Fiona Allan, Strategy & Governance Consultant
Fiona Allan is an arts and cultural leader, executive coach and strategic adviser. Since early 2026 she has been building an independent consultancy practice across Australia and the UK, working with cultural organisations, boards and senior leaders on strategy, leadership, governance and organisational change.
Most recently, Fiona served as Chief Executive Officer of Opera Australia. Previously, she was Artistic Director & CEO of Birmingham Hippodrome, CEO of Curve Theatre, Artistic Director of Wales Millennium Centre, and CEO of Sydney Film Festival. Across these roles, she has led major cultural organisations through periods of artistic ambition, strategic development and change.
Alongside her executive career, Fiona has held a range of sector leadership and governance roles. She is currently Chair of Sydney’s Hayes Theatre Co. Her previous appointments include President of UK Theatre, Chair of The Space, Chair of the West Midlands Tourism Board, Co-Chair of UK Dance Consortium and a number of other board and advisory roles.
Dawn Airey CBE, Chair, Arts Council England
Dawn has over 30 years of experience in the media and creative industries, holding senior leadership positions across major broadcasters. Her executive career includes serving as Chief Executive of Channel 5, where she was the inaugural Director of Programmes, and Managing Director of Channels and Services at Sky. She has also held roles as Managing Director of Global Content at ITV and Senior Vice President at Yahoo! for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Dawn also served as the Chief Executive of Getty Images between 2015 and 2018.
Dawn holds several high-profile non-executive positions. She is currently the Chair of the National Youth Theatre and the educational platform Digital Theatre+. She also chairs the Barclays FA Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship board, a position she has held since 2019. In 2023 Dawn was appointed Chancellor of Edge Hill University. In 2021 she joined the board of Channel 4, where she acted as Interim Chair from 2022 – 25, she is currently Deputy Chair of the Board.
In the 2024 Birthday Honours, Dawn was awarded a CBE for services to theatre and to charity. She is a Vice President and Fellow of the Royal Television Society, and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts. Photo credit: Photo Jonathan Phang
Keith Arrowsmith, Managing Director, ProArts Plus
Keith is a qualified solicitor providing specialist legal and governance advice to organisations in the cultural, creative, heritage, and educational sectors. Keith is the Lead Governance Associate for the Clore Leadership Programme, one of the authors of the Cultural Governance Alliance’s Handbook, and creator of the EDI Benchmarking tool.
Keith has been recommended in the independent legal publications, Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.
Keith was played by actor Joel Fry in the Netflix film, Bank of Dave, and Lucca Patel-Chadwick in the musical version, staged earlier this year.
Paul Blundell, Head of Digital Research & Development, Arts Marketing Association (AMA)
Paul works with cultural organisations on responsible and sustainable AI adoption. Drawing on 25 years’ experience working across the arts, digital projects and AI, he has developed a methodology for helping organisations build responsible AI literacy from the ground up. He has trained over 250 arts professionals, runs sector governance roundtables, and delivers AI policy and leadership training. His work focuses on helping teams hold onto good judgement: when to say yes, when the right thing is to say no and how to stand behind decisions.
Ada Burns, Chair, Teesside University
Ada is Chair of the Board at Teesside University and brings extensive senior leadership experience from local government and public service. She was Chief Executive of Darlington Borough Council until 2018 and previously held senior positions in London Councils before moving to the North East in 2005.
Her governance experience spans higher and further education, the NHS, central government, “the arts”, and the voluntary sector. She is a Member of the Committee of University Chairs, and a Non-Executive Director of the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.
Chris Cooke, Mayor of Middlesbrough
Chris Cooke was elected as Middlesbrough Mayor in May 2023. Chris was born in Middlesbrough and grew up within the care system where he lived in various locations around the region. He worked in multiple sectors prior to his election including IT, education and politics as Councillor for Newport. It is through these diverse roles and experiences he has become attuned to the varying issues people of Middlesbrough face.
His manifesto, in short, is for Middlesbrough to be healthier, safer and ambitious. His approach is to lead with integrity, vision and empathy. Chris proudly says that “it is the people of Middlesbrough who have elected me to this post, and it is the people of Middlesbrough I will serve”.
Erica Crump, Managing Partner, Bates Wells
Erica is the current Managing Partner and Chair of partners of Bates Wells, a law firm and B Corp based in London, and well known for its market leading charities and social enterprise practice. The firm acts for countless social enterprises and non-profits (large and small) operating in the UK and internationally. She also chairs the firm’s Risk & Reputation committee. Erica has been a charities and social enterprise lawyer for twenty years. She is also a serial board member for charities and social enterprises – her most recent positions being as trustee for Shakespeare’s Globe and Stone Nest – two charities focused on performance, education, community, and place.
Catherine Holden, Consultant, Facilitator, Coach
Catherine Holden MA (Oxon), FRSA, is a consultant, facilitator, trainer, speaker and coach, advising on organisational strategy and development, governance, team building, fundraising, brands and marketing. Catherine has worked with over 50 arts and heritage organisations across the UK, and held leadership roles with national museums, galleries and theatres in London and Edinburgh. She is a board member for Clore Leadership, Art UK (Vice-Chair), and the National Theatre of Scotland, and formerly a trustee of Craft Scotland (Chair), Edinburgh Art Festival, Fruitmarket and the Arts Marketing Association.
Abid Hussain, Director, Diversity, Arts Council England
Abid Hussain is Director, Diversity with responsibility for delivering the Arts Council’s work on equality, diversity and inclusion. He currently leads on the delivery of the organisation’s Equality Objectives and All In; a UK wide scheme to improve the experience of disabled people attending arts and cultural events.
