Chief Executive | The Sherborne Dorset

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Use your visionary and inspirational leadership to take the lead as Chief Executive of The Sherborne, a new and exciting arts destination venue in Dorset.

• Location: Sherborne, Dorset
• Closing date: 9 a.m. Wednesday 2nd October

Sherborne House Trust seeks a visionary and inspirational Chief Executive to lead The Sherborne, Dorset – an arts destination with extraordinary potential in the heart of Dorset. This is a rare senior management opportunity to provide strategic leadership, drive organisational excellence, and efficiently manage resources to achieve The Sherborne’s mission and objectives. Be at the forefront of shaping its pivotal role in the regional, national and international cultural landscape.

Who we are

The Sherborne is a newly established arts destination funded by the exceptional generosity of Michael and Sally Cannon. Opened to the public on May 7th 2024, The Sherborne is located in the heart of the town of Sherborne, which was recently voted the ‘Best Place to Live’ in the South West by The Sunday Times.

Set within the beautifully restored Grade 1 Georgian Sherborne House, The Sherborne offers a multifunction art gallery and studio space, a state-of-the-art Pavilion for events, performances and film, a restaurant, bar, shop, workspace and a sculpture garden in a natural amphitheatre. Plans are in hand to add a community and educational facility.

Its mission is to inspire regional, national, and international audiences with a diverse artistic and cultural programme encompassing visual and performance art, cross-arts, community and education projects, enhanced by excellent dining, flexible event spaces and a curated shop featuring locally sourced gifts.

The Sherborne also houses the Thornhill Mural , a nationally significant Baroque piece by Sir James Thornhill, examples of whose other work adorn the Royal Hospital Greenwich, St Paul’s Cathedral and Chatsworth House.

Dorset Visual Arts provides an in-house partnership to curate regular exhibitions promoting Dorset, national, and international artists.

There is an almost unique opportunity with The Sherborne. With an incredible setting, infinite potential, initial start-up funding and exciting opportunities for programming, as well as an already established name as a destination venue, this is a key moment in the evolution of the arts in Dorset. With such experience, the reach of The Sherborne to make its mark on the national arts and events landscape is inestimable.

About the role

The Sherborne, a vibrant new arts destination, seeks a dynamic Chief Executive to lead its strategic and operational vision.

The successful candidate will be responsible for devising, implementing and leading a comprehensive five-year strategic (2024-2029) business plan, ensuring the commercial activities and fundraising efforts underpin the artistic and cultural programme within defined financial parameters.

Key responsibilities include:

• building and managing an effective team to efficiently run the organisation’s diverse operations within its budget
• driving financial sustainability and growth across all aspects of The Sherborne, including its artistic and cultural programme, restaurant, commercial events, memberships and shop
• carefully managing budgets, income growth across all activities, and risk — while ensuring strict compliance with regulatory and financial parameters.

Collaboration with key stakeholders is crucial. The Chief Executive will lead the organisation in close cooperation with the functional leads within the management structure, liaising with the Artistic Director, the Commercial Director and those responsible for operations, finance, events, room hire, the restaurant and the shop to maximise income from their respective activities.

The Chief Executive, working with the Artistic Director, Dorset Visual Arts, The Sherborne’s resident visual arts partner, and other members of senior management, will craft and lead an innovative artistic and cultural programme supported by inclusive education and events.

The Chief Executive will establish and nurture partnerships with regional, national, and international arts organisations, including galleries, museums, theatres and more.

As an inspiring leader, the Chief Executive will guide The Sherborne’s management team in strategic development, decision-making, and fundraising.

Mentorship and motivation of all team members and volunteers are key aspects of the role, as well as attending and contributing to Board and Sub-Committee meetings, providing thought leadership and accurate financial reporting.

Equality and inclusion will be at the heart of The Sherborne’s mission, with the Chief Executive playing a pivotal role in attracting diverse audiences and workforce. Representing The Sherborne regionally, nationally and internationally, the Chief Executive will engage with key stakeholders and speak at events to inspire support and secure funding.

