Leading in Challenging Times

Culture connects people to places, to ideas, and to each other. It is one of the few ways a society keeps talking to itself when so much else pulls it apart. Leadership, among other things, means taking responsibility for fostering those connections. That is becoming harder. Connections seem increasingly contingent, fleeting, and transactional; visibility often outweighs depth; and trust is harder to earn than attention. Leaders feel the pressure to respond quickly, be present everywhere, and prove relevance at all times.

This plenary asks what it takes to lead a cultural institution in 2026. How do you create enough consensus and momentum to move an organisation forward when trade-offs are real and scrutiny is constant? What do you owe to continuity, to stakeholders, to mission and values, and to staff, and what happens when those obligations collide? Are the expanded social and economic roles our organisations have taken on still the right ones? As societal and economic stresses grow, should we narrow our ambitions or set them more clearly and push harder? Which tensions have simply to be held rather than resolved?

Speakers:

• Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson, Qatar Museums, Doha Film Institute, Reach Out to Asia, and Qatar Leadership Centre, and Co-Chair Fashion Trust Arabia

• Her Highness Sheikha Hoor bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President and Director, Sharjah Art Foundation

Moderator:

• Adrian Ellis, Director, AEA Consulting; Chair, Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN)