You joined the Royal Opera House after working for many years at the BBC. What made you take that leap?
A bit of chance really. The Royal Opera House had been through five chief executives in about four years. It had then been reopened brilliantly by Michael Kaiser but he returned to Washington so they interviewed for a successor. I didn't think for one minute they'd go for me but they did – it was one of those glorious chances, which I was very happy to take.
Are there similarities between running an arts venue and a broadcasting company?
Risk-taking is one – not being able to define with absolute certainty when it's working well and when it's not. Defining what is good in the art you're doing is as difficult as programme-making at the BBC. Another similarity is dealing with very devolved ways of working where you depend on teams delivering things.
I remember spending some time at management school when I was at the BBC. The American view of leadership is that it's all about leaders: that they do incredible things and work endless hours. Actually I think it's quite the reverse in broadcasting and in this place; you depend absolutely on teams doing things.
What kind of leadership is needed to nurture a good team?
Well, here we're lucky. We have Antonio Pappano who's outstanding as a musical director and Monica Mason leading the Royal Ballet. Beyond that, one of the things I thought about when I came here was that the conversation on the street and in the press was not about the art; it was about the troubles with reopening and battles on the board and difficult times.
I felt that we needed to get over that and stress what this place is brilliant at: what people come to see on stage. It is absolutely crucial to look outwards and see how you're perceived from the outside.
So it's about people, it's about strategy and it's about knowing where you're going. The other thing is creating an environment where people can talk about what went wrong without wanting to hide anything.
How do you balance the differing artistic requirements of opera, ballet and ROH2?
I'd be telling a whopper if I said it was all smooth sailing. What has happened over the last decade is that we've got to know each other as a team. The whole thing is built around the schedule – for singers, everything is booked five years in advance, whereas the ballet schedule can turn on a sixpence. Making sure the ballet gets fair slots in the schedule is key and the only way to do that is to get everyone in a room to talk about it.
The next stage is to get ROH2 much more integrated into the main stage planning. We've got some fantastic ideas for 2013 with the anniversaries of Wagner, Verdi and Britten – how this building can come together and make big bold statements.
We talk about 360-degree planning, a broadcasting phrase. You look at all the resources you've got and once you've made your artistic decision you bring in all these things around it. We now plot exhibitions, online, cinema, big screens and TV so you get the whole panoply.
How do you balance risk-taking projects such as Anna Nicole with the more conservative aspects of running the institution?
Anna Nicole and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland both opened within 10 days of each other and there were huge risks involved, but we were talking about them for at least three years from the moment of inception. People often think that you take a risk and follow your hunch but that's not how it happened at all.
The schedule has to reflect the many different audiences you're dealing with. We're running La Traviata at the moment and we were slightly worried how many performances there would be. Actually, it's playing awfully well but you don't want to make all your money from one work. Getting the balance right is absolutely key.
For young people hoping to lead arts organisations in the future, how important is experience outside the sector?
I think attitude and energy matters. I think you need to be able to look at yourself from the outside but that doesn't mean you have to leave the arts. I also think the media is an important part of the arts now. We're all becoming broadcasters and the impact of media on what we can do and the audiences we can reach is crucial.
What is the biggest challenge arts leaders of the future will face?
To keep whatever you're doing exciting. And that sounds naff but it's not. If you can't create a buzz and energy around what you're doing then you're not doing your job properly.
The thing which has worried me most about the 15% [funding] cut is that you suddenly play safe, that you make compromises. People suspect that and audiences don't come. I think we had a glorious 15 years where funding was steady in the arts – you see that because we've got the best arts and culture in the world. We've now got to get used to a very different funding model. It's going to be much tougher but the importance of what we all do is bigger than ever.
This interview was taken from a Q&A event hosted by YPIA, Young People in the Arts, a social network for arts professionals at the outset of their careers. Follow them on Twitter @YPIA_UK and read more from the interview on the Royal Opera House website.
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