Governance Now: An interview with Yasmin Khan

The theme of this year’s conference is power; unpacking how political shifts, funding reforms and cultural debates are reshaping governance in the cultural sector.

As producer, I took the opportunity to talk to Yasmin, Arts Council England’s director of individual practitioners and London and one of our panellists, about the critical role of freelancers and artists in the boardroom.

Rowena Price (RP): With the theme of power in mind, what do you think good governance means today?

Yasmin Khan (YK): Good governance is about levering your power and responsibility as a trustee to empower others, as we discussed at 2024’s Leadership Now assemblies. As a trustee you have that proximity to the director responsible for delivery, so how can you use your voice to influence meaningful change?

Effective trustees are critical friends who help clarify purpose and enhance the possibility of that being achieved – without backseat driving. And of course, it’s about keeping the organisation solvent in ways that don’t jeopardise reputational integrity.

Courage and embedding equity and wellbeing in difficult decision making are also critical. When the going gets tough, courageous and committed leadership is to be respected. 

I was particularly inspired by a session with Arts & Homelessness International on inclusive innovation at last year’s conference. It was heartening that they had secured permission from the Charity Commission to pay trustees with lived experience of homelessness. That kind of forward thinking and practical action shows that it can be done. 

The Nolan Principles of public life are also a useful reference point, especially when boards are grappling with the interplay of power across culture, policy and practice.

RP: You were instrumental in launching the Cultural Governance Alliance (CGA) and the inaugural Governance Now conference in 2018. How has governance in the sector evolved since then?

YK: It’s great to see the CGA still going strong after seven years. I think the collaborative ethos bringing to life Hilary Carty’s clear and compelling vision is a testimony to her leadership. Supporting good governance is higher up on the sector’s agenda now.

There’s more curiosity and being involved in governance feels more accessible than it used to. But there’s still work to be done to equip those in or aspiring to governance roles and the CGA is the flagship space for that.

Cause4 also does critical work in supporting board development and Arts Council England set up the Transforming Governance Programme designed to enable National Portfolio Organisations to embed good practice.

RP: What are the challenges of the interplay between power and politics in the current climate?

YK: We’ve seen big, catalytic shifts in recent years. Sometimes it takes a crisis to force change. Adversity can breed innovation. We saw that through Covid and with movements like Black Lives Matter, a time that forced boards to prioritise beyond the status quo to respond to rapid change and evolve their priorities.

And we did see change, but it’s important to keep momentum. We must keep making a strong case for inclusion and tackle societal polarisation. I think there’s fear, with trustees sometimes feeling ill-equipped to navigate these challenges.

As funders, what we can do is empower organisations and artists to do their work with integrity. I’m conscious we have a lot of power in the sector and I want to recalibrate that for individuals and enable them to have a stronger voice around the table.

RP: What about the gaps and priorities for future governance development?

YK: The critical role of chairs can’t be emphasised enough. There’s work to be done to nurture and invest in a diverse pipeline of high-quality candidates to take on the big strategic roles of the future.

We know cultural leaders value financial acumen but these skills can be hard to recruit. The combination of creative vision and financial savvy is vital as funding pressures and sustainability challenges become more acute. That is leading to burnout, especially in small organisations and for freelancers. 

Having been a trustee myself, as a freelancer, I know it’s a huge challenge managing the time for that donated labour without the stability of a substantive role that other trustees might have. The contrast can be stark. There could be more recognition of the time, energy and dedication it takes to be a good trustee. And it would be useful to have a data baseline of how many freelancers serve on boards – we need a benchmark to inform strategy and verify the anecdotal data.

In my ideal world, things like tax incentives to enable more freelancers on boards could make a meaningful difference and it’s something I look forward to talking about with the yet to be announced DCMS Freelance Champion, as well as policy and opportunities to improve the freelancer experience.

RP: You will be facilitating a panel exploring the influence of curators and commissioners in shaping artistic narratives. Where do you think power is stagnating in the cultural landscape and how can it be better shared?

YK: Tenure is interesting. Continuity and experience are important, but power can stagnate if there’s an ongoing monopoly for an extended period. I see scope for positive disruption and collaboration between larger and smaller organisations who can be more agile and experimental. Recruiting fresh perspectives and new skills is critical to sharing power. 

On the topic of gatekeepers, I had an interesting discussion with the Clore Leadership team about whether there should be a question mark. Should we have gatekeepers of art? Who are they? Why do they exist?

Taking that statement as a given perpetuates the dynamic that there should be gatekeepers of art. We need to unpick that and understand who we’re talking about. My role is to empower independent creatives to do their work, but I don’t see myself as a gatekeeper, rather as an enabler and advocate. 

There’s an interesting tension with curation. You have power to decide who gets platformed so, yes, there’s a gatekeeping element. But that’s an old paradigm – a lot of curators see themselves as facilitators, more like non-hierarchical sparring partners for the artist they’re commissioning or programming. The individuals and the organisation’s ethos ultimately determine how much gatekeeping is going on.

RP: Part of your ACE remit is to integrate a freelancer lens at an institutional level. What does that mean for power sharing and decision making in sector leadership?

YK: Our vision is to champion a reciprocal cultural ecology in which interdependency between individuals and organisations is more equitable. The strategic theory of change that underpins this work is about shifting and sharing power differently.

We appreciate the full spectrum of creative freelancers that enable organisations to function. We want to incentivise organisations to continuously improve their working conditions and provide freelancers with the tools and support to shape and deliver their ambitions to the highest quality.

This year we’re setting up a Freelance Advisory Circle to produce a handbook of freelance-specific resources that we hope will be useful for organisations and freelancers alike. It’s also a priority to gather comprehensive, segmented data on the experiences of freelancers and consider how to use these insights to help grow freelance representation on boards and committees.

And I’m currently working with the DCMS to scope the terms of reference for the new Freelance Champion – an important opportunity to complement their work and influence policy change through that freelancer lens.

RP: What is the future for cultural governance?

YK: Board resilience will be critical as social challenges become more acute – staying focused on how we lever culture for social cohesion, to alleviate polarisation while standing our ground to champion diversity and inclusion. The arm’s length funder/org relationship is super important.

Healthy team dynamics should continue to sit at the heart of good governance – exemplified in the role of the chair creating the conditions for inclusive boards, where trustees can engage fully, listen with their heart and soul, and act with courage and integrity.

And this inspiring Substack article articulates the crucial role of artists in navigating VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) environments as key players in the boardroom. If we’re thinking big about a fairer future – and power-sharing is at the heart of that – we must invest in maintaining a critical mass of creatives in society and better value the role artists have to play.

Arts Professional is media partner for Governance Now, presented by Clore Leadership and the Cultural Governance Alliance, on Tuesday 4 November 2025 at Shoreditch Town Hall and online.

In-person tickets have now sold out. Tickets for the online event are still available featuring keynotes and select breakout sessions, along with exclusive content for online attendees. Book via the Clore Leadership website.