Cultural leaders face growing pressures on every front: tighter resources, shifting audiences, rising expectations.
In this context, funders and policymakers are doubling down on digital. Strategic plans now routinely reference digital audiences, digital infrastructure, digital inclusion and digital innovation.
And major funders like Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Duke Foundation, Garfield Weston and the MacArthur Foundation are collectively investing tens of millions into digitally focused initiatives across the UK and US.
Closer to home, Arts Council England’s (ACE) Let’s Create strategy explicitly prioritises digital and innovation, stating: “We will encourage the organisations we invest in to embrace innovation. We will support them to adopt new technologies… and experiment with new ways of reaching the public.”
Many organisation still struggle with digital
All this points to one thing: the role of digital leadership has never been of greater importance. But of course, this isn’t new.
Back in 2013, Nesta’s Digital Culture survey highlighted leadership engagement as a critical factor. By the 2017 edition, the evidence was clear: organisations with actively engaged leadership saw significantly better outcomes across all 26 digital activity areas studied.
More recently, the Digital Skills for Heritage evaluation (2024) recommended that heritage organisations “recruit and support digitally confident leaders and board members”. In Australia, ACMI’s Constellation 2.0 evaluation noted that “strong backing from the top can help project teams garner more support and buy-in,” especially when resources are tight.
And yet, we know many organisations still struggle in this area. In the 2021 evaluation of ACE’s Digital Culture Network, the most commonly cited need across the sector was for support with “digital strategy, policy and planning development”.
In a recent survey I ran exploring digital project failure, leadership engagement repeatedly came up as a key challenge. Respondents noted: “Key stakeholders in the project should have knowledge of digital technologies or trust those who do when issues arise,” and:
“There was a lack of organisational buy-in for digital innovation, some feared it would disrupt our traditional business model.”
Pilot leadership programme
Despite years of evidence about the importance of digital leadership, practical, targeted support for leaders remains limited. It’s against this backdrop that The Space has launched a pilot leadership programme, designed to help cultural leaders in small to mid-scale organisations build confidence and capability around digital.
A diverse cohort has been selected from 12 very different organisations. Running from June this year into early 2026, the programme is tailored to reflect the specific challenges and ambitions of participants, offering a cohort-based approach to shared learning and peer support.
What’s been especially heartening during the design phase is seeing participants prioritise foundational issues – such as audience development, rights and IP, and organisational change – ahead of emerging technologies like AI. Rather than dismissing innovation, this seems to reflect a growing recognition that strong organisational foundations are critical for sustainable digital work.
This is a healthy and welcome shift. For too long, the sector’s digital work has been driven by novelty and speed, an understandable response to short-term funding cycles and media buzz, but not always the most impactful or strategic approach. Instead, we’re now seeing leaders ask: how can digital serve our mission better? How can it enhance, not distract from, our core work?
Not a silver bullet
Programmes like this one aren’t a silver bullet. But looking at similar leadership initiatives, such as the Digital CEO Mentoring programme in Australia or Clore’s long-standing offer in the UK, we’ve seen the power of structured, peer-led development to spark new thinking and build lasting confidence.
We hope this pilot will be the first of many. Our aim is to seed a growing community of cultural leaders who feel equipped to lead digital, not as tech specialists, but as curious, mission-driven leaders who can bring digital into the conversation without it taking over the agenda.
Leadership in 2025 is already a balancing act. Digital can help ease that pressure. When approached with the right mindset, it can support clarity, connection and delivery.
