Executive Leadership

Trust-Based Funding: A Philosophy Rooted in Artistic Practice

My approach to grant-making prioritizes trust over bureaucracy, empowering cultural leaders rather than burdening them with excessive reporting. This philosophy stems directly from my years directing opera: just as I learned to trust artists in rehearsal to bring their authentic voices to a production, I trust cultural practitioners to understand their communities and deliver meaningful impact.

Effective philanthropy, like effective directing, requires creating space for creativity while providing clear vision and support. It means reducing administrative overhead so organizations can focus on their mission, building long-term relationships rather than transactional funding cycles, and measuring impact through genuine transformation rather than rigid metrics.

International Cultural Collaboration

Bridging different cultural contexts and funding systems requires the same sensitivity I developed staging productions across diverse communities. My work at the Prince Claus Fund and The Arts and Culture Trust taught me that successful international partnerships depend on deep listening, cultural humility, and recognizing that local knowledge always trumps external assumptions.

Whether working in Amsterdam, Johannesburg, or beyond, I approach collaboration as a dialogue between equals—each context bringing unique strengths, challenges, and wisdom. This mirrors the ensemble approach essential to opera: every voice matters, and the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

From Stage to Strategy: How Artistic Experience Informs Leadership

Directing over 50 opera productions taught me invaluable lessons that inform my philanthropic practice:

• Building diverse teams: Managing creative tension while maintaining shared vision
• Understanding context: Every community has its own cultural language and needs
• Balancing vision with constraints: Creating excellence within real-world limitations
• Recognizing authenticity: Distinguishing genuine impact from performative work

Years of staging productions taught me to see beyond the proposal to the real impact, to value process as much as product, and to understand that sustainable change requires both artistic vision and pragmatic execution.

Core Grant-Making Principles

My leadership in cultural philanthropy is guided by principles developed through both artistic practice and strategic management:

• Equity and access: Ensuring cultural funding reaches diverse communities and voices
• Sustainability and self-reliance: Building organizational capacity for long-term impact (the focus of my doctoral research)
• Relationship over transaction: Investing in partnerships that extend beyond single grants
• Impact beyond metrics: Valuing qualitative transformation alongside quantitative measures