Oxford Cultural Leaders Residential Programme

Two women in a classroom smiling and talking

Oxford Cultural Leaders Residential Programme

Spend six immersive days at the University of Oxford alongside senior arts, museum and heritage leaders from around the world. Designed and delivered by Oxford University's Gardens, Libraries and Museums in partnership with Saïd Business School, Oxford Cultural Leaders is an internationally recognised leadership programme for those ready to lead with greater confidence, creativity and impact.

Applications open in March 2027

2025 Residential Programme Curriculum

Please note that the course content and schedule is subject to change.

The residential programme includes a mix of immersive workshops, lectures, panel discussions, provocations, reflection sessions and keynote speeches, delivered by cultural sector leaders, business school experts and industry authorities. Social events form an integral part of the programme such as visits to cultural attractions, college dinners and networking events.

Module 1: Introduction to OCL

Welcome and introduction
Keynote: Stepping into the week
Reflection session

Module 2: Looking in the Mirror

Keynote: Building a courageous organisation
Workshop: Beyond Doubt
Active Learning: Relational Leadership: self
Reflection session

Module 3: Contextualising the challenges

Keynote: The Importance of Knowledge
Panel discussion: Leadership challenges within the current context
Keynote and panel: What do we mean by brave leadership?
Active Learning: Reframing purpose through socially
Reflection session

Module 4: Organisational Change and Transformational Leadership

Keynote: Creating an organisational culture of risk
Workshop: Balancing the challenges of leading in the present and the future - Part 1
Active Learning: Relational Leadership: team
Reflection session

Module 5: Organisational Change and the Entrepreneurial Mind-set

Panel discussion: Entrepreneurial Leadership
Workshop: Balancing the challenges of leading in the present and the future - Part 2
Active learning: Innovation Sprint
Reflection session

Module 6: Leading Against the Grain

Keynote: The Architecture of Leadership
Active learning: Innovation Sprint - final panel and discussion
Life Beyond OCL
Reflection session

Module 7: Themed discussion groups and networking

Module 8: Looking outward and facing the world

Active learning: Inspirational Leadership
Closing Keynote: Embracing the challenge of leadership in uncompromising times
Wrap up - closing thoughts

Xa Sturgis gives a tour of the Ashmolean to the 2023 cohort

Designed for the cultural sector

This is not a generic leadership programme adapted for culture. Every discussion, case study and workshop is rooted in the opportunities and challenges of leading museums, galleries, heritage organisations, libraries, performing arts organisations and the wider cultural sector.

Oxford Cultural Leaders participants gather for a candlelit dinner and speeches at the Bodleian library

Learn through Oxford

Benefit from the combined expertise of Oxford University's Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM) and Saïd Business School. Bringing together world-leading scholarship in culture and leadership, the programme draws on Oxford's extraordinary museums, libraries, gardens and collections, making the University itself an integral part of the learning experience.

Blurred image of people walking around Ashmolean gallery

Space to think

Leading a cultural organisation leaves little time to step back and reflect. The residential format offers a rare opportunity to pause, think beyond the immediate pressures of day-to-day leadership and explore new ideas alongside peers who understand the unique opportunities and challenges of the cultural sector.

Lasting impact

Return with renewed strategic perspective, greater confidence in your leadership and fresh ideas to take back to your organisation. You'll also become part of a trusted community of cultural leaders—a network of peers you can turn to for insight, encouragement and support throughout your career.

"It was the perfect programme. I have never been on a course that was so carefully thought through and planned. It gave me new perspectives – the Business School involvement gives perspectives you wouldn’t get elsewhere."
Lone Britt Christensen, Cultural Attaché, Embassy of Denmark, London

Oxford Cultural Leaders Residential Programme