Independent leaders are crafting culture on their own terms, challenging conventions and redefining what’s possible. This conversation explores how independent leaders bring their values to their work, and how these values shape those collaborating with them at the forefront of change. Guest speakers include David Lan, Writer, Director and The Walk and The Heards Producer; Professor Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, University of Oxford and Tobi Kyeremateng, BAFTA-winning independent producer. Chaired by Kate McGrath, Fuel's Artistic Director and CEO.

This event is part of a series of three public conversations with leaders from across the cultural landscape - independents, founders and leaders of major institutions exploring approaches to ethics and values in cultural production today.

The events are curated and hosted by Kate McGrath, Artistic Director & CEO of Fuel, as part of her Fellowship with the Cultural Programme and Hertford College at Oxford University. The Fellowship offers artists and curators the chance to reflect on their practice, develop new work, and share it with a wider audience. Coinciding with Kate’s twentieth anniversary leading Fuel, this research and series of events provide a unique opportunity to reflect on the past, look ahead, and explore the evolving opportunities and challenges of cultural leadership today.

Each conversation will also be recorded and released as a podcast, available on Fuel Digital and other digital platforms, ensuring these discussions reach an even wider audience.

Find out more about the series here.

Book tickets to the other conversations:

How to Begin? - Tue 3 June

National Service: Leading Institutions Today - Tue 10 June

Co-produced by the Cultural Programme at Oxford University and Fuel. In partnership with Oxford Playhouse and other venues to be soon announced.