives and cultural organisations across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Alongside this, she has worked with the British Council and Cornwall Council on mentor and skills development programmes and is currently a trustee of Leicester Print Workshop.
Tonia started her career in Scotland in socially relevant visual art organisations including Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, Deveron Projects in Aberdeenshire and Fife Contemporary. She played a key role in the evolution of Spring Fling – Scotland’s Premier Art and Craft Open Studio Event, into Upland in 2015, an organisation supporting artists and makers across Dumfries and Galloway. Before her move to Cornwall, she led a LGBT History project in Cumbria and set up and ran Elements – a festival celebrating diverse ageing.