He is an alumnus of the U.S International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) and the Salzburg Global Seminar and gained a distinction in his MBA at Aston University. Abid has extensive experience of working with cultural agencies, government and academia internationally and has contributed to several international conferences and academic texts and journals in his field of expertise.
Charlie Kemp, Head of Creative Place, Tees Valley Combined Authority
Charlie Kemp is Head of Creative Place at the Tees Valley Combined Authority, where she leads strategic development of the region’s creative and cultural economy, including the UK’s Digital & Creative Investment Zone. Working at the intersection of cultural industries, economic development and devolution, she has extensive experience designing place-based growth programmes, building partnerships and translating national policy into local action. Charlie is a passionate advocate for creative ecosystems that are deeply embedded in the wider social, economic and civic life of place.
Gaye Kirby, Head of Culture, Middlesbrough Council
Gaye leads the Culture Service at Middlesbrough Council including oversight of several venues (Town Hall, Theatre, Museums and Archives) plus an Events and Festivals team. She works closely with the Middlesbrough Cultural Partnership to support the growth of the sector in Middlesbrough and embed culture into different service areas such as Regeneration, Public Health and Adult Social Care. In September 2023, the Cultural Partnership launched its 10-year Creative Vision for Middlesbrough with an ambition of making Middlesbrough the most creative town in the UK.
Gaye is currently leading Middlesbrough’s bid for UK City of Culture 2029 on behalf of the Council, working alongside partners Teesside University, Tees Valley Combined Authority and Middlesbrough Cultural Partnership.
Prior to joining the Council, Gaye was Head of Development at Durham Cathedral where she led several strategic developments including a major NLHF-funded project to transform access to the cathedral’s buildings and collections, including the creation of a new museum.
Dr. Suzann McLean MBE, CEO/Artistic Director of Theatre Peckham
Dr. Suzann McLean MBE is a director, actor and cultural leader with over 30 years’ experience shaping inclusive, future facing theatre. As CEO and Artistic Director of Theatre Peckham, she has championed new voices and expanded access, creating pathways for young creatives to thrive. Founder of Young and Talented, she is committed to developing talent and leading change across the industry. Suzann brings insight into how the sector can evolve, diversifying audiences and ensuring theatre remains relevant, innovative and deeply connected to communities.
Sarah Pickthall, co-chair of Access All Areas Productions
Sarah Pickthall is fascinated by the spaces that unite and divide us all and her work is centred on ensuring that disabled people’s voices and natural leadership qualities are built into strategic thinking and action in arts and culture. Sarah co-founded the disabled-led leadership and coaching programme, Sync Leadership in 2008 with Jo Verrent and currently directs its programme globally.
Sarah is the co-chair of Access All Areas Productions, an NPO in London, alongside Charlene Salter. Access All Areas shares leadership with autistic and learning disabled artist professionals on principle. An experienced accredited coach, coach supervisor and leadership specialist, Sarah spent 5 years helming the Inclusive Cultures programme for Clore Leadership.
Andrew Miller MBE, UK Arts Access Champion for All In
Passionate about democratising cultural governance, Andrew is recognised as one of the most influential disability advocates in the UK, transforming perceptions throughout his 35+years career in the arts, education, broadcast and film sectors.
A prolific writer on culture and a regular conference keynote speaker, his current portfolio of roles includes UK Arts Access Champion – supporting the creation of the national arts access scheme All In with the 5 UK & Ireland arts councils, he is co-Deputy Chair of the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as being a Trustee of BAFTA and Chair of Young BAFTA.
He previously served on the boards (and chaired several committees) of Arts Council England, Welsh National Opera, The Arts Council of Wales and digital arts agency The Space.
As a consultant his clients have included the University of Oxford Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, Bradford City of Culture 2025, ITV, British Film Institute, British Council and he was a Commissioner of the 2022 LGA report, Cornerstones of Culture.
Starting out in broadcasting in the 1980s, Andrew belongs to the first pioneering generation of disabled presenters of British television and produced and directed BAFTA nominated tv documentaries. He later became the first wheelchair user to run a major UK arts venue at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff.
Andrew was the UK Government’s first Disability Champion for Arts & Culture, establishing the role as a powerful campaigning platform for greater inclusion across the arts, museums and film. In 2020 he co-founded the UK Disability Arts Alliance, #WeShallNotBeRemoved to support disabled artists through the pandemic and he co-authored the Seven Inclusive Principles that helped shape the cultural recovery.
Mark Robinson, Founder, Thinking Practice
Mark founded Thinking Practice in 2010, to write, facilitate, coach, evaluate and advise across the cultural sector. Future Arts Centre published Tactics for the Tightrope: Creative Resilience For Creative Communities in 2021. He is interested in evaluation as a shared creative process, and a way of thinking collectively.
Mark was previously Executive Director, North East at Arts Council England. He ran festivals, poetry publishers, arts organisations and worked in adult education after an early career in restaurants. Mark is also a widely anthologised poet whose Selected Poems, How I Learned to Sing was published by Smokestack Books. His new collection, The Infinite Town, takes its title from a public poem installed on Stockton High Street, and was published by Smokestack Books in 2024.
Anna Rowe, Arts Consultant
Anna Rowe is an experienced strategic arts consultant and leader. From 2019 to June 2026 she was the Project Director for Figurative Philanthropy for Arts & Culture whose Arts for Impact fund has raised £8.8 m from individuals in three matched funding campaigns. She also has a busy freelance consultancy career.
