LIZ Wilson, former chief executive of York Theatre Royal, will take up her new role as executive director of the Oxford School of Drama from December.

She held her Theatre Royal post from 2009 to June this summer, leaving York after overseeing the £6.1 million redevelopment of the St Leonard's Place building and the first year of the reconfigured theatre.

"I am delighted to be joining the Oxford School of Drama," she said. "It's an outstanding drama school that has a reputation throughout the theatre, film and television sectors for its rigorous pursuit of excellence and its promotion of access.

"Training people to succeed as actors is as much about teaching the spirit of creativity as it is about developing the professional tools to thrive in the industry. I look forward to working alongside principal George Peck and his team in continuing the great work of the school in serving our industry with exemplary actors."

Welcoming the appointment, the drama school’s chairman of trustees, Peter Wilson-Smith, said the school is “thrilled to have someone with Liz’s long experience of theatre and arts joining” as executive director.

Like Wilson in her new post, her replacement in York, Tom Bird, will have the title of executive director. Moving north after five years as executive producer at Shakespeare’s Globe theatre in London, Bird attended management meetings last week in York before officially starting his new post on Monday.