Governance Now 2020

Returning after a sell-out success in 2019, this year’s conference will be hosted via Zoom, bringing together a wide range of expert speakers to share insights and best practice to help you explore approaches to good governance in the context of an uncertain world.

Governance Now 2020 will be delivered across two-hour sessions every Thursday in November, enabling you to take in keynote speeches, panel debates and practical breakout sessions in bite-size format and around other commitments. We will also be running breakfast networking sessions and offering opportunities to engage in deeper conversation with other trustees from across the sector. Our key themes this year include: responses to crisis; adaptive governance; engaging with diverse communities; reappraising organisational values; and the future of governance.

The Programme

Thursday 5 November 2020 - Diversity and Community

Keynote: Nina Simon – “Revisioning Relevance: how to build greater community engagement and how boards can make conscious choices to change”.


Provocations on diversity and community engagement from Tom Spurgin (Philharmonia Orchestra), Andrew Barnett (Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation) and Hilary Jennings (Director of the Happy Museum Project).

Thursday 12 November 2020 - Adaptive Governance

Keynote: Vyla Rollins – “Adaptive Governance: exploring the dynamics of how Boards respond to today’s world.”


Provocations on risk taking and pivoting output in response to the pandemic from Judith Miller (Sayer Vincent), Alan Lane (Slung Low) and Sophie Lewis (National Children's Orchestras).

Breakfast session hosted by Good Governance Institute.

Artistic interlude by Wild Rumpus.

Thursday 19 November 2020 - Values and Risk

Panel debate chaired by Damian Hebron (Nesta) with Andrew Miller (UK Government Disability Champion for Arts & Culture & co-founder of #WeShallNotBeRemoved), Vicki Amedume (Upswing) and Chiara Badiali (Julie’s Bicycle) on the balance between values and risk.

Risk Workshop hosted by Good Governance Institute.

Breakfast session hosted by Voluntary Arts.

Click here to sign up for the Voluntary Arts breakfast session.

Artistic interlude by Shape Arts.

Thursday 26 November 2020 - The Future of Governance

Keynote: Sir John Tusa, former Clore Leadership chair and author of On Board: The Insider’s Guide to Surviving Life in the Boardroom with a response from Anna Lowe (Smartify co-founder) on on the future of governance.

Provocations from the next generation of trustees, including Matt Wilde (Blaze Arts), Toks Dada (Classical Music Programmer, Curator and Producer) and Tatum Swithenbank (Host, Producer and Roundhouse Trustee).

Closing remarks by Roly Keating (The British Library).

Breakfast session hosted by Cause4.

Artistic interlude by Paradise Works.

Meet other Trustees in the cultural sector, and start your day with an inspiring and action led discussion – sign up for the breakfast session here.

Join the Cultural Governance Alliance for free and receive a 10% discount on all tickets.

It takes two minutes to sign up!

The first 100 people who sign up for ‘All 4 sessions’ will be gifted a desk planter and Nina Simon’s book The Art of Relevance.

Governance Now 2020 is sponsored by Saxton Bampfylde and promoted by the Cultural Governance Alliance, a network of sector agencies led by Clore Leadership.