I’ve often used the metaphor of a lighthouse to describe the best opera companies I’ve worked for: these companies are bastions of artistic freedom that shine a light that can be seen from far away, and which act as a homing beacon for those who are lost or in need of the intellectual shelter that the theatre so beautifully provides. And it seems that we are now all looking for the new generation of lighthouse keepers who will ensure that the artistic flames keep burning in a way that welcomes more and more people into their light.

Artistic leadership is not an easy thing to engage in successfully, although there are certainly plenty of people both within the industry and commentating from outside that hold very strong beliefs about how it should be achieved. Artistic directors are often placed in positions that require them to balance multiple competing objectives, all while drawing from ever-dwindling pots of available funds. It is, of course, necessary that the people that we entrust into protectorship of our arts institutions possess a broad swathe of specialised skillsets – both soft skills like the ability to engage with the public, with government and with artists, as...