Past leadership roles include Chief Executive of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, General Manager of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and Executive Director of Yellow Barn Music School & Festival in the US. Current and recent consultancy clients have included The Kathleen Ferrier Awards, Royal Borough of Kingston, The Rayne Foundation, Askonas Holt, the Peasmarsh Chamber Music Festival, Kings Place, the PRS Foundation and Rich Mix. She is chairman of RIAC UK, former chair of the Alexander Whitley Dance Company, and a trustee of the Coln Trust. Anna studied mathematics at the University of Oxford and began her career at the investment bank UBS. She also holds a masters in Cultural Policy and Leadership from City University.
Moira Sinclair, Chair, Factory International & Chair, Clore Leadership
Moira Sinclair was Chief Executive of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, one of the UK’s largest independent grant makers from 2015 to early 2025 .
An experienced cultural leader, Moira is Chair of Clore Leadership and Chair of Factory International in Manchester. She is also a trustee of National Landscapes and the National Theatre Foundation and she chairs the Investment Committee for the Arts Impact Fund. In 2022, she became an Honorary Fellow at the Exeter Centre for Leadership. She was previously Chair of the London Mayor’s Cultural Strategy Board and a member of the British Library Advisory Council
As Executive Director London and South East for Arts Council England for nearly 10 years, she oversaw a portfolio of 322 funded cultural organisations and contributed to national policy development, with a particular focus on the resilience and sustainability of the cultural sector and workforce development. She played a key role supporting the cultural programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and continues to support its legacy at home and internationally.
Prof Mark Simpson, Incoming Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Teesside University
Professor Simpson is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Teesside University. He graduated from Teesside University with a degree in Politics and a PhD in Criminology. He has written and researched in the fields of Youth Crime, Criminal Justice and Drug Use. Professor Simpson was previously Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Business & Law and then Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning & Teaching).
Professor Mark Simpson has an international reputation and is known for his work in educational digital transformation. He is a regular keynote speaker at international learning and teaching conferences and was awarded Adobe’s Digital Literacy Thought Leader. He is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA) and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (FRSA).
Professor Mark Simpson will assume the role of Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Teesside University on 1 September 2026.
Jo Verrent, Director, Unlimited
Jo is the director of Unlimited – which exists to change and challenge the world through commissioning disabled artists to create extraordinary work.
Since 2013, Unlimited has supported over 556 artists with over £7.6 million, reaching audiences of over 9 million.
Jo has an MBE and also a cup for making jam. She is on the National Council for ACE and the oversight group for Arts, Fundraising and Philanthropy.
Bill Vince, Senior Relationship Manager, Arts Council England
Bill Vince is a Senior Relationship Manager at Arts Council England (ACE).
Bill graduated from Leicester Polytechnic with a degree in Performing Arts and then began a career as a drummer/percussionist and composer/songwriter based in Sheffield while working as a community musician and workshop leader on over 150 music and dance projects across England and Europe.
Moving into project management, Bill led the UK’s 1st ever £1million Music Project: Sounding Out for Yorkshire Youth and Music, offering opportunities for young people in challenging circumstances. As Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival’s Education Director, he won the Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Best Education Work for his Engagement Programme for the Festival.
Bill led on Youth Dance Strategy for Youth Dance England and Yorkshire Dance before joining ACE in 2011 as Senior Manager for Funding Programmes.
Bill currently manages a team of specialist Relationship Managers and leads for ACE North on international partnerships and on capital investment. He also leads place-based working across the Tees Valley Combined Authority area. He still plays the drums.
Vici Wreford-Sinnott, Artistic Director, Little Cog
Vici Wreford-Sinnott is a leading figure in the UK Disability Arts Movement, passionately campaigning for the cultural equity of disabled people for over thirty years. She is the founding artistic director of internationally acclaimed North East based Little Cog which is a disabled-led production company. Vici is a disabled theatre and TV writer and director, and in 2021 she was commissioned by the BBC to write and make her short film Hen Night. It is one of the first pieces of broadcast television drama by a disabled women-led team in the UK, and has been seen by over a million people worldwide. Her theatre work tours nationally and she is founding Festival Director of Our Stomping Grounds Festival in Teesside now in its fourth year. Vici is a PhD practice-based candidate researching Radical Acts: Disabled Women Performing, and is a world-leading expert on the subject of disability representation in performance. Vici is a highly respected disability equality strategist and has shared her model of disabled-led art in mainstream cultural settings across the world. She recently returned to performance in touring show UNRULY, celebrating and telling a story of older disabled women from the disability rights and arts movements and activism. She is a recipient of the North East Art and Culture Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts.
We are delighted to be part of Luton Arts Support, a new partnership that brings together Clore Leadership, Revoluton Arts, The Culture Trust Luton and Luton Arts to strengthen and connect the town’s creative community. As an organisation whose headquarters are in Luton, we are especially proud to be supporting the creative community right on our doorstep.
The collaboration offers Luton’s artists, producers and creative practitioners an accessible route to development support. The programme will combine leadership development, tailored one-to-one creative advice, and networking and professional development opportunities.
What Clore Leadership is doing
Through Luton Arts Support, we’ll be offering a programme of activities and opportunities exclusively for cultural professionals working in Luton, helping them to lead, collaborate and shape the future of culture in their town. Over the next couple of months, we’ll be releasing details of these activities and how to book your spot.
We’ll be holding a friendly introductory event on Wednesday 9th September, 1 – 2.30pm at Hat Factory Studio, Luton, where you can find out more about Clore Leadership and the work we’ll be delivering as part of the programme.
Click here for further information about the event and details on how to book.
The wider offer
Alongside our leadership development opportunities, the partnership will provide:
- Free tailored 1-to-1 creative support from Revoluton Arts
- Networking and professional development opportunities hosted by The Culture Trust at Hat Works, creating space for collaboration and peer learning
A shared vision
Luton Arts Support is about removing barriers and levelling the playing field, making opportunities, information and practical support visible and accessible to everyone.
