Clore Leadership announces the 2026/27 Clore Fellows: the leaders our sector needs
Clore Leadership is delighted to welcome 20 exceptional cultural leaders to the 2026/27 Clore Fellowship, ready to learn, develop and grow alongside each other. Hailing from across the UK and beyond, they represent a diverse mix of art forms and expertise. This year’s Fellows are already leading a forward-looking, creative and ambitious cultural sector through extremely challenging times. Over the year, they will develop their leadership practice, learn alongside one another and build the skills and confidence to lead in organisations large and small, develop their own projects and priorities, or work as freelance experts. The Fellowship offers supportive space for the Fellows to learn and reflect, to develop their potential, and to become the leaders the cultural sector needs.
The cohort includes leaders from across England, Wales and Scotland, and international leaders from India, Mexico, South Africa and Egypt. The Fellows bring expertise in dance, policy, participation, education, museums, theatre, literature, performing arts, outdoor arts, visual arts and heritage.
As the UK’s most prestigious programme for leadership development in the cultural sector, Clore Fellowship has equipped more than 500 Fellows with the skills to lead with integrity, impact and imagination over the past 23 years. Alumni have gone on to lead in myriad different ways, whether breaking new ground as independent artists, guiding NPOs to new heights, or building the most innovative projects from the ground up. Our Fellows challenge received ideas, forge new ways of thinking and doing, and work to build an equitable, inclusive future that brings culture to everyone, everywhere.
Moira Sinclair, Chair of Clore Leadership, welcomed the cohort:
“During difficult times for the cultural sector, it is inspiring to see another cohort of brilliant, responsive and imaginative leaders ready to learn, grow and challenge each other. With a commitment to inclusivity, equity and accessibility and to producing some of the country’s most exceptional and engaging culture, the 26/27 Fellows are the leaders the sector of tomorrow needs.”
Kate Bellamy, Director, Clore Duffield Foundation, added:
“We’re delighted to continue to support the only Fellowship of its kind in the UK, investing in leaders with enormous potential. The Clore Fellowship provides space for reflection, growth and inspiration through a leadership development programme tailored to each Fellow. Residential weeks explore leadership in action, alongside work on values, inclusivity, strategic planning and looking to the future. We’re excited to welcome this talented cohort of Fellows and to see how they grow and develop as leaders.”
Clore Leadership is grateful to its strategic partners, including major funders the Clore Duffield Foundation and Arts Council England, alongside Artists Now, Chevening Secretariat, Dancers’ Career Development, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and The Linbury Trust.
The 2026/27 Fellows are:
Cultural Learning Fellowship
Supported by the Clore Duffield Foundation
Kofi Acheampong
Kofi Acheampong is Head of Engagement at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. A Scottish-Ghanaian cultural leader, he has more than 20 years’ experience across music, film, creative learning and community engagement, working alongside young people, artists and communities to create opportunities for them to shape culture. His practice centres on equity, participation and cultural democracy, with a focus on care, trust and co-creation. Through the Clore Fellowship, Kofi hopes to explore how cultural organisations can create more inclusive opportunities for people to shape and lead culture.
Ed Watts
Ed Watts is Head of Civic Engagement and Education at the Whitworth, University of Manchester. He has spent more than 15 years working with artists, communities and colleagues to explore the role of museums as civic spaces for creativity, learning and social change. His practice centres on long-term, co-produced partnerships with lived experience-led organisations, helping to embed civic engagement at the heart of institutional practice. Through the Clore Fellowship, Ed hopes to explore how cultural organisations can help reimagine learning and contribute to more inclusive, creative and equitable civic systems.
Culture & Climate Fellowship
Supported by The Linbury Trust
Gaby Hornsby
Gaby was the first editorial lead on sustainability within BBC Commissioning, supporting the corporation’s non-news output. Previously an award-winning filmmaker, she uses a mixture of storytelling, subject matter and audience expertise to inspire others. Gaby was instrumental in the creation of the Climate Content Pledge (a commitment to climate-themed storytelling), signed by the BBC and 11 other broadcasters at COP26. She also launched Climate Creatives with BBC Academy, a major annual industry-wide event to spark fresh ideas around climate content. She is now looking to broaden her impact across the cultural sector.