As the leadership voice and key representative, the Chief Executive will embody The Sherborne’s vision, connecting with global audiences, funders, sponsors, educational establishments, media, and peers in the arts community.

This role is a potentially transformational opportunity to shape the future of a significant cultural landmark in the heart of Dorset.

Who we are looking for

The Sherborne is seeking a Chief Executive with extensive experience in the strategic leadership of key arts or not for profit organisations, whether regionally, nationally or internationally.

The ideal candidate will possess deep strategic and operational knowledge in all facets of leadership, including strategic planning, business development, financial management, human resources, sponsorship, fundraising, team building and management and marketing.

A profound understanding and passion for all art forms, both regionally and globally, is essential. The candidate must demonstrate significant success in generating income and financial growth by identifying commercial, sponsorship and fundraising opportunities.

Exceptional skills in personnel and financial management are required, alongside a nuanced understanding of balancing artistic, curatorial, commercial, audience and funding needs.

The Chief Executive will play a crucial role in The Sherborne’s fundraising efforts, engaging with individual donors, corporate sponsors, Trusts & Foundations and public funding bodies. Outstanding written and oral communication skills are essential, as the role involves presenting to a diverse range of stakeholders, including staff, Boards, media, press, artists and funders.

The successful candidate will act as the primary ambassador for The Sherborne, inspiring and influencing on regional, national, and international stages. Exceptional influencing and negotiating skills are required, with the ability to act diplomatically while securing outcomes that benefit The Sherborne.

A strong working knowledge of social media and digital technology is also necessary to effectively promote The Sherborne’s vision and activities.

This role offers a unique opportunity for someone with ambition, vision and expertise to lead and inspire within a significant cultural landmark in the heart of Dorset.

For further information about the role, or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:

If you would like to know more about this role please contact Rebekah Abbott

The challenge for me in writing this is to capture quite what a novel, demanding and potentially transformational – for us and for you – role the Chief Executive at The Sherborne promises to be. It will take an enterprise that is just beginning to explore the bounds of its potential in a town that has recently been awarded the accolade of the best place to live in Southwest England in a region with a burgeoning arts identity and a World Heritage coastline.

That’s the pitch, and here are the details. The original Sherborne House was built around 1720 for Henry Seymour, who almost immediately commissioned Sir James Thornhill to paint his eponymous and now fully restored mural in one wing of the house. William Macready, an actor/manager in the Victorian tradition, was a later occupant and enjoyed Browning and Dickens as house guests. Latterly, and despite its Grade 1 listing, Sherborne House fell into semi-dereliction until the intervention of the entrepreneur and philanthropist, Michael Cannon.

Michael bought Sherborne House in 2018 and set about its immediate and meticulous restoration. The original house is now complemented by a striking but sympathetic newly built pavilion and tiered gardens, defining indoor and outdoor performance spaces. The site currently accommodates five multifunctional gallery spaces, a top floor made over to commercial office hire, internal and external performance/event spaces and a flourishing bistro and bar. These existing facilities will soon be supplemented by a community arts centre that will anchor us in the society we serve. The individual components of the Sherborne are impressive when taken separately, but the exciting task of the Chief Executive will be to make the whole more than the sum of its parts.

Sherborne can trace its ecclesiastical history back to 704, and the abbey – eulogised by the critic Simon Jenkins as worthy of comparison to any contemporary work of the Italian Renaissance – symbolises the town’s sense of historical continuity. The local website describes Sherborne as “one of the most beautiful towns in England” and it might just be true. In addition, it is a bustling market town with an international reputation for education.

The Dorset/Somerset/Wiltshire conjunction has long had a reputation as a rural idyll but now enjoys increasingly cosmopolitan influences. International names like Hauser & Wirth and Messums now have galleries locally, while The Newt is a mixed facility site of national significance. All of which is bounded by Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a coastline which, despite its Jurassic celebrity, still has some well-kept secrets.

