Final Call for Applications for Oxford Cultural Leaders Programme

Applications for the renowned Oxford Cultural Leaders (OCL) residential leadership programme will close on Monday 16 June 2025. Cultural professionals from across the globe are encouraged to submit their applications for the unique opportunity to engage with world-class leadership development at the University of Oxford.

Delivered by the University’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM) in partnership with the Saïd Business School, Oxford Cultural Leaders is a flagship residential programme designed for senior leaders working in the cultural sector. This year’s residential programme will take place from 21-26 September 2025 in Oxford.

Now in its 10th year, the programme equips participants with the strategic insight, entrepreneurial mindset, and adaptive skills needed to navigate the evolving landscape of the cultural and creative industries. Through a combination of expert-led sessions, peer learning, and reflective practice, participants will explore innovative approaches to leadership, organisational change, and sector transformation.

Participants consistently highlight the profound impact of the programme on their professional practice. OCL Alumna Sally Shaw MBE, Director of Firstsite, UK says: ‘Oxford Cultural Leaders completely changed my whole life – not just my professional life – for the better. It re-stoked my energy at a time when I needed a boost to get to the next level. I met brilliant people, got to ask questions I’d always wanted to ask and found answers inside myself that I didn’t know were there. For anyone considering taking a big step in a new direction, needing expert encouragement and a life-long network, then this is definitely the course for you. Do it!’

Course runs: Sunday 21 – Friday 26 September 2025
Deadline for applications: Monday 16 June
For more information on the Oxford Cultural Leaders, including programme details and how to apply, please visit www.glam.ox.ac.uk/oxford-cultural-leaders

Further Information
Alex Amey, Administration and Marketing Officer, [email protected]
Hi-res images are available to download here.

Quotes from OCL Alumni
‘Even though a former colleague who had taken the programme before me described it as life-changing, it exceeded all my expectations. This was not just a course about leadership but a life reboot. The cohort, the faculty, the surroundings & the programme were all unforgettable and inspirational.’
Robert Wenley, Head of Collections & Deputy Director, Barber Institute of Fine Arts (OCL 2024 Residential)

‘This is a well curated program and the best arts leadership course I have done. Each day builds upon the next so by the end of the week everything you have learned aligns and makes perfect sense. Being a residential course, it meant I could relax and forget about everything except learning. It was such a privilege to take part in this program and I know I have made new friends for life.’
Elizabeth Marsden, Manager, Cultural Collections, RMIT University (OCL 2024 Residential)

‘The OCL programme was designed to impart a holistic understanding of cultural leadership. The speakers who guided us were experts in their own fields and took us from unravelling the workings of the decision-making brain to cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset. This journey has equipped me with invaluable tools to navigate decision-making, negotiate adeptly, and forge a visionary path for my projects and career aspirations.’
Kamini Ramachandran, Director, Moonshadow Stories (OCL 2024 Online)

‘Having done other online courses, I was very impressed with the balance of keynotes, workshops and breakout groups within OCL – I was utterly engaged at every stage and it catered to the diversity of learning styles and communication preferences in the group.’
Katie Russell, National Director/CEO, Australian Museums and Galleries Association (OCL 2024 Online)

Notes for editors
Oxford University’s Gardens, Libraries & Museums (GLAM)
Oxford University’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums contain some of the most significant and inspirational collections in the world, comprising of over 21 million objects, specimens and printed items. Welcoming over 3.5 million visitors each year, our institutions share astonishing stories of humanity and the natural world that stretch across space and time.

The four museums are home to over 8.5 million objects and specimens representing the natural world, global art and artefacts. The Bodleian is one of the oldest libraries in Europe and, with over 13 million printed items, is second only in size to the British Library in Britain. The Botanic Garden is the oldest botanic garden in Britain and forms the most compact yet diverse collection of plants on the planet. GLAM constitutes one of the largest and most important research repositories in the world and provides an outstanding resource for scholars, students and members of the public.

Saïd Business School
Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford blends the best of new and old. We are a vibrant and innovative business school, but one deeply embedded in an 800-year-old world-class university. We create programmes and ideas that have global impact. We educate people for successful business careers, and as a community seek to tackle world-scale problems. We deliver cutting-edge programmes and groundbreaking research that transform individuals, organisations, business practice, and society. We seek to be a world-class business school community, embedded in a world-class university, tackling world-scale problems.