Sponsored by Bath Rugby
Bath is renowned for its rich cultural heritage, offering a diverse range of historical sites, museums, theatres, sporting spectacles and art galleries.
As a city that has thrived through the centuries as a cultural destination, contemporary Bath is celebrated worldwide through its double UNESCO World Heritage status.
The city’s architecture alongside our museums, galleries, theatres, festivals, sports pitches and music venues are at the heart of the business success of the city, but what is their relevance to contemporary residents and visitors?
How can we ensure that Bath’s historic treasures and sports and cultural offerings are accessible and inspiring to new audiences? What can we learn from best practice across the rest of the world and what does a ‘better’ cultural business look like? The Roman Baths ticket sales already provide revenue to enable the Council to deliver crucial services.
We will hear from panellists representing the very best of what Bath has to offer on how they are keeping their businesses relevant to a 21st century audience and continuing to welcome diverse audience and how we interpret the more challenging stories of the past.
You can submit your question to our panel in advance here.
Panellists
Sharanjit Leyl
International Broadcaster, Moderator and Chancellor of Bath Spa University
A familiar face on global news channels, Sharanjit Leyl has brought you the news from Asia on BBC World News and Bloomberg TV for a quarter of a century.
Last year, she was installed as the new Chancellor of Bath Spa University, making her the first female Chancellor of the university.
She brings her razor sharp journalistic insight and knowledge to every project.
Chris Stephens
Director of the Holburne Museum
Chris Stephens has been Director of the Holburne Museum, Bath, since July 2017. Before that, he worked at Tate in London for twenty-one years, for much of that time as Head of Displays at Tate Britain and Lead Curator of Modern British Art. His numerous exhibitions include some of the Tate’s most successful shows, such as ‘Barbara Hepworth: Centenary’ at Tate St Ives in 2003 and, in London, ‘Francis Bacon’ (2008), ‘Henry Moore’ (2010), ‘Picasso and British Art’ (2012) and ‘David Hockney’ (2017). As a leading expert on modern British art, he has published extensively and his book – St Ives The Art and the Artists was published in 2018.
Simone Homes
General Manager of Bath Philharmonia
Simone Homes is General Manager of Bath Philharmonia, a professional orchestra committed to transforming lives through the joy of live orchestral music. In a portfolio career spanning over 25 years, she has worked for numerous arts and heritage organisations in roles that focus on inclusivity and participation, including Public Engagement Manager at the Holburne Museum and audience development consultant to Arts Council England. From producing community music projects and festivals in East London to international conferences on carnival, Simone is committed to making creativity and music part of everyday life.
Rob Campbell
Head of Heritage Services at Bath and North East Somerset Council
Rob has worked in the Museum and Heritage industry since 2005. This has included delivery of the £5m ‘Lord Ashcroft Gallery’ at the Imperial War Museum and the renovated interpretive experience at Stonehenge for English Heritage. In 2017 Rob took on the role of Director of Curatorial and Museums for Sydney Living Museums in Australia. He had operational, curatorial and commercial oversight of 12 historic properties in and around Sydney, including Hyde Park Barracks – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In his current role he overseas the operations of B&NES Council’s heritage assets including the Roman Baths. These activities turn over circa £23m p/a and realise a multimillion pound profit that the Council uses to deliver for the most vulnerable people in B&NES. Rob is interested in the creation of innovative museum and heritage experiences that maximise commercial return, social impact and emotional outcomes for the widest possible audience.
Tarquin McDonald
Chief Executive of Bath Rugby
Tarquin McDonald has worked his way up through Bath Rugby after initially joining in 2012 as Finance and Strategy Director. A decade later, Tarquin is now Chief Executive of the club, having served as Managing Director from 2014, and being named Chief Executive in 2017. Not known as a CEO for sitting back, Tarquin plays a hands-on role in all elements of Bath Rugby, Bath Rugby Foundation and Farleigh Performance Ltd. He is known to be a tenacious, proactive and compassionate leader who leads from the front.
Recently becoming a trustee of Bath Rugby Foundation, the charitable arm of Bath Rugby, Tarquin wants to make an impact during his tenure. He believes being a trustee is “both a privilege and an honour” and has seen first-hand the work the Foundation do across Bath and the surrounding areas.
He believes Bath Rugby Foundation can take inspiration from Bath Rugby and is passionate about instilling high-performance expertise from the club into the Foundation to allow it to go from strength to strength. He also sees it as vital that the club takes heed of the way the Foundation seamlessly integrates itself into the local community. Tarquin hopes that the growth of Bath Rugby Foundation continues its current trajectory so that it can have maximum impact in the city.
Part of the Bath Business Conference 2024
The Bath Business Conference brings businesses together to discuss topics that are important to them. 2024 is the third year of the conference and we are pleased to share that there will be more intelligent conversation, discussion and fun to be had!
