Governance as Leadership | The Clore Leadership Programme

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In these days of uncertainty and change, the governance of arts and cultural organisations has become ever more important.

Governance Now 2023. Photo Credit: Richard Tymon

Governance Now: Championing Communities

Conference

Governance Now returns for its 5th annual conference for trustees and professionals, exploring the place-making and civic agendas in the cultural sector and the vital support required from boards and trustees.

Achieving Good Governance: A Challenge of our Time

Hilary Carty, David Bryan and Anne Murch

Clore Leadership, together with a consortium of trusts and foundations, has commissioned an independent review of the governance development needs of arts organisations and museums.

Courage to change: how do you transform a Board to put diversity at the heart of governance?

Hilary Carty

In February 2021, Clore Leadership supported the Coventry City of Culture Trust with the appointment of seven new trustees.

Clore Leadership has offered programmes in board development since 2007. Our board development programmes have included Chair/CEO Days, New Chair Days and Board Away Days, harnessing the energies and ambitions of the whole board to prioritise governance as a key agenda item for leading our organisations well.

To offer tangible practical support to Trustees and organisations, we commissioned Clore Governance Associates Prue Skene, Tom Wilcox and Keith Arrowsmith to create "Governance in the arts and museums: a practical guide", offering a range of essential information, bespoke resources and downloadable templates that address some of the most frequently asked questions in relation to the effective governance of cultural organisations.

In 2016, in collaboration with a consortium of Trusts and Foundations, we commissioned "Achieving Good Governance: A Challenge of Our Time", which found strong evidence of good practice, as well as issues to be addressed in governance. Key issues at the top of their agenda included:

Focusing on strategic priorities and constructively engaging boards with the longer-term agenda.
Effectively balancing creative and strategic dialogue of artistic and creative vision and programming
Harnessing people and strategies to meet the challenge of fundraising.
Ensuring that trustees were informed and equipped to champion the organisation, balancing risk management with reputation management and advocacy.

In 2018 we convened the Cultural Governance Alliance - sector agencies collaborating and sharing for enhanced impact.

Our governance programme of Board Development Days, the Practical Guide, Governance Now Conference and the Cultural Governance Alliance provide a strategic response to the challenges faced by organisations and trustees today.