Events Give New Opportunities For Cultural Leaders In Tees Valley

Training to develop leadership in the arts and culture has been unveiled as part of a new package of events for Spring and Summer 2024.

Clore Leadership, the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority have announced a series of new events in an ongoing programme of leadership development opportunities for the cultural sector in the Tees Valley

The programme aims to reach as many creative and cultural professionals in Tees Valley as possible – from aspiring leaders, artists and freelancers to established leaders working in cultural organisations.

Programme highlights open for booking this Spring/Summer 2024 include:

Tees Valley Leadership Programme Annual Gathering, 6 March 2024, 11-5pm, ARC, Stockton Arts Centre

The annual gathering is a space for creative and cultural professionals in the Tees Valley to connect and network with peers. Attendees will gain new ideas and inspiration, share learning and experiences and explore specific conversations around leadership.

The gathering will focus on the vibrant creative and cultural sector in the Tees Valley. It will bring leaders and change-makers together to spark thinking and conversation on a range of topics including; creative and community enterprise; collaboration with people and organisations to support sustainable change and growth; community building and networks.

The day will include practical workshop sessions where leaders are supported to tackle live leadership challenges, reflect on their skills and strengths and consider how these can be taken wider for impact.

Invited speakers:

• Erika Rushton, Founder and Director, Creative Economist will talk about her extensive experience working in place-making and creative and community enterprise, helping to launch new ideas, activate networks and secure growth for investment.
• Wendy Smith, Creative Director, The Glasshouse Centre for Contemporary Music will share her own cultural leadership journey, reflecting on her commitment to inclusion, social action and collaborating with people and organisations to make sustainable change.
• Hilary Carty OBE, Executive Director, Clore Leadership will bring leaders together to reflect on their strengths and skills and support them to consider how personal leadership learning can be taken wider for impact

Leadership Skills Days, May-July 2024

Following on from the success of the Tees Valley leadership skills days in 2023, the next tranche of sessions will tackle key leadership topics including strategic planning, finance and governance.

These practical leadership skills days aim to develop essential leadership skills and build a robust toolkit which can be applied to different contexts. The content is grounded in group and experiential learning, and will reflect on different leadership styles and approaches, as well as attendees own working practices.

The days will be led by a range of Clore Leadership contributors who all have their own experience and expertise to share. The skills days in 2024 will run from 10 – 4pm in venues across the Tees Valley.

• Finance for Leaders, 8 May 2024. Tom Wilcox, Senior Partner and Founder, Counterculture, MIMA, Middlesbrough
• Strategic Planning, 17 May 2024. Anna Dinnen, Arts Consultant, The BIS, Hartlepool
• Governance, the Basics, 11 July 2024. Keith Arrowsmith, Senior Partner, Counterculture, The Redcar Palace (Tees Valley Arts)

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “We are passionate about supporting the creative industries across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool to provide opportunities for well-paid, skilled jobs where local people can develop their career without having to leave the area.

“However this can only be achieved with the right leadership, so projects such as this are essential in our ambition to ensure our high quality local organisations have the best support available to grow their talent.”

Hilary Carty, Director Clore Leadership said: “We are delighted to be continuing our programme to boost the leadership skills and acumen of cultural practitioners in the Tees Valley. We’ve been working closely with Tees Valley Combined Authority, local Councils and creative leaders since 2022 to build a bespoke programme for the area, to inspire and equip cultural leaders at all stages of their career with the skills and confidence they need to represent the best of arts leadership.

“We learnt a lot and are regularly adjusting our programme so that it truly responds to the real needs and aspirations of leaders in the Tees Valley.”

You can book your place and find out more about the wider programme in the Tees Valley region here.