Oxford University has, for the first time, brought together senior leaders from cultural organisations across Oxfordshire in a targeted initiative designed to strengthen leadership capacity and deepen collaboration between the University and the county’s cultural sector.
The initiative, a one-off Oxfordshire Edition of Oxford Cultural Leaders (OCL), concluded last week with a final session and celebration at the Oxford Playhouse.
Developed as part of Oxford Cultural Leaders’ tenth anniversary, the programme reflects the University’s commitment to partnership working that increases cultural, societal and economic impact at both local and regional levels.
Oxford Cultural Leaders is delivered by Oxford University’s Gardens, Libraries & Museums (GLAM) in partnership with Saïd Business School and has supported cultural professionals in the UK and internationally for more than a decade.
This Oxfordshire edition applied that experience locally, responding to the particular pressures facing cultural organisations in the county. These include funding challenges, rising operational costs, workforce constraints and changing audience expectations.
Many leaders balance local responsibilities with national and international ambitions, making sustained leadership development and peer learning especially valuable.
The subsidised programme focused on individual leadership development while also creating space for collective reflection. Participants worked together to articulate shared ambitions and shape a common vision for a future in which arts and culture are embedded at the heart of Oxfordshire’s communities.
Following a competitive application process, 24 participants were selected, with 12 drawn from GLAM and 12 from cultural organisations across Oxfordshire.
These included local authorities and independent arts and heritage organisations such as the Story Museum, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford Opera, The North Wall Arts Centre, Justice in Motion, the Old Fire Station, the Bodleian Libraries, Oxford Playhouse, Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils, and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
The six-day programme ran between November 2025 and January 2026 and combined talks, keynote sessions, case studies, workshops and facilitated reflection. It was designed to foster a lasting community of cultural leaders who can continue to learn from and support one another beyond the programme itself.
The final day featured a ‘Mythodrama’ workshop using Shakespeare’s Henry V to explore leadership archetypes, motivation and emotional intelligence, followed by a celebration attended by Oxfordshire’s wider cultural network.
Dr Xa Sturgis CBE, Director of the Ashmolean Museum and Academic Director of Oxford Cultural Leaders, said:
“Oxford Cultural Leaders has, over the past decade, been helping cultural professionals across the world to strengthen their leadership and reflect on their practice. The Oxfordshire Edition continued this work locally by bringing together a cohort of colleagues from across the county.
“It’s been wonderful to see the dedication participants have shown to their own development and to the wider cultural landscape in Oxfordshire. And the county is fortunate to have such committed and forward-thinking individuals shaping its cultural landscape.”
Participants also highlighted the benefits of the locally focused approach. Abigail Brown, Arts Officer at Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils, said:
“Being part of the Oxford Cultural Leadership Programme with the Oxford cohort has been an inspiring and affirming experience.
“The course content was thoughtful and led by inspirational experts, and the connections made across Oxford’s cultural community were genuinely heart-warming and uplifting, with huge potential to connect and collaborate with in the future- putting this excellent learning into practice.”
Professor Christopher Morton, Acting Director of Pitt Rivers Museum, said:
“The programme provided valuable space to reflect on leadership away from day-to-day pressures. Learning alongside colleagues from across Oxfordshire was particularly valuable, and the insights gained and connections made will continue to inform my work well beyond the programme.”
