Barbican appoints interim leadership and equity director after racism allegations

Will Gompertz and Sandeep Dwesar will serve as joint interim managing directors at the Barbican starting next month, following Nicholas Kenyon's departure. Their appointment comes after more than 100 claims of racism and discriminatory incidents were published in June, ranging from racist comments by staff to criticisms of a discriminatory culture. Nina Bhagwat joins as interim director of equity, diversity and inclusion to advance the institution's anti-racism work and inclusion agenda. Gompertz and Dwesar have committed to supporting staff who experienced racism and implementing a new anti-racism plan. The Barbican promised an independent review when the allegations surfaced. Kenyon's planned September exit was announced shortly after the racism claims emerged, though the institution denied the controversy prompted his departure. He has since been named the Daily Telegraph's new opera critic.