Click here to find out more about the Luton Arts Support programme.
Luton Arts Support is supported by Luton Arts, a two-year programme funded by Arts Council England, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Luton Rising, and delivered by the Arts and Culture Strategy Group (ACSG).
“We are so pleased to be part of Luton Arts Support, a partnership that brings together expertise, opportunity and local knowledge to strengthen Luton’s creative community. At Clore Leadership, we believe great cultural leadership exists in every community, and this hub creates an important gateway for access to development, connections and opportunities. Together with our partners, we’re proud to help more people build the confidence, skills and relationships needed to lead, collaborate and shape the future of culture in Luton.”
Katherine Osborn, Head of Partnerships and Impact, Clore Leadership
For enquiries, images and interview requests contact Rebecca Usher:
E: communications@cloreleadership.org
Asymmetric Workforce: the growing reality that people within the same organisation can experience work, leadership, opportunity and belonging very differently. Understanding this asymmetry is increasingly critical to leadership effectiveness, retention, personal impact and organisational resilience.
Clore Leadership and Green Park have partnered to explore the leadership challenges, recruitment pressures and organisational changes facing arts, culture and creative organisations today.
We know many organisations are navigating a more complex environment: constrained funding, changing audience expectations, new demands on leaders, uneven access to opportunity, and the challenge of building inclusive organisations that can attract, retain and develop the right people.
This short survey should take around 5 minutes and will help us all understand current market drivers in the area of inclusive leadership and talent:
- which leadership and board roles are hardest to recruit or sustain
- how inclusion and representation affect leadership pipelines
- where organisations are feeling pressure in attracting, retaining and developing leaders
- how workforce asymmetry is showing up in practice
- what kinds of support, insight or leadership development would be most useful
Your responses will help inform Clore Leadership’s future thinking, support and programme design, as well as Green Park’s understanding and benchmarking of current attitudes and good practices in the sector. All responses will be treated in confidence and used only for research and service development purposes.
THE SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED – THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT.
Privacy notice
Clore Leadership & Green Park will collect your information for the purposes of research and service development only. No personal information will be shared with third parties. Our wider Privacy Notice can be found here.
Clore Leadership is delighted to welcome three new appointments to its Board. E-J Scott, Senior Lecturer, Central Saint Martins (UAL) and Founder of the Museum of Transology; Justin Spooner, Co-founder and Director of Unthinkable; and Bengi Ünsal, Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA).
They join a dynamic Board of cultural leaders chaired by Moira Sinclair OBE, who support Clore Leadership’s mission to inspire and equip leaders across the arts, culture and creative sectors to make a positive impact on society through great leadership of culture.
The appointments come at a critical moment for cultural leadership. Leaders across the sector are responding to rapid technological change, increasing financial pressures, shifts in workforce expectations, the realities facing freelancers and artists, and growing expectations around equity, inclusion and representation. They are also navigating a changing public and political environment, while sustaining organisations, audiences and communities through uncertainty.
The Board ensures Clore Leadership stays at the forefront of the issues that matter most to the sector, ensuring that leadership support reflects the realities of leading culture now and in the future. Together, E-J, Justin and Bengi bring deep expertise in digital innovation, organisational transformation, contemporary culture, participation and inclusion that will strengthen Clore Leadership’s ability to meet the evolving needs of the sector.
Moira Sinclair, Chair of Clore Leadership, said:
“I offer a very warm welcome to our incoming trustees as well as grateful thanks to those who have completed their terms recently. Clore Leadership’s mission — to strengthen leadership across the arts, culture and heritage — depends on the commitment and expertise of people who truly believe in its importance and want to give something back, and we are fortunate to have individuals of such calibre joining us at this time.”
E-J Scott, Senior Lecturer, Central Saint Martins (UAL) and Founder of the Museum of Transology, said:
“The UK’s cultural sector is at a precarious, if not historic, juncture. Cultural leaders are navigating challenges of increasing complexity, from funding and freedom of expression to the impact of rapidly advancing technologies. Clore Leadership continues to play a vital role in equipping them with the confidence to think critically and act with clarity. I am honoured to contribute to the organisation’s mission to support the next generation of leaders, ensuring the UK’s cultural sector is ambitiously stewarded and remains internationally relevant and at the forefront of creative practice.”
Justin Spooner, Co-founder and Director of Unthinkable, said:
“It is with great excitement that I am joining the Clore Leadership Trustee Board, an organisation that I have known and deeply respected for some years. I feel that their work is essential for supporting our country’s idiosyncratic cultural ecosystem and the talented people that work in it. I hope to bring my background and expertise in digital arts, culture and creativity to support the next phase of communal connectivity, ideas exchange, and learning opportunities that Clore Leadership is so well known for.”
Bengi Ünsal, Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), said:
“I’m honoured to join Clore Leadership as a Trustee at a time when investing in confident, resilient and inclusive cultural leadership feels more critical than ever. I look forward to working alongside the Board and team to support its vital work in strengthening leadership capacity and helping shape a more sustainable and equitable future for the cultural sector.”
Contact
For enquiries, images and interview requests, contact Rebecca Usher:
E: communications@cloreleadership.org
We’re thrilled to be partnering on Empowering Curators with Art Fund, this is a vital and timely programme supporting global majority leaders in the museums and galleries sector.
“The Empowering Curators programme is of its time – strategic, ambitious, thoughtful and focused. It draws together key sector partners, learning from the past, and contemporary perspectives, to make a sustained investment in the future of curatorial leadership.” – Hilary Carty OBE
Today, in partnership with Clore Leadership and the Cultural Governance Alliance, Arts Council England have published a new guide to support working relationships between Chairs and Chief Executives across the arts and cultural sector.