Dance Fellowship
Supported by Dancers’ Career Development and The Linbury Trust
Errol White
Errol White is an award-winning dancer, performer, choreographer, educator and cultural leader with more than 30 years’ experience across contemporary dance, theatre and education in the UK and internationally. He is Co-Artistic Director of White & Givan, a contemporary dance company based in Edinburgh. He has developed programmes that support dancers’ careers, professional development, health and wellbeing, and long-term sustainability. His practice is recognised for its inclusive, care-led approach, bringing together artistic excellence, collaboration and sustainable pathways for dancers and the wider cultural sector.
Duffield Fellowship
Supported by the Clore Duffield Foundation
Steve Gardam
Steve is a consultant, CEO, trustee and mentor. He has held senior roles in public engagement, and project management roles at the Postal Museum, Imperial War Museums and London Transport Museum. Steve is a proud generalist who works across governance, strategy, learning, communications and commerce. He strives to translate complex to simple, to help organisations and individuals to make self-aware, intentional change for good. Steve spent ten years as Director of the award-winning Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Buckinghamshire, reshaping the organisation’s culture, systems and future direction. He is a trustee of the Association for Cultural Enterprises
Natalie Phillips
Natalie Phillips is Head of Content & Business Development at Landmark Theatres, a four-venue National Portfolio Organisation with venues across North Devon and Peterborough. She has more than 20 years’ experience in theatre, with expertise in marketing, audience development, fundraising, business development and place-based cultural strategy. Previously a Senior Relationship Manager at Arts Council England, she supported place-based strategy and national programmes including Creative People and Places. Natalie hopes to explore how cultural organisations can strengthen regional touring, widen access to culture and build more sustainable and equitable organisations.
Laura Sangster-Poole
Laura is Head of Marketing at The Old Vic, where she leads a multi-disciplinary team of marketing, communications and digital content professionals. Her interests include audience engagement, live and digital storytelling, and building cultural organisations that are commercially successful, socially impactful and culturally relevant. She has previously worked at the Almeida Theatre, the Lyric Hammersmith, and the National Theatre.
Excellerate Fellowship
Supported by Arts Council England
Rozzy Knox
Rozzy Knox is Deputy Managing Director & Head of Finance at Battersea Arts Centre, where she leads finance and business development. She has more than a decade of experience across theatre and the arts, including roles at the Bridge Theatre, Middle Child and ATG, and was previously Executive Director at Middle Child Theatre. Her practice combines financial and strategic expertise with a passion for enabling creative ambition.
Nicole May
Nicole is Executive Director at Young Identity, a literature and performance arts charity for young people based in Manchester. A poet, producer, dramaturg and director, she has built her career at the intersection of artistic excellence, community power and cultural equity, with experience spanning organisations including Nuyorican Poets Café and Schaubühne. Previously Associate Producer at Certain Blacks, she is passionate about diverse leadership, equitable governance and the transformative power of the arts.
Self funded and Employer Funded Fellowships
Paula Orrell
Paula is a curator, advocate and National Director of Contemporary Visual Arts Network, leading national policy advocacy, sector development and equity programmes for the visual arts. With significant international experience and a deep understanding of contemporary art from grassroots artist-led organisations to major institutions and policy bodies, she has directed organisations including CoCA Toi Moroki in Christchurch and Plymouth Arts Centre. Paula is Chair of Coventry Biennial and is passionate about the role of culture in driving social, economic and cultural regeneration
Theatre Fellowship
Supported by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation
Nicola Clements
Nicola Clements is a theatre leader with specialisms in fundraising, change management and artist-centred strategy. Her career has taken her from fundraising and events at the Royal Shakespeare Company to executive leadership roles with Camden People’s Theatre and, most recently, the Gate, where she oversaw a major transition from a venue-based operation to a producing model. She is also a trustee of WAC Arts.
Iqbal Khan
Iqbal is Associate Director at Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Associate Artist of Box Clever Theatre Company. He has extensive experience directing across theatre, opera and classical music, including work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Barbican and the Royal Exchange, Manchester. He was Artistic Director of the 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony and has directed internationally in Paris and Japan, alongside residencies at Michigan State University, Lafayette College and Nanjing.
