Serious Credentials

A leader in the arts and culture sector, Pru has built her reputation over more than three decades as a senior arts executive and as an expert advisor to the public, private, and non-profit sectors in Canada and the UK.

Pru Robey’s practice is rooted in a 30 year-long commitment to leveraging the capabilities of arts and culture to serve a community’s needs and aspirations and an unwavering belief in the power of the arts to unlock powerful, positive individual and community, public and private benefits. Pru’s work is built on understanding the unique cultural and community context in which she is working without losing sight of vision and big picture thinking. The development of multi-sector, multi-partner processes which support the arts, creative economy activation and creative placemaking is the centrepiece of her approach.

Pru has a reputation for considered, creative, and critical strategic foresight and insight, research and analysis. She is a respected thought leader and innovator in the development and implementation of actionable national, regional, and local policy, strategy and plans to support arts and cultural organizations, creative placemaking, and culture-led regeneration.

Pru is an experienced intermediary and facilitator with a track record in successfully engaging diverse stakeholders and multi-sector partners in shaping project development and in building individual and organizational capacity. 

Consulting independently since 2017, Pru Robey Consulting offers strategic development, planning and facilitation services to the public, private and non profit sector. Current and recent consulting assignments include: advising Northcrest on approaches to Public Realm Governance at Downsview Airport Lands, Toronto; QuadReal Development Group (BCMI) on the integration of arts and culture in their real estate portfolio; the development of a new Creative Hubs in Charlottetown, PEI, Brantford, Ontario, and at University of Toronto; advising City of Brampton on the development of a new cultural agency and on its creative space strategy; advising Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, the Metcalf Foundation, Toronto Arts Council, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation on models to support emerging artists.

Pru’s facilitation practice embraces arts, cultural, and urban development. With The Metcalf Foundation Pru facilitates complex multi-year adaptive change processes with the National Ballet of Canada and Soulpepper Theatre Company. Other recent examples include strategic plan facilitation for CAPACOA (the Canadian Association of Performing Arts), The STEPS Public Art Initiative, and organizational development for a collective of 25 Canadian Literary Festivals.

As Vice President of Artscape and Director of its Creative Placemaking Lab, (2007-2107) Pru led Artscape’s consulting and knowledge sharing services, advising organizations and local government across Canada on strategic planning and development in creative placemaking. She also directed the stakeholder for major arts facilities including Daniels Spectrum, Artscape Daniels Launchpad and Artscape Hub at Weston Common and led the start-up incubation for Toronto’s Bentway Conservancy.

As an independent consultant in the UK (1996 – 2007), Pru advised all tiers of government, arts and cultural agencies and organizations, urban development and economic development partnerships. She brings to her work substantial experience as a senior policy maker at Arts Council England’s London office, and as an arts centre and theatre manager in London (UK).