Glasshouse boss made Barbican Centre’s second permanent CEO

ABIGAIL POGSON is set to depart Gateshead’s Glasshouse International Centre for Music, after a decade spent as chief executive.

She leaves to take up a role leading the Barbican Centre, succeeding CLAIRE SPENCER, who announced her resignation as the first ever chief executive of the Barbican Centre in 2024, after just over two years in the role.

At the time, Spencer said it was right to hand over to someone with “fresh legs”.

A director for North East England Chamber of Commerce and a member of the National Council of Arts Council England, Pogson joined the Glasshouse from Spitalfields Music, a charity based in East London.

Pogson said it had been “a huge honour and an absolute joy” to be a part of the Glasshouse, but that she was “delighted” to join the Barbican on 5 January “at such a critical and exciting time in its history”. 

She joins the Barbican after a period of change at the organisation, which undertook a complete company restructuring in 2022 following the retirement of managing director NICHOLAS KENYON. Kenyon stepped down two weeks after staff went public about their experiences of an alleged culture of racism at the centre, a move the organisation said was unrelated to the claims.

DAVID FARNSWORTH, managing director of City Bridge Foundation, has been acting as the London-based arts centre’s interim leader.

Meanwhile, after five years working alongside Pogson at the Glasshouse, deputy chief executive FRASER ANDERSON is to step up to her role in an interim capacity for 12 months.

Incoming chair ANDY HALDANE, who takes up his new position at the Glasshouse on 1 October, will lead the search for a new permanent chief executive, alongside deputy chair EMILY COX.