Developed by Fiona Allan, this resource provides practical advice, tools and templates to help organisations strengthen governance at the top of cultural institutions.
You can find out more information on the guidance by reading this article by Fiona Allan in The Stage.
Clore Leadership in partnership with The Cultural Governance Alliance (CGA) are excited to announce the launch of a new governance EDI Benchmarking Tool. We’re committed to helping organisations embed equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) into their governance practices and have developed a practical tool to help you move from intention to impact and create tangible change. The tool has been developed in collaboration with Clore Leadership Governance Associate, Keith Arrowsmith.
The tool’s development and launch has been supported by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.
I found the (benchmarking tool) exercise valuable for identifying areas for improvement and board effectiveness.
Diversifying Governance Cohort Member
Benchmarks are invaluable governance tools that provide quantitative measures to track progress, identify opportunities, and set strategic direction. Our EDI Benchmarking Tool is designed to help your board review its performance and set goals relating to EDI policies and processes.
While a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t suitable for EDI, good governance supports transparency and consistency. This particular tool will help you assess whether your governance arrangements actively encourage a diverse board, rather than directly measuring your organisation’s current diversity.
After undertaking initial benchmarking, the tool will provide a score across different aspects of EDI in your governance, along with insights and free resources to help you work on the areas you’re seeking to improve. To support accountability, you will then be invited to revisit the tool to reassess progress on a timeline that suits your organisation.
I especially liked the final aspect of the benchmarking as I could actually see how this could be applied in our organisation and with the work across the EDI strategy and policy straight away working across all levels.
Diversifying Governance Training Day Participant
Arts Professional: Art Fund leader demands ‘laser-like focus’ on creative subjects in schools
In a panel, hosted by Creative UK at the Labour Party Conference, entitled Creative Learners, Future Leaders: A Curriculum for Growth, representatives from the likes of the National Theatre and Music Mark discussed issues including the sector skills gap. Read more.
Art Fund calls for creative learning and school visits to be embedded into the curriculum. Read more.
Campaign for the Arts: Labour Conference 2025 explainer. Read more.
The Art Newspaper: Town of Culture competition will highlight ‘creativity, history and identity’, says UK government. The newly announced initiative follows the popular City of Culture scheme, which has been running since 2013. Read more.
Exeter University: Pioneering placemaking and regional identity in the creative industries foregrounded at the Labour Party Conference. Read more.
Blog: A National Recovery by Aleksander Szram, Artistic Director at Trinity Laban. Read more.
Equity: Support collective bargaining in the arts” Equity urges government. Read more.
Arts Professional: Nandy launches UK Town of Culture competition to tell ‘working-class’ stories. The contest is to complement the success of the existing UK City of Culture scheme, the government says. Read more.
Musician’s Union: MU General Secretary Addresses Artificial Intelligence and Music Streaming at Labour Party Conference. Read more.
Following a competitive selection process, the chosen initiatives stood out for their creativity, strong local relevance, and potential for meaningful and lasting impact. They each demonstrate clear alignment with the programme’s aims and themes, and together represent a rich mix of geographies, approaches, and leadership practices.
Roots and Reach supports Clore Leadership’s International Alumni to design and deliver community-rooted projects that connect cultural practice with global perspectives. The programme provides resources, mentorship, and peer learning, enabling leaders to strengthen their leadership skills while making a difference in their home contexts.
The five selected projects are:
- Manal Ataya, Sharjah Museums Authority, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Project title: Leadership & Wellbeing: A Micro-Series
The Leadership and Wellbeing programme, led by Dr. Louise Lambert and co-facilitated by Manal Ataya, is a women-only initiative designed to enhance emotional literacy, strengthen stress management, and foster healthier workplace dynamics.
Over the course of three months, participants will engage in a series of interactive sessions that explore happiness, emotional regulation, relational patterns, and the power of art as a therapeutic tool. The programme will also incorporate art therapy workshops, offering creative avenues for participants to process emotions and reduce stress. The safe and supportive environment will enable women to share and reflect on their wellbeing, while addressing workplace challenges that impact leadership effectiveness.
Through pre- and post-assessments, the programme will measure its impact, equipping participants with practical tools and resources to enhance their professional performance, interpersonal relationships, and overall wellbeing. The programme can host up to 30 participants in onsite or online formats.
- Vicky Fung, Every Life is a Song Limited with Susanna Chung & Wiki Lo, Hong Kong
Project title: Coaching for Cultural Leadership in Hong Kong
Coaching for Cultural Leadership in Hong Kong is an initiative by Clore Fellows Susanna Chung, Vicky Fung, and Wan Ki Lo, aimed at empowering mid-career cultural leaders through transformative coaching practices. This project introduces coaching as a vital leadership tool to build resilience and help the sector navigate challenges in an evolving creative landscape. A one-day workshop will introduce coaching as a leadership practice, supported by a Chinese-language workbook tailored to Hong Kong’s cultural context. A Community Sharing and Networking Day fosters cross-sector dialogue and peer learning that builds a more supportive leadership community in Hong Kong. This pilot also serves as a research basis for evaluating coaching practices in Hong Kong, with potential for future expansion.
Deepti Navaratna, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, India
Project title: Indian Cultural Diplomacy Leadership & Advocacy Group: Culturati
Deepti proposes establishing Culturati, a research and advocacy group to address leadership gaps in India’s cultural diplomacy. India’s current framework suffers from institutional fragmentation, limited civic participation, and weak integration of cultural policy with foreign policy. Culturati will create an inclusive platform bringing together artists, policymakers, and scholars to generate policy-relevant knowledge, connect cultural diplomacy with the creative economy, and strengthen India’s international cultural presence. Anchored at NIAS, the initiative will deliver a cultural diplomacy research monitor, three annual conclaves, and a policy brief in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, fostering leadership in reimagining India’s global cultural engagement.