Tragically, Michael Cannon died in June 2023 and never saw his dream fulfilled. The board of trustees I now chair is determined to keep faith with his ambitious and inclusive vision for The Sherborne, and the next step in realising that is to find a Chief Executive worthy of the task.

The successful candidate will be strategic enough to conceive and execute a 5 – 10 year plan; commercial enough to run a complex enterprise profitably; ambassadorial enough to create and maintain links with partner and client organisations; communitarian enough to secure a distinctive identity at regional and potentially national levels; and, with an arts professional background and personal ambition capable of seizing an outstanding opportunity.

Please let us know if you fit the bill.

Sir Robert Fry
Chair of the Board of Trustees

About us

Aims

The Sherborne has three aims.

• to create and deliver a dynamic and inspiring artistic and cultural programme worthy of its setting and aspirations
• to engage with visitors and locals with an inspiring programme of artistic and cultural events and activities
• to drive financial stability and income growth across all aspects of The Sherborne

Artistic vision

To inspire regional, national, and international audiences with a diverse artistic and cultural programme encompassing visual and performance art, cross-arts, community and education projects.

Commercial vision

Our commercial vision is to maximise the commercial return from our assets which include:

• the artistic and cultural programme
• visitors to exhibitions and The Thornhill Mural, including from sales of pieces on display, Macready’s Restaurant (inc. cocktail bar and coffee service)
• events and activities in the Pavilion, the Gallery and Studio spaces
• private dining (Michael’s Room and The Library)
• rental of office space long term (months) and short term (daily)
• retail

The Sherborne — a landmark destination for the arts.

Values

The values perhaps best captured by Michael and Sally Cannon’s selfless benefaction to Sherborne in completing the restoration of a Grade 1 listed 18th-century Georgian building, refashioned and repurposed for the 21st Century.

We are a force for good in the community and aim to accumulate and disperse social and cultural capital.

We are inclusive, we listen and we are welcoming.

We understand that different members of the community have different access needs and have made some modifications to the way we do business to accommodate people from diverse communities and abilities.

Our accessibility provisions include:

• Step-free access to the building.
• Accessibility dogs are welcome.
• Papers and materials can be presented in different formats.
• A sign language interpreter can be accessed for interviews.
• Working patterns and locations can be adjusted.

Applicants with a disability are invited to contact us in confidence at any point during the recruitment process to discuss steps that could be taken to overcome operational difficulties presented by the role, or if any adjustments or support are required regarding the recruitment process.

For further information about the role, or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:

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To formally apply, please submit a CV and supporting statement (ideally maximum 2 sides of A4 each) that clearly outlines your suitability for the role against the criteria provided in the person specification, including your interest and motivationin applying for this position.

Please ensure that your application is emailed to response@peridotpartners.co.uk inserting “Application: The Sherborne – Chief Executive” into the subject field. You will receive an acknowledgement on receipt of your application within 2-3 days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please make contact with our admin team.

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For further information about the role, or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:

As a sector-leading executive search consultancy, we know the importance of creating recruitment processes which are fair, inclusive and free from bias. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a process that values differences.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the ‘essential’ criteria described in the person specification, please let us know.

If you experience any technical or accessibility difficulties, need help making an application, or have any additional support that needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection process, please let us know.

Recruitment selection processes are based on evidence of competence stated in the person specification and in relation to our values.

Timetable

Closing date: 9 a.m. Wednesday 2nd October 2024
Candidates informed of outcome: Wednesday 9th October 2024

We are in the process of confirming interview dates. We will update the site once confirmed and contact those who have applied.

Peridot and The Sherborne are committed to promoting equality and diversity. To help us raise awareness and support a culture that is diverse and recognises and develops the potential of all, we need to appreciate the profile of candidates who apply for positions.We will send you an equality monitoring survey at the point of receiving your application, in the interview phase and at the time of placement. This ensures that our processes remain inclusive and equitable throughout, and provides us with important data to help us showcase our impact. The information will be treated confidentially and anonymously and will help us to support our commitment to fair recruitment practices. All information provided will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be shared with anyone, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018. The information provided does not form part of the decision-making process and will not affect your application.

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