Will Gompertz and Sandeep Dwesar take the reins in new lineup of senior staff
Following the departure of the Barbican’s managing director Nicholas Kenyon, it has been revealed that current director of arts and learning Will Gompertz and chief operating and financial officer Sandeep Dwesar will take over as joint interim managing directors from next month. Meanwhile Nina Bhagwat will join as interim director of equity, diversity and inclusion ‘to drive the Barbican’s anti-racism work, and to ensure the Barbican’s inclusion agenda progresses at pace’.
Gompertz and Dwesar announced that they were looking to support staffers who have been victims of racism within the institution and to push on with a new anti-racism plan. The new staff lineup follows the publication in June of more than 100 claims of racism and discriminatory incidents at the London arts centre. Allegations ranged from racist comments by staff members to criticisms of a more insidious discriminatory culture. The centre promised an independent review at the time.
The news that Kenyon would step down was revealed in June, with the plan that he would leave the role in September. His departure was announced shortly after the allegations of institutional racism; the Barbican denied that the row over the claims had prompted Kenyon to leave. Kenyon has since been announced as the Daily Telegraph’s new opera critic.