- Amayah Pelegrin, The Field Società Cooperativa, Trieste, Italy
Project title: Cultural Power
Bringing together cultural leaders in Trieste (north-east Italy) for three leadership development days, Cultural Power aims to share best practice and build capacity for place-based and culturally-led climate action to flourish locally. Hosted by the Museum of the Bora, the programme will take place in the context of the GO2025 Capital of Culture and the launch of Italy’s first national report on cultural climate action. Amayah will aim to network cultural leaders with potential collaborators from the civil and public sectors, share knowledge and build skills around place-based climate action, engage with policymakers, and articulate how culture can drive social and ecological transition.
- Anurupa Roy, Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust, New Delhi, India
Project title: Jugaad – Mapping Socially Engaged Arts Practice for Future Leadership in India
Socially Engaged Art/Art for Social Change/Applied Art is a political/social practice widely unmapped and often misunderstood within the wider Indian cultural landscape. A nation that is more familiar with ‘traditional heritage arts practices’ and gallery/museum-led practices, those leading in an SEA landscape are often dispersed, isolated and unseen and, due to the vastness of the country, unable to travel to see and learn from one another’s leadership journeys.
They will work accessibly through digital practice to collaboratively map leaders (current and emergent), understand practice needs, give skills and network them together for a stronger SEA sector leadership in India with global reach.
Through a pan-India online offer (webinars, pecha kuchas, mentoring, workshops), they will bring leaders together to contextualise their practice, network, map challenges/solutions, and create vital systems for knowledge-share and care, promoting resilience.
Clore Leadership will support the delivery of these proposals between now and March 2026.
This programme is kindly funded by the British Council.
Find out more about the Roots and Reach programme.
Clore Leadership is delighted to welcome 24 exceptional cultural leaders to the 2025/26 Clore Fellowship, representing a diverse spectrum of disciplines, perspectives, and approaches to strengthening leadership across the arts, culture, and creative sectors.
This year’s cohort brings together leaders who are grappling with what it means to lead in an evolving cultural sector; from navigating funding pressures to leading through social, political and global upheaval. These Fellows are not only responding to change but actively shaping it. The Fellowship will support them to strengthen their leadership capabilities, offering space to reflect, experiment and collaborate with peers from across the globe as they develop their potential to drive systemic change and build a more resilient and thriving cultural sector.
The Clore Fellowship remains the UK’s most prestigious programme for leadership development in the cultural sector. Over the past 22 years, it has equipped over 500 Fellows to lead with integrity, impact, and imagination. Each year, the Fellowship attracts leaders working across museums, theatre, dance, film, literature, heritage, policy, and beyond. Many Fellows are challenging established ways of working, questioning traditional approaches and organisational structures, and exploring new pathways to cultural excellence.
Geographically, the cohort includes leaders from across the UK, from Northern Ireland to Kent, alongside international representation from China, Hong Kong, Mexico, Brazil, and India. This reflects the Fellowship’s focus on strengthening cultural leadership in the UK while fostering global perspectives and collaboration.
The Fellows demonstrate remarkable resilience and vision and a deep understanding that cultural leadership today requires adaptive strategies, collaborative approaches, and the flexibility to respond to an ever-accelerating pace of change while maintaining an unwavering commitment to lead with hope, care, and creativity.
Moira Sinclair, Chair of Clore Leadership, welcomed the cohort:
“Leadership in culture today demands courage, compassion, and an ability to adapt. As we continue to navigate significant change, this cohort’s commitment to evolving their practice and the sector more broadly is inspiring. I look forward to seeing how this group will shape the future of culture.”
Kate Bellamy, Director, Clore Duffield Foundation, added:
“We are proud to support a programme that continues to invest in thoughtful and ambitious leaders, and helps them to drive change across cultural organisations, networks and communities. We’re excited to welcome this talented cohort of 2025/26 Fellows.”
The Clore Fellowship provides tailored leadership development through a programme that blends facilitated reflection, contemporary leadership theory, and peer learning. Residential content explores authenticity, values, inclusive cultures, strategic planning, and the practice of leadership in action.
Clore Leadership is grateful to its strategic partners, including major funders the Clore Duffield Foundation and Arts Council England, alongside a-n The Artists Information Company, Chevening Secretariat, Dancers’ Career Development, the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, The Linbury Trust, and National Trust.
The 2025/26 Fellows are:
Cultural Learning Fellowship
Supported by the Clore Duffield Foundation
Tom MacAndrew
Tom is a freelance producer specialising in poetry, spoken word and live literature. He has delivered work for clients including the BBC, British Library, British Museum, Forward Arts Foundation, Harper Collins and World Book Day. His work has covered education programmes, podcast series, commissions, publications and touring live literature shows nationally and internationally with poets including John Hegley, Joshua Idehen and Joelle Taylor. He is the producer of Out-Spoken, London’s largest regular poetry night, and in partnership with Spread the Word he runs Deptford Literature Festival. Tom is a trustee of the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre.
Heather Minto
Heather is a proud northerner based in the Tees Valley where she grew up. She is passionate about supporting children, young people and families to access cultural experiences.
She has a decade of experience in leading and evaluating multi-artform community engagement programmes, including national and regional initiatives for charities, public bodies and local authorities. In her role at Tees Valley Museums, she develops and supports programmes including award winning youth engagement initiatives that reduce the barriers to cultural engagement across five local authorities.
Jenna Omeltschenko
Jenna is a producer specialising in theatre and participation. Jenna has held senior roles at both Sheffield Theatres and the National Theatre, and has recently been working in Ukraine with artist, the vacuum cleaner, and young people living near the front line.
