Tony Panayiotou

Tony Panayiotou is currently Director of Diversity at Arts Council England.

Tony Panayiotou started his career in the Race Relations Unit in the London Borough of Hackney, working with BME community organisations. He later became the Council’s refugee officer and in the summer of 1989 found himself trying to house and support 3,000 Kurdish asylum seekers. In 1991 Tony joined Hackney’s central policy unit, where he co-wrote the Comprehensive Estates Initiative, a programme that led to the demolition of 25 tower blocks and rebuild of 5 system built estates including Holly Street.

After 6 years at the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux his last position as Assistant Director of Planning and Performance, Tony joined Arts Council England in April 2003 as Director of Diversity. He leads the Arts Council’s work on race, disability and gender equality and is in the process of developing a Diversity Strategy for the Arts.