CULTURAL CONSULTANCY & INTERIM LEADERSHIP.
Clarity, confidence and practical support for arts and cultural organisations
Strategy, organisational development and interim leadership, grounded in more than 25 years of experience leading cultural organisations from the inside.
You might be here because…
Something important needs attention and an outside perspective would help.
- Something isn’t working and you need to understand why — and what to do about it.
- A significant decision is approaching and you want to test the options before committing to a course of action.
- An important project needs moving forward and would benefit from experienced leadership.
- Your leadership team needs additional capacity — for a particular period, a transition or through interim cover.
Sometimes the challenge is to solve a problem. Sometimes it is to make the most of an opportunity. Either way, I can help you work out what matters and get things moving.
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A fresh perspective at the right time can help you see beyond the immediate horizon.
A PERSONAL NOTE
Why I do this work
I genuinely enjoy getting to know organisations — how they work, what matters to the people in them, and what is really going on beneath the surface.
I’ve spent most of my working life inside arts and cultural organisations, so I know they can be brilliant, complicated and sometimes pressured places. What I enjoy about consultancy is having the opportunity to look properly — to listen, ask questions, notice patterns and help make sense of things.
I’m naturally curious. I like hearing different perspectives and understanding why things have developed as they have. And while I bring more than twenty-five years of experience, I don’t arrive assuming that I already know the answer. Every organisation is different.
I also like getting things done. I’m very happy moving between the big picture and the practical detail, working alongside people and rolling my sleeves up when that’s what’s needed. For me, the satisfying bit is seeing something that initially felt complicated become clearer, more manageable — and possible.
A PERSONAL NOTE
Why I do this work
I genuinely enjoy getting to know organisations — understanding what makes them tick, meeting the people behind them and working out what is really going on.
Read more about why I do this work
Often I’m brought in when something important needs attention: a change to shape, an opportunity to develop, a difficult decision to make, or simply work that needs more senior capacity than the organisation currently has available. What I enjoy most is the combination of curiosity and practical problem-solving — listening to different perspectives, asking questions and getting underneath what can initially feel like a complicated situation.
I can bring experience from more than twenty-five years working in cultural organisations, but I don’t arrive assuming I already know the answer. For me, the satisfying part is working alongside people to find a way forward that makes sense for their organisation — and then helping to turn that into something practical.
I’m also quite happy rolling my sleeves up. Sometimes an organisation needs someone from outside to help it see things differently; sometimes it needs additional leadership capacity; and sometimes it needs both.
WHO I WORK WITH
Support for leaders, boards and funders across arts and cultural organisations
I work with people who have different responsibilities and perspectives — from those leading organisations day to day, to the Boards that govern them and the funders and agencies that support them.
Leaders & Executive
Sometimes it helps to have an experienced person alongside you — someone who understands the pressures of senior leadership and can provide a sounding board, an independent perspective or additional capacity when you need it.
I work with Chief Executives and leadership teams on strategic decisions, organisational challenges and significant pieces of work.
Boards & Trustees
Boards sometimes need an independent view — particularly when considering organisational performance, future direction, governance or leadership transition.
I work with Chairs and Trustees to help them ask the right questions, test assumptions and make well-informed decisions while maintaining a constructive relationship with the executive team.
Funders & Agencies
Funders and agencies may need an experienced external perspective on an organisation, a particular issue or a programme of development.
I can undertake independent reviews and assessments, work directly with funded organisations, and provide practical support where additional expertise or intervention would be useful.
HOW I WORK
A straightforward approach, shaped around what you need
Every commission is different, but my approach is simple: get underneath the situation, work out what will help, and turn that into action. I keep the work proportionate, involve the right people and stay focused on what will be useful.
1. Understand
I start by listening — to the brief, the context and the different perspectives around it. The aim is to get a clear picture of what is really happening before deciding what needs to change.
2. Test & shape
I bring an independent perspective and practical experience to test assumptions, explore the options and help shape an approach that is realistic for the organisation.
3. Make it happen
Good thinking needs to lead somewhere. I turn conclusions into clear next steps and, where useful, can stay involved to help put them into practice.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Expertise for arts and cultural organisations
My work tends to fall into four areas. They often connect, but each starts with a different question.
