Emergency Exit Arts Announces new leadership with Rachel Grunwald appointed as CEO & Creative Director
Emergency Exit Arts (EEA), one of the UK’s leading creators of outdoor arts, participatory experiences and large‑scale public celebrations, today announces a significant leadership transition. After steering the organisation through a period of growth and creative ambition, Daniel Bernstein will step down as CEO at the end of May. Rachel Grunwald will assume the role of CEO and Creative Director from 1 June.
Rachel Grunwald is a cultural leader and artist with 25 years’ experience across theatre, community arts and organisational strategy. She trained at RADA, Lincoln Centre and the National Theatre before establishing a career as an award‑winning theatre director with companies including the Kiln, HighTide and the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as on participatory programmes at the Southbank Centre.
Her community arts work includes over a decade as Associate Director at SPID Theatre, where she founded a youth theatre now celebrating its 20th anniversary. A Fellow of the Clore Cultural Leadership Programme, Rachel previously served as Director of Programming at JW3 London, where she strengthened community engagement and launched the UK’s first professional Chanukah pantomime in 2023, achieving a major uplift in audience reach and loyalty.
Most recently, Rachel was Strategic Lead for Improbable, guiding an organisational change process that embedded the company into its new home in Kent through deep community and stakeholder development. She also volunteers as a facilitator for groups navigating difficult conversations.
Incoming CEO & Creative Director Rachel Grunwald said:
“I am honoured to join EEA as Creative Director and CEO, a role that unites my passions for art and community.
An emergency exit is a route out of crisis, and in the coming years we will need that exit more than ever. Our communities are at risk of fracture; there is urgent work to be done to imagine a shared, hopeful future. Collaboration, public art and awe‑inspiring spectacle can enrich and empower communities, and help heal these fractures.
I look forward to working with the talented team and our artists and partners in Greenwich and across the UK to deepen EEA’s impact as we approach the 50th anniversary of this pioneering company.”
EEA Board Statement
“We are excited to welcome Rachel to EEA and look forward to the positive impact we know she will have for the team and the communities we serve. We would also like to thank Daniel for his leadership and wish him every success in his future endeavours.”
This transition marks a new chapter for EEA as it approaches its 50th anniversary, continuing its mission to enrich people’s lives through creativity, collaboration and extraordinary public art.
