A huge welcome to our new Executive Director, Ali Ford.

We are delighted to announce that Ali Ford, Executive Director at Transform, Leeds, will be joining the Ad Infinitum team early next year. Ali will be taking over from the wonderful Polly Davis who is moving onto new adventures after over five years with Ad Infinitum.

“We’re very grateful to Polly for co-leading Ad Infinitum with us through a period of significant change over the past five years. During her time with us, she oversaw a significant organisational restructure that expanded our team, helped secure Arts Council NPO status, and supported new artist-development initiatives, as well as major projects such as the Where You Are Online Festival during the pandemic. She leaves the organisation in a strong position, and we wish her all the very best.

We’re also delighted to welcome Ali as our new Executive Director. The recruitment process was very competitive, but Ali’s talent, passion and inspiration really shone through. She joins us at a defining moment and brings substantial experience along with a clear, thoughtful approach to the role. We’re really excited to begin this next Ad Infinitum chapter with her.”
- Nir Paldi and George Mann, Co-Artistic Directors

Nir and George join the Board and whole Ad Infinitum team in thanking Polly for all her amazing work with the company.

“I’m incredibly grateful to have been part of team Ad Infinitum for a wonderful five and a half years - it’s been a truly brilliant experience to work alongside such talented, committed and creative humans. With Ali now in post I know the company will continue to reach great heights, and can’t wait to see the next stage of this brilliant and bold organisation.”
- Polly Davis

From February 2026, Ali will join the leadership team as Executive Director. The Ad Infinitum trustees and team are all looking forward to working with Ali who shared a few thoughts:

"I couldn't be more thrilled to be joining the Ad Infinitum team at such a pivotal moment for the company as it continues to evolve as a new NPO and adapt, strategically and artistically, to the ever-changing context. I've been such a big fan of Ad Infinitum's work for many years, from presenting the company in a venue setting in the early days of my career, to including them as a staple in my Edinburgh schedule in the years to follow - it feels like a real full-circle moment to be joining the team now in a leadership role, and I'm excited to embrace the personal shift in context from a venue/festival model to that of an artist-led company whose work invigorates artists and audiences locally and globally." 
- Ali Ford

MORE About Ali Ford

Ali joins Ad Infinitum after 5 years with Transform, where she started as Producer and went on to co-lead the organisation through the delivery of three major international performance festivals, several new artist commissions and co-productions and a significant period of organisational change, including Transform's 2023 entry into Arts Council England's National Portfolio. 

Prior to joining Transform, Ali's producing, programming, development and leadership career spanned work with venues and performance companies across the North including Common/Wealth, Square Chapel Arts Centre and the Royal Exchange Theatre, alongside independent artists Tess Seddon / TheatreState and Debs Newbold.