Southbank Centre

Governor

15 days a year

London

Southbank Centre is the UK’s largest arts centre and one of the UK's top five visitor attractions, occupying a 11 acre site that sits in the midst of London’s most vibrant cultural quarter on the South Bank of the Thames.

We exist to offer transformative, life-enhancing encounters with world class art, in wonderful, democratic spaces. We aspire to have the most vibrant, innovative, welcoming and inclusive arts spaces in the world, renowned for championing the imagination of artists, audiences and communities

The site has an extraordinary creative and architectural history stretching back to the 1951 Festival of Britain. Southbank Centre is made up of the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery as well as being home to the National Poetry Library and the Arts Council Collection. It is also home to four Resident Orchestras.

It is also the venue for the London Literature Festival, the annual Meltdown festival of contemporary music and the recent introduction of the Purcell sessions which encourage artists to push boundaries and forge connections across art forms. The Centre is committed to accessibility to the Arts and runs an extensive and unique range of free programming within and outside the venues. We also have an active Creative Learning role, actively engaged with local schools. This is key to our accessibility and social impact aspirations and there is much more to do in this space.

The role of Governor offers you the chance to play a significant part in shaping the future of this national cultural institution. You join an organisation that has weathered the painful impact of the pandemic with the support of the Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund; we have reopened with ambitious plans to play an even more critical role at the heart of the UK’s creative and social economy. You will help us create the conditions to deliver excellent, popular and ground-breaking cultural experiences and a vibrant site, while ensuring the Southbank Centre is accessible to and inclusive of everyone.

We are committed to a diverse Board and organisation and would particularly welcome applications from black and ethnic minority candidates, women, people with disabilities and other groups currently underrepresented on boards. We are also keen to balance our inevitably London centric perspective with experience and involvement with the Arts outside London. We want our Board to reflect the diverse culture, stakeholders and communities we serve.

You will need to demonstrate the ability to act as a credible advocate of Southbank Centre to key stakeholders, show evidence of your capacity to contribute to astute decision-making and long-term thinking, and display your passion for the arts and culture, a commitment to making them accessible and a belief in the positive impact they can have on individuals and communities.

If you would like to find out more about this opportunity, please visit our microsite: https://micro.green-park.co.uk/southbankcentre/about-us/

Closing date: 11:59pm Thursday 24 February 2022