Funded by the British Council, Roots and Reach is an exciting opportunity for Clore Leadership International Alumni to create powerful, place-specific interventions that address local cultural challenges whilst connecting to global themes – People, Place, Planet, Advocacy. The programme is an invitation to build on, apply, and share learning from Clore Leadership’s programmes in order to lead initiatives that make a lasting impact where it counts.
The programme aims to:
- Support Clore Leadership International Alumni to further their learning gained through our programmes and share, apply or build on this in their local context
- Facilitate knowledge exchange across diverse geographical and cultural contexts
- Lay the foundations for a connected and sustainable International Alumni network
- Support authentic and inclusive, place-specific interventions designed by Alumni
- Deepen our own understanding of cultural contexts and leadership needs on a global scale
Selected Projects
Following a competitive selection process, five projects have been selected for the programme. 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.
Clore Leadership will support the delivery of these proposals between October 2025 and March 2026.
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
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 within museums 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.
Manal Ataya is Museums Advisor to the Sharjah Museums Authority and to His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, with over 20 years’ experience in museum development, cultural policy, and diplomacy. Formerly Director General of SMA for 16 years, she led the creation of seven museums and advanced accessibility, education, and cross-cultural partnerships across the network. A sought-after international speaker, she delivers keynotes and panels on arts and culture, museology, inclusion, cultural production, and the role of culture in societal well-being and peacebuilding. Ataya serves on multiple advisory boards, mentors emerging museum professionals, and champions the transformative power of culture in fostering dialogue and community wellbeing.
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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.
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.
Dr. Deepti Navaratna is a rare confluence of scientific rigor and artistic brilliance—a distinguished neuroscientist and acclaimed musician whose work boldly redefines inter-disciplinary boundaries. After a tenure in neuroscience at Harvard Medical School, she now pioneers a transformative approach to knowledge, as the T.V. Raman Pai Chair Professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore – weaving together neuroscience, the arts, and the humanities. At the heart of her cultural diplomacy work is the project Dialogues with the Divine, an interfaith, intercultural concert series that explores sacred music across world religions. This was premiered at the Parliament of World Religions, Chicago in 2022. Conceived as a platform for spiritual unity through sound, the project features sacred texts from Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Sikhism, rendered in their musical forms. Through this initiative, Deepti invites audiences to experience the universal resonance of devotion, beyond language or dogma. She has received many laurels including the Chevening Clore Fellowship (2022–23), India Foundation for the Arts – Research Grant (2016), Cambridge Arts Council Education and Access Grant (2011 &2015), Emerging Artist Award from St.Botolph Foundation (2011) and the Traditional & Ethnic Arts Fellowship from the Utah Arts Council (2009), Cambridge Arts Council Fellowship (2014) among others. Her inter-disciplinary work not only inspires but also reshapes how we understand the human experience across cultures and disciplines.
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.
Amayah Pelegrin is the founder/director of The Field Società Cooperativa, an organisation based in north Italy dedicated to enabling the just transition through creative empowerment and cross-sectoral collaboration. She has over 15 years experience supporting the creative and cultural sector in the UK and worldwide to take meaningful climate action and created the world’s first climate leadership programme for the cultural sector, Creative Climate Leadership. As an executive coach and trainer, she supports individuals and organisations across the cultural, academic and public sectors to manage change, navigate complexity and develop the skills and relationships to enable human and planetary thriving.
linkedin.com/in/amayahpelegrin
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Jugaad – Mapping Socially Engaged Arts Practice for Future Leadership in India
Jugaad is a partnership initiative between Katkatha Puppet Art (Anurupa Roy) Trust and Take A Part (Kim Wide), designed to support, network, and develop capacities within India’s Socially Engaged Arts (SEA) sector. This program will map existing practices, develop mentoring and peer-learning opportunities, and create the first-ever India SEA directory. The project ensures that geographically isolated practitioners are more connected, allowing them to develop shared approaches and build a more resilient and collaborative sector. Ultimately, the directory and findings will be shared both nationally and internationally to highlight Indian practice and connect it to global opportunities.
