Clore Leadership promotes a refreshed canvas of leadership learning programmes
We are delighted to announce the rollout of our broader, enhanced programme of leadership activities.
With £1m investment from Arts Council England, alongside continuing support from our founding partner, the Clore Duffield Foundation, we will now deliver more programmes for early career leaders; increased digital learning and engagement, dynamic new partnerships (including from ACE’s Transforming Leadership network) and new opportunities to amplify the impact of our 2000-strong Alumni network.
We’re also announcing an enhanced focus on research and analysis, making full use of our experience and insight, to share and stimulate fresh thinking and engagement with arts and cultural practice. Alongside our enhanced learning offer, this will reaffirm our place at the forefront of developing the leadership of culture, and influencing the culture of leadership.
We equip and empower individuals, across different career stages, with the tools and perspectives they need to be dynamic cultural leaders. Reflecting on the success and learnings of our 16-year history, together with evaluating contemporary and future challenges to cultural leadership, we argue that, as the world around us has changed, so have the needs and requirements of cultural leaders. Culture forms and is informed by society, therefore our leaders must be well equipped to meet today’s challenges. We believe that for society to flourish, it needs great culture, and great culture needs great leaders.
The flagship Fellowship Programme has been adapted and strengthened for 2020, including opportunities to more directly address issues of civic engagement and influence. Focused on the potential for a positive change in cultural impact, a new ‘Urban Residential’ will see Fellows immersed in the real-time cultural challenges of a city/region, drawing on interactions with key civic and community partners to address critical local issues. This supplements the focused learning of skills, competencies and aptitudes, and deep, personalised engagement with an eclectic range of diverse and international industry leaders, so widely valued within the Clore Fellowship.
Building and expanding on the existing Emerging Leaders course for early-career leaders, we are launching Emerging Futures 2020. Taking place in Manchester in June, Emerging Futures 2020 is the flagship early career leaders’ conference, co-curated with young leaders drawn from new partnerships including Contact in Manchester, and Tate. This aims to encourage strong cross-sector connections, and create professional bonds and networks to support leaders as they advance their careers, including secured places for early career leaders on the Fellowship Programme so that those ready to create a step-change in civic engagement can join the Fellowship network and galvanise their ideas.
In partnership with our sister organisation Clore Social a new online learning offer Discover: Culture is also being launched, introducing early career leaders to lifelong cultural learning and encouraging the exploration of leadership styles and aptitudes. In addition to the governance programme and highly regarded residential courses, more modular learning formats will be introduced, thereby creating more opportunities for participation.
The new partnership with digital experts Unthinkable will increase our digital footprint to develop more online content including podcasts and livestreamed seminars as part of a new Leadership Insights series, which combines face-to-face masterclasses with long and short-form video and streamed content. This approach will enable cultural leaders to curate their priorities for learning in new and dynamic ways and in their preferred time and space.
We believe that excellence in culture is underpinned by a workforce that reflects society, and so are seeking to enhance opportunities for leaders from more diverse backgrounds to progress through the cultural sector, where the evidence of diversity is less established. Working with diversity and equality champions Diverse City and Sarah Pickthall, ‘Coaching Conversations’ will be established, which will entail direct intervention to strengthen the capacity and experience of D/deaf and disabled coaches contributing to the cultural sector. Equally, by partnering with Clore Fellow Gaylene Gould, formerly of the BFI, we will focus on career progression priorities for Global Majority leaders.
To support this expanding programme, strengthen the capacity for research and evaluation, and ensure they are ready for the expansion ahead, we are delighted to announce the appointment of two new senior sector leaders to our team. Kate Atkinson, who joins as Head of Programmes, comes to Clore Leadership from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, most recently as Head of Community & Professional Development. Jonathan Mayes joins as Head of Strategic Partnerships and Impact. Since 2016 he has held the position of Director of Residencies and Regional Programme with the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Autumn 2020 sees the launch of the new Clore Fellowship, Leadership Intensives and Emerging Leaders courses as well as Discover: Culture and the Leadership Insights series. Applications for all programmes open in April 2020, and applicants can register their interest by visit our research library..
Hilary Carty, Director of Clore Leadership says:
“This new programme aims to give Clore Leaders the ability to connect with both local, and international perspectives, and in turn keeps the UK’s cultural leaders promoting a broad and outward facing creative climate. This sees Clore Leaders equipped with the skills to deal with issues affecti ng both the cultural domain and wider society, such as the current need for commitment to environmental sustainability. Through encouraging these opportunities across a diverse range of cultural leaders, Clore Leadership continues to show our commitment to breaking the barriers of cultural leadership.”
Moira Sinclair, Chair of Clore Leadership says:
“It’s all too clear that in 2020 we are going to need excellent leadership, and that leaders, at all scales and across all sectors, will need to embrace their role as change makers. The challenges that leaders must face and respond to – the climate emergency, economic inequality, isolation and disconnection, polarisation – are complex and will need patience and nuanced approaches, collaborative skills and new behaviours.
Clore Leadership has been an incredible success story. But we can see that the world is changing, and that the cultural leaders must change too. To better meet these challenges, we have undertaken a bold change and are modelling the good behaviour we ask of others. Our expanded learning offers and products will offer new ways for more people to engage with Clore Leadership.”