Jenna is of Eastern European and Irish heritage. Her working-class upbringing informs her work ensuring that all young people can lead creative lives.
Jenna became the first young person to sit on the board of Contact and is a Trustee of Theatre by the Lake. Jenna is also a founding Trustee of the Live Entertainment and Arts Foundation (LEAF).
Culture & Climate Leaders Fellowship
Supported by The Linbury Trust
Farah Ahmed
Farah is an organiser, facilitator, creative producer and curator, working to build powerful movements for climate justice. They were formerly the Climate Justice Lead at Julie’s Bicycle and co-founded Our Diaspora Futures collective. They are interested in how we can imagine and practice decolonial, ancestral, and anti-capitalist ways of being. They believe in building a cultural movement for climate justice which is accessible, radical, well informed, and grounded in deep care for the human and more-than-human world. Farah is a trustee of Platform and on multiple advisory boards focusing on grassroots-led collective action for climate justice.
Dance Fellowship
Supported by Dancers’ Career Development and The Linbury Trust
Zenaida Yanowsky
Zenaida Yanowsky is a former Principal Dancer with The Royal Ballet and former Ballerina with Paris Opera Ballet. Raised in Spain, she trained with Anatol Yanowsky and Carmen Robles before winning several international ballet competitions. As a performer and artistic leader, she has worked across major European ballet companies and now serves as a guest coach for The Royal Ballet and international companies. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees at the Prix de Lausanne, Switzerland.
Duffield Fellowship
Supported by the Clore Duffield Foundation
Laura Collier
Laura is an Independent Creative Director and Executive Producer, empowering cultural organisations to thrive, driving artistic strategy and cultural change and enabling artists to make their best work. Laura most recently was the first ever Creative Director of Shakespeare North Playhouse, and as Head of Studio at the National Theatre, as well as Associate Producer at Battersea Arts Centre and the Traverse Theatre.
Laura is a trustee of the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse Theatre and is an Associate Artist of Shakespeare’s Globe
Ben Travis
Ben is the Director of Audiences at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury. An experienced strategic leader, he has spent nearly 20 years at Kent’s largest theatre, in which time the organisation has grown into one of the most successful independent regional theatres in the country.
Ben oversees the theatre’s marketing, communications, design and data analysis functions, leading on a wide range of innovative and impactful audience development initiatives. He is passionate about the essential role that regional theatres play in broadening access to the arts.
Excellerate Fellowship
Supported by Arts Council England
Nancy Adimora
Nancy is an award-winning publishing consultant, working at the intersection of creativity and culture. She’s the founder of OtherStories, a publishing consultancy and studio, and AFREADA, an African literary magazine. Most recently, she was the Head of Talent and Audience at HarperCollins Publishers, where she sat on the publishing board and led initiatives to deepen engagement with writers and readers from underrepresented communities. She’s since transitioned into consulting, working with clients and partners across the creative and cultural industries to further her vision of democratising storytelling.
Ellie Claughton
Ellie is a cultural leader and producer. She is the Executive Director of Improbable, the multi-award-winning company behind productions such as My Neighbour Totoro. She has worked extensively across the UK’s independent and touring theatre sectors, holding senior leadership roles including Executive Director at Boundless Theatre and Executive Producer at Paines Plough. Ellie has a strong track record of transforming artist-led companies with bold creative visions into resilient, functioning organisations, including LUNG, Breach and Barrel Organ. She trained in Creative Producing at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and is a Trustee of Oxford Playhouse and Chair of Zoo Co.
Tom Ryalls
Tom is a writer and cultural organiser. He founded BAP! to interrogate the relationship between creativity and wealth redistribution, working with companies across the country on their fundraising, business planning, and campaigning to affect policy. He is the chair of Graeae, a trustee of Unlimited, and the Deputy Chair of the Disability Advisory Committee of Arts Council England. In his writing practice, he often makes very camp shows through a Marxist lens, entertaining and interrogating how we might change who gets to imagine the future.
National Trust Fellowship
Supported by the National Trust
Emma Cunningham
Emma leads inclusive, community-driven work across heritage, nature and culture, with a background in ecology, education, and leadership. Her work spans climate resilience, landscape restoration and sustainable farming, underpinned by a deep commitment to equity and access. She pioneers inclusive design in heritage spaces and has built partnerships that empower underrepresented voices. With experience in both local and international contexts, Emma brings a strategic perspective to cultural and environmental regeneration, working to create just and beautiful futures for people and planet.
Self funded and Employer Funded Fellowships
Katie Bailiff
Katie is an accomplished British television producer and executive, known for her impactful documentaries and commitment to social issues. She co-founded the award-winning production company Century Films and later became CEO of Women in Film and TV (UK), advocating for gender equality in the industry. With a career spanning over three decades, Bailiff has produced critically acclaimed programmes for major broadcasters including the BBC and Channel 4. Her work often focuses on real-life stories, giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Theatre Fellowship
Supported by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation
Matthew Austin
Matthew is a Bristol-based producer and curator, and the co-founder of MAYK. Alongside Kate Yedigaroff, he was Co-Director of the organisation from 2011 to 2025. At MAYK, he co-directed Mayfest, Bristol’s biennial festival of international theatre. Most recently, he co-curated Confluence, a residency programme exploring the changing nature of Bristol through the voices of artists and communities. Matthew is Chair of the Bristol Culture Network and a member of the One City Culture Board.
Amaya Jeyarajah Dent
Amaya is a Festival Director, Programmer, and Senior Creative Producer. Formerly Artistic Director (Interim) and Head of Programme at LIFT, she has collaborated with artists worldwide to create bold, unforgettable cultural events across the capital.
