The National Arts Centre has appointed a longtime communications executive to its top post.

NAC’s board of trustees says Annabelle Cloutier begins a five-year term as president and chief executive officer immediately.

Cloutier takes the reins after serving as NAC’s executive director of strategy and communications and corporate secretary to the board.

She worked closely with former president and CEO Christopher Deacon, who retired Dec. 3 and describes Cloutier as someone who “lives and breathes the arts of the stage.”

Cloutier is credited with helping the NAC usher in a digital transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic and navigate a post-pandemic renewal, and was central to 50th anniversary celebrations and the launch of the Indigenous Theatre, both in 2019.

More recently, she help

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