He will assume the role in September, succeeding Rupert Goold, who departs after eight years in the role, to take over London's Almeida Theatre.

Herrin, who studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and trained at both the National Theatre and Royal Court, has also previously been associate director at Newcastle-upon-Tyne's Live Theatre from 2000-08.  Herrin's extensive directorial credits at the Royal Court include Polly Stenham's That Face, which transferred to the West End's Duke of York's Theatre, and Stenham's subsequent plays Tusk Tusk and No Quarter, as well as Michael Wynne's Olivier Award-winning The Priory and David Hare's The Vertical Hour.

At the National, he recently directed James Graham's This House, for which he was Olivier-nominated for Best Director. His production of David Hare's South Down at Chichester's Minerva Theatre subsequently transferred to the West End's Harold Pinter Theatre. Other West End credits include Absent Friends, also at the Pinter, and at the Globe he has directed The Tempest and Much Ado About Nothing.

In December he will direct the world-premiere stage version of Hilary Mantel's Man Booker Prize-winning novels "Wolf Hall" and "Bring Up the Bodies" in two parts for the RSC.

In a press statement, Herrin commented, "I am absolutely thrilled to be Headlong's next Artistic Director and excited to be following in the footsteps of John Retallack, Dominic Dromgoole and Rupert Goold.  It's a bold company of vision and reach and I can't wait to work with the Headlong board and staff as well as all the writers, actors, creatives and other theatre partners to lead it through its next phase. It's a fantastic company with an exceptional record, and I'm honoured to join the team. These are challenging times and I can't think of a better company with which to make the timely argument that theatre is of national consequence." For further details on the company, visit http://headlong.co.uk/.