She produced The Walk, overseeing Little Amal’s remarkable journey through 10 UK cities; worked with Emergency Exit Arts to create large-scale theatre in landscape; and collaborated with immersive studio Anagram to stage performances in iconic locations using emerging technologies.
Amaya is committed to representing international perspectives in culture and believes in the transformative power of theatre where people live, work, and gather.
Transform Fellowship
Supported by Arts Council England
Ben Evans
Ben is the Project Director of Europe Beyond Access (EBA), the world’s largest transnational Arts & Disability project. Ben initiated this project whilst working as the British Council’s European Head of Arts and Disability. Previously, Ben’s roles at the British Council have included: Head of Arts, Portugal, and Theatre and Dance Advisor (EU and sub-Saharan Africa). Ben is the Chair of the European Arts & Disability Cluster and is an independent Accessible Culture policy consultant and advocate.
Eve Loren
Eve is an award-winning researcher/writer/multidisciplinary artist with a social practice. Eve was raised in poverty and dropped out of art school aged 19. Drawing on training in anthropology, and a career in TV/film, she returned to the arts in her 30s to make narrative-led multimedia works alongside minoritised communities. Recent projects examine health inequalities, institutional violence and collective listening as practice/protest. Eve works across health/social care/carceral systems, improving access to culture and artists’ labour conditions. She teaches ethical co-creation practices, consults and presents work internationally. Current research explores creative resistances to fascism, decolonising and neuroqueering methodologies in cultural leadership.
Visual Artist Fellowship
Supported by a-n The Artists Information Company
Christopher Samuel
Christopher is a multi-disciplinary artist whose practice is rooted in identity and disability politics.
Often echoing the many facets of his own lived experience as a Black disabled man, his work tells stories, highlighting the often-unseen experiences of his day-to-day life and those of others in similar circumstances. His practice includes small, detailed ink drawings, film, print, audio, research, and large installations.
Samuel works alongside galleries, museums, archives and other institutions to address missing representation in our cultural spaces. His exhibition ‘Watch Us Lead’ is showing at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
International Fellowships
The Hong Kong Fellowship is supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council
Chloe Chow
Chloe is a Hong Kong based curatorial and programme strategist with extensive experience in contemporary art, museum leadership, and arts education. Recognised for bridging academia and industry, she mentors emerging talent and advances socially engaged projects. She is Head of Exhibitions and Programmes at WMA (Witness, Mobilise, Action) and former Associate Curator at M+, Chloe’s projects include Realms of Memory (Royal Photographic Society, 2024) and Chan Hau Chun: Silent Sojourns (WMA, 2023). She is also assistant editor of Hong Kong Visual Culture: The M+ Guide (2022).
Gigi Leung
Gigi is Curator of Learning and Engagement at M+, the museum of visual culture in Hong Kong. Since joining the museum in 2014 as one of the founding members, Gigi has been instrumental in shaping the museum’s learning initiatives and engagement strategies. She is committed to fostering creativity, inclusivity and social change through museum engagement. She has conceived and developed a wide range of dynamic and thought-provoking experiences for visitors of all backgrounds including families, young people, adults, older adults and communities with different needs. She believes in the transformative impacts of collaborations with artists, makers, educators and community partners across disciplines to promote active learning, strengthen social connection, and enhance the well-being of individuals.
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.
Cao Xi
Cao is a theatre director, playwright, and educator whose work explores the role of political theatre, drama in education, youth development, and cultural change. Based in Beijing, he serves as Executive Director of Jian Xue International Education and Culture Institute and Creative Director of Drama Rainbow, one of the most influential educational drama and theatre organisations in the Chinese-speaking world.
Denisse Flores Somarriba
Denisse is a cultural strategist and public affairs professional based in Guadalajara, Mexico. She leads the Office of Innovation and Cultural Engagement at the University of Guadalajara.
Beyond her institutional work, Denisse is also active in independent cultural production through Dolorca Producciones, Female Sessions, where she curates and manages performing arts projects such as flamenco cycles and interdisciplinary showcases in regional venues across Jalisco.
She is a recipient of the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) Emerging Leader Award and has built a strong international network through her collaborations with the British Council, the Kennedy Center, and the University of Guadalajara Foundation in Los Angeles.
Mariana Garcia
Mariana has dedicated over 14 years of her career to the cultural sector, with a particular interest in initiatives that broaden access to classical music in Brazil. She serves as the Communications Manager for the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra Foundation, one of Latin America’s leading cultural institutions. Mariana has spearheaded the expansion of the Orchestra’s digital presence, comprising artistic, educational, and outreach programmes, and led its rebranding process, two essential steps towards audience renewal and the sustainability of the organisation.
Saima Iqbal
Saima is a conservation architect and cultural leader from Kashmir, India, renowned for her bold, community-centred approach to heritage preservation. She brings over 20 years of experience reviving endangered building crafts, restoring historic sites, and shaping policy through advocacy and action. Founder of Studio-SAHEN, a platform nurturing young professionals in heritage, Saima’s work bridges tradition and innovation, with a strong focus on conflict-affected regions. She is committed to shaping the next generation of cultural leaders by fostering dialogue, collaboration, and hands-on engagement with conservation practice.
Smriti Raigarhia
Smriti is the Executive Director of Serendipity Arts Foundation and Festival. Over her 11 years at the Foundation, she has overseen 10 editions of the multidisciplinary arts festival, including two virtual editions.
An architect with a Masters Degree in Design, Smriti has over two decades of experiences in the arts sector. She previously served as Director of Swarai Arts Archive in Noida where she worked in cultural preservation and curation. Smriti believes in culture’s power to dive social changes and focuses on developing new institutional frameworks within the arts sector to widen audience demographics.