Transform Fellowship
Supported by Arts Council England
Joelle Packer-Hall
Joelle Packer-Hall is Strategic Director at Skin Deep, where she leads organisational strategy, partnerships and fundraising. She has more than a decade of experience across arts, culture and social justice, building programmes, partnerships and organisations that support artists and communities. Previously, she held leadership roles at Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bernie Grant Arts Centre. Alongside her organisational leadership, Joelle is an artist whose work spans photography, self-portraiture and visual storytelling, exploring identity, belonging and the relationship between personal experience and wider social change.
Liz Pickering
Liz is a Creative and Executive Director, specialising in combined arts programming, operational delivery and strategic partnerships. She is the Cultural Director at Culture Warrington and was previously Deputy CEO at Wild Rumpus. Her career spans the Science Museum Group, Manchester International Festival and Global Media. As Cultural Director for Culture Warrington Liz is relaunching the Pyramid Arts Centre and is Director of Warrington Arts Festival. She is also the proud chair of ThickSkin Theatre. Her focus is on creating pathways into and within the cultural sector to increase representation of working class people in leadership, in particular governance and organisational design.
Visual Artist Fellowship
Supported by Artists Now
Emma Smith
Emma is a visual artist based in the UK and works internationally. Her social practice spans temporary and permanent installations for galleries and the public realm, creating spaces for people to share experiences, research and knowledge. Rooted in social and ecologicl justice, her work explores human connectivity, entangled ecologies and the places we cohabit, addressing issues including relationships across borders, invisible labour, gender prejudice, children’s agency and the climate emergency. Her commissions include work for Tate Modern, the Barbican and Bluecoat.
Chevening Fellowship
Chevening Fellowships are supported by the Chevening Secretariat at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Chevening offers individuals who show potential to inspire, inform, and influence positive change the opportunity to study in the UK.
Nagwa Bakr
Nagwa is Head of Training at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation, where she develops learning programmes that strengthen museum professionals and future cultural leaders. She has designed exhibitions and community initiatives that bring women’s voices into the interpretation and safeguarding of Egypt’s cultural heritage. Her work connects museums with communities through participation, dialogue, and inclusive approaches. She also represented the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on a national task force to shape Egypt’s soft power strategy.
Kanupriya Bhatter
Kanupriya Bhatter is a museum professional, curator and cultural policy expert. She brings more than 15 years’ experience leading national and international initiatives across the arts, crafts and heritage sectors in India. As an advisor to the Ministry of Culture, India, she has contributed to museum development, creative economy strategy and the G20 Culture Track. She is an Associate Editor of Curator: The Museum Journal, and a Charles Wallace India Trust Scholar.
Nadia Karina Fabela Campos
Nadia Fabela is a freelance Project Designer and Manager leading community cultural projects in South East Mexico. Since 2012, she has designed, funded and delivered sociocultural projects that connect artistic practice, political advocacy and community organising, with a focus on women’s and LGBTQ+ movements. She has led large-scale public events and advocacy initiatives reaching thousands of participants, and previously served as LAC Regional Coordinator for international advocacy efforts across Ecuador, Panama and Guatemala.
Shaleen Wadhwana
Shaleen is an award-winning researcher and cultural strategist, building new frameworks for how South Asia confronts its object histories through contemporary art, rooted in access, repair, and regional voice. She curated Chemould Prescott Road’s 60th anniversary exhibition, and MOOL, a cross-border exhibition of 20 artists from five South Asian countries. Her academic research brought cultural repatriation into mainstream awareness through The Unfiltered History Tour, earning India’s first-ever 12 Cannes Lions. She co-created IMMERSE, an artist-curator residency, sits on KADIST’s Asia Advisory Committee, and is part of the Curatorium for Indian Ocean Craft Triennial 2027.
Nala Xaba
Nala is a culture researcher and participatory curator from Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than ten years’ experience working with museums and galleries, social justice organisations, public archives, publishers and media houses. They are committed to building critical spaces, living archives, and collaborative platforms that deepen public thought and expand possibilities for collective change. In 2025, Nala became the founding Artistic Director of Post as Prefix (PAP) Studios, through which they explore the curatorial as a social research practice, co-creating collective attending, resistance and retrieval methodologies, towards narrative repair and epistemic justice.
Notes to editor:
For enquiries, images and interview requests, contact Rebecca Usher:
E: communications@cloreleadership.org
