The Halifax-based CEO of The Piece Hall, Nicky Chance-Thompson, tells Bethan Andrews about coming home, her Yorkshire loves and more
You’ve had an extensive and varied career. How has it led to where you are today?
I started my career in advertising and marketing and my first client was Tesco when they were looking to reinvent themselves. I worked with an amazing team and Tescobecame the number one grocery retailer. I then worked with the government on transport projects, which is how I got into renovation and regeneration. It was about looking at how to resonate with audiences and how people engage with things in life.
How did you come to work with The Piece Hall?
I moved to Halifax in 2006 and one of the first places my husband brought me to was The Piece Hall. What I saw was this amazing building, unlike anything I’d seen before, which was in a terrible state of neglect. I thought, ‘I’d love to get my hands on this’. I found out a few years later that the council were looking to undertake a transformation and a newly-formed Piece Hall Trust had been set up. I approached the council and the Trust, very tentatively as a Londoner, asking if I could get involved.
What does your role as Chief Executive entail?
It’s to uphold the vision and strategy of The Piece Hall. The Trustees are unapologetically ambitious about making it a world-class destination. It’s been overlooked for too long – in the same way we know about the Eiffel Tower, why don’t people know about The Piece Hall? My role is to ensure that we get it on the map and that people share the same delight in the building as myself and my team do.
What have been your highlights in your time working as Chief Executive?
Having Hollywood on set and Samuel L Jackson in the courtyard was a definite highlight – they were filming a series that I can’t reveal or I’ll be shot! The live music events have been great, we’ve had amazing names playing for us. I’m proud of unveiling the statue of Anne Lister, too, which has become an important place for women in the lesbian community.
You’re an adopted Yorkshire dweller, what is it about the county that has caught you hook, line and sinker?
My family were actually wool traders in Bradford and, in a way, I feel as though I’ve come home. My family probably traded at The Piece Hall! I’ve always had a sense of belonging here, which I couldn’t quite work out, especially as a Londoner where most of us get nose bleeds north of Watford! The landscape is stunning, it’s just incredible. We’ve got everything from the coastal and the rural, but we’ve also got amazing cities such as Leeds.
What are your favourite things to do in Yorkshire in your (very limited!) spare time?
I’m one of those rare people who likes Scarborough and Whitby! I love Robin Hood’s Bay and Staithes, and the artistic communities there. I love the sea anywhere, but I find I’m able to really relax and decompress at the Yorkshire Coast. There’s something about the sea in Yorkshire that is very different to other places, I find it really magical and I like getting away as much as possible to feel that. I love Hebden Bridge and Haworth and these are the places that I go to if I need a bit of a reset. I love Leeds and shopping there – it’s like my West End.
What makes you proud to be a part of Halifax and its regeneration?
I love Halifax’s resilience – whatever is thrown at it, the people come together and there’s an amazing sense of community. People are always looking at how they can help and it really gets into your DNA. The Halifax community covers around you like a warm blanket and I’ve never seen or experienced anything quite like it before.
What are your favourite places in and around Halifax?
I love shopping in Harvey’s, they do a great job of running an independent department store, and I like going to the Victoria Theatre. There’s an amazing restaurant called True North in Dean Clough, Ricci’s Place and Holdsworth House is another favourite of mine. There’s another great place called Temperance Café, which is incredible, in the Borough Market.
You’re on the Northern Power Women’s List – how does that feel?
It’s a privilege and something I take seriously as a female leader. I want to be a ladder dropper for other women, as opposed to someone who pulls the ladder up. I’m proud to get the recognition, but it’s what you do with it that’s important.
