Nii Ayikwei Parkes Appointed Chief Executive of Cultureword

Award-winning writer, publisher and cultural leader Nii Ayikwei Parkes FRSL has been appointed Chief Executive of Cultureword, succeeding Dr Peter Kalu after more than 25 years of leadership.

Parkes brings more than two decades of experience spanning publishing, creative writing, cultural production, executive training and event management to the Manchester-based literature organisation.

A respected figure in the literary world, Parkes founded the acclaimed independent publisher flipped eye publishing in 2001 before becoming the founding director of the Ama Ata Aidoo Centre for Creative Writing in Accra. He later joined Brighton Festival as Producer of Literature and Talks in 2018 and subsequently completed a two-year research fellowship at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African & African American Research.

His wider contributions to the literary sector include serving on the boards of the Caine Prize, World Literature Today and the African Books Collective, while also leading creative writing lectures for the London Library Emerging Writers Programme.

Readers of The British Blacklist may also remember our 2023 conversation with Parkes about his acclaimed novel AZÚCAR, in which he discussed memory, identity and the lasting impact of history on the present.

Commenting on his appointment, Parkes said: “It is a deeply felt privilege for me to take the helm at Cultureword, an appointment that marks a 30-year milestone in my connection with the organisation. Cultureword is a legacy organisation. Working class folk and persons of colour have been central to its work from its origins as Commonword in 1977. Now an ACE National Portfolio Organisation, there is no question about the value and impact of Cultureword. The next chapter, which I am honoured to be a part of, is to walk in that legacy and make Cultureword more pivotal for writer development on a national scale by expanding our partnerships and adapting to the shifting realities of Manchester, the North West and the world.”

Before establishing himself as one of the UK’s leading literary voices, Parkes began his career in management at Unilever during the late 1990s before moving into diplomatic roles. He later built a portfolio career centred around writing, publishing and cultural leadership, consulting on the National Theatre’s Art of Regeneration project to support the revival of the Albany Theatre in Deptford, delivering executive public speaking training and serving on the finance committee at Arvon, where he helped coordinate fundraising efforts that secured £2.3 million to renovate John Osborne’s former home, The Hurst, as a writing residency.

The appointment follows the departure of outgoing Chief Executive Dr Peter Kalu, who stepped down earlier this year after leading Cultureword for more than a quarter of a century. The organisation’s board began its recruitment process in February, completing the search in May.

Reflecting on the handover, Kalu said: “The role I leave has many dimensions and requires a certain level of versatility: vision, determination and creativity are prerequisites for the job. Nii Ayikwei Parkes is not just an acclaimed writer, activist and publisher with an international profile and a bulging CV; he was a beneficiary of Cultureword’s initiatives himself in the 1990s and I believe he really ‘gets’ what Cultureword is about.”

“I am confident that I am handing the controls to a skilled and creative set of hands and he will build well on the solid foundations that he inherits. This is a superb appointment that augurs well for literature in the North West and beyond.”

Cultureword Board member Dr Muli Amaye also welcomed the appointment, highlighting Parkes’ breadth of experience, collaborative leadership style and longstanding commitment to writers and literary development.

Parkes has already begun his tenure as Chief Executive and is currently working alongside Kalu to ensure a smooth transition into the role, as Cultureword prepares to enter its next chapter supporting writers and literature across the UK.