Organisation & Culture
Is the organisation set up to work well?
I look at structures, roles, capacity and ways of working to identify where things are getting stuck — and what would make the organisation work better.
- Organisational and operating structure reviews
- Roles, responsibilities and decision-making
- Organisational capacity and ways of working
- Team and organisational development
Strategy & Models
Is the current model right for the future?
I help organisations test strategic choices and develop business and operating models that connect ambition with audiences, people, income, costs and capacity.
- Business and operating model development
- Strategic options and scenario planning
- Financial and organisational sustainability
- Turning strategy into practical implementation
Leadership & Governance
Are the right people making the right decisions in the right way?
I work with Boards and executive teams on governance, accountability, leadership transition and the relationship between those governing and those running the organisation.
- Governance reviews and development
- Board and executive relationships
- Leadership transition and interim support
- Roles, accountability and decision-making
Change & Transition
How do we get from here to there?
Once the direction is clear, I can help plan and lead the journey — through restructuring, recovery, growth or another significant period of organisational change.
- Organisational change and restructuring
- Transition and implementation planning
- Recovery and resilience
- Project and programme leadership
Organisation & Culture
Is the organisation set up to work well?
I look at structures, roles, capacity and ways of working to identify where things are getting stuck — and what would make the organisation work better.
- Organisational and operating structure reviews
- Roles, responsibilities and decision-making
- Organisational capacity and ways of working
- Team and organisational development
Strategy & Models
Is the current model right for the future?
I help organisations test strategic choices and develop business and operating models that connect ambition with audiences, people, income, costs and capacity.
- Business and operating model development
- Strategic options and scenario planning
- Financial and organisational sustainability
- Turning strategy into practical implementation
Leadership & Governance
Are the right people making the right decisions in the right way?
I work with Boards and executive teams on governance, accountability, leadership transition and the relationship between those governing and those running the organisation.
- Governance reviews and development
- Board and executive relationships
- Leadership transition and interim support
- Roles, accountability and decision-making
Change & Transition
How do we get from here to there?
Once the direction is clear, I can help plan and lead the journey — through restructuring, recovery, growth or another significant period of organisational change.
- Organisational change and restructuring
- Transition and implementation planning
- Recovery and resilience
- Project and programme leadership
About Stephen
Senior cultural leadership experience, applied practically
Stephen Freeman is a cultural consultant and former theatre chief executive with more than 25 years’ experience leading organisations, developing strategy and navigating change across the arts and cultural sector.
He has led major producing theatres, worked at Arts Council England and supported organisations through periods of growth, transition, financial pressure and organisational change. His experience spans strategy, business and operating models, governance, leadership and organisational development.
Most recently, Stephen was Chief Executive of the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, following leadership roles at the Stephen Joseph Theatre and New Wolsey Theatre, alongside five years at Arts Council England. He brings the perspective of someone who has had to make these decisions from inside organisations — balancing ambition, people, finances, audiences and long-term sustainability.
Read more…
At the Royal Exchange Theatre, Stephen led one of the UK’s major producing theatres through significant organisational and financial change, including the pandemic, recovery and growth. His work included organisational redesign, business and operating model development, governance, income generation and major capital planning.
Previously, as Chief Executive of the Stephen Joseph Theatre, he led the organisation’s strategic development and strengthened relationships with communities, funders, tourism partners and the wider regional economy. Earlier roles included General Manager of the New Wolsey Theatre and Festival Director of Pulse Festival.
Stephen also spent five years at Arts Council England, working as a Relationship Manager for Theatre and as Project Manager for the National Theatre Analysis 2015/16. Alongside his executive career, he has held governance and advisory roles across the cultural and education sectors.
LET’S TALK
Need an experienced pair of hands, a fresh perspective or support to move something important forward?
Whether you’re shaping something new, navigating change, looking for interim or senior cover, or trying to get to grips with something that isn’t working as well as it should, the easiest place to start is a conversation.
You don’t need to have a fully formed brief. Tell me what’s going on and what you’re trying to achieve, and I’ll be straightforward about whether I think I can help.
Based in Greater Manchester, working with cultural organisations across the UK and internationally.