The Opportunity

Following a successful recent festival and the move to Neston Park, WOMAD is building on strong foundations whilst looking ahead with renewed ambition. The organisation is focused on securing long-term sustainability, continuing to evolve the festival experience and ensuring that WOMAD remains as relevant and impactful for future generations as it has been for the last 40 years. 

The Festival Director will play a central role in shaping that future. 

Working with an experienced and highly respected team, the successful candidate will provide the leadership, strategic direction and commercial focus required to ensure WOMAD continues to thrive. This is a rare opportunity to lead one of the world’s most recognised cultural festivals whilst helping write the next chapter of its story. 

Whilst creative credibility is valuable, the organisation already benefits from deep expertise across programming, content and audience experience. The opportunity is to build on those strengths, creating the conditions that allow creativity, innovation and cultural impact to flourish. 

As an independent festival with no regular public subsidy and a strong reliance on ticket income, long-term financial resilience remains a key priority. The incoming Festival Director will help ensure WOMAD remains sustainable, adaptable and well-positioned to navigate an evolving market whilst continuing to deliver an exceptional audience experience. 

Alongside this, there is significant opportunity to strengthen and expand partnerships that align with WOMAD’s purpose and values. The festival’s reputation, audience and international profile provide a strong platform for developing relationships that are authentic, meaningful and beneficial for both parties. 

KEY PRIORITIES 

Over the coming years, the Festival Director will: 

• Build long-term financial sustainability and resilience. 

• Shape the continued evolution of WOMAD at Neston Park. 

• Strengthen relationships across WOMAD, Real World and the wider stakeholder community. 

• Attract new audiences whilst maintaining the loyalty of the festival’s established audience base. 

• Develop partnerships and commercial opportunities that align with WOMAD’s values. 

• Create the conditions for the creative team to continue delivering exceptional experiences. 

• Position WOMAD for long-term success and future growth. 

Success in the Role 

Success will not be measured by a single festival or a single year. 

It will be reflected in WOMAD’s ability to continue growing its impact whilst remaining true to its purpose. The successful candidate will build strong relationships across the organisation and wider stakeholder community, support the evolution of the festival experience, and ensure WOMAD remains both culturally relevant and financially resilient in an increasingly competitive market. 

Above all, they will help create a sustainable future for one of the world’s most respected cultural festivals, ensuring that future generations of audiences can continue to discover the music, cultures and experiences that make WOMAD unique. 

We are interested in hearing from leaders who have succeeded in complex, creative and customer-facing environments. 

Whilst experience within festivals may be valuable, we are equally interested in candidates from adjacent sectors who can bring fresh perspectives, transferable leadership experience and a passion for creating exceptional experiences. 

You might have worked in: 

• Arts and cultural organisations
• Major events and festivals
• Visitor attractions
• Performing arts
• Media, television or production
• Hospitality and experience-led organisations
• Other complex operational environments where creativity and commerciality need to coexist 

Successful candidates are likely to bring: 

• Strategic and organisational leadership experience.
• Commercial and financial credibility.
• An ability to build trusted relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience leading teams through change, growth or transformation.
• An inclusive, collaborative and authentic leadership style.
• A genuine appreciation for culture, creativity and the role they play in bringing people together. 

Above all, we are looking for someone who can balance creative ambition with commercial sustainability, preserving what makes WOMAD special whilst helping shape its future. 

This is not an opportunity to reinvent WOMAD. It is an opportunity to guide one of the world’s most distinctive cultural festivals through its next chapter and help ensure it continues to inspire audiences for decades to come.

WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS 

This is a rare opportunity to lead one of the world’s most respected cultural festivals at an exciting point in its history. 

The successful candidate will inherit a globally recognised brand, a loyal audience, an experienced and passionate team, and a mission that feels more relevant than ever: bringing people together through music, culture and creativity. 

For the right person, this is an opportunity to shape the future of a unique organisation whose impact extends far beyond a single weekend each year, preserving a remarkable legacy whilst helping write the next chapter of WOMAD’s story.