Swansong for opera boss
Cressida Pollock rescued the ENO from ruin but struggled to win support of company angered by cuts
THE chief executive of English National Opera is to leave her job, three years after she was appointed to rescue the company from financial disaster.
Cressida Pollock said she was “greatly saddened” to be leaving. Her departure follows rumours of clashes with Daniel Kramer, ENO’S new artistic director.
The former Mckinsey management consultant took over running of the crisis-hit company in September 2015 after Arts Council England placed it in special measures and demanded the recruitment of a leader who would turn the business around.
She succeeded in putting ENO on a more stable footing. It has been readmitted into the Arts Council’s national portfolio, with the funding body saying it no longer has serious concerns about the company’s finances.
She will leave her role at the end of ENO’S current season, in June 2018. Ms Pollock said: “I will be greatly saddened to leave this incredible institution, which it has been a privilege to lead. I am very proud of our achievements to date and am grateful to the extraordinary people I work alongside.
“When I arrived, the ENO was in crisis and the company’s survival was in real doubt. I am delighted that we have brought stability and secured ENO’S future.”
Harry Brunjes, chairman of ENO, said of Ms Pollock’s departure: “Cressida has turned around our fortunes to deliver financial security, while keeping us on a solid creative footing … We will be sorry to lose her energy and determination.”
The decision to employ a relatively young woman to run a major arts body was seen as controversial at the time although some financial experts believe that the move ultimately saved the ENO from financial oblivion.
Her successful reordering of the finances has, however, come at a cost with the number of productions this year cut from 11 to eight. She also faced threats of strikes from the chorus.
In May, Ms Pollock indicated that she felt under siege. She admitted this year that she had found it “extremely hard” to cope with hostility from colleagues when she was first appointed.
Pollock is expected to be offered other senior jobs in the arts world.