Conducting an Executive Search for a Manager Tourism, Arts and Culture to revitalise place‑based cultural and visitor outcomes in regional Victoria
The Brief
Future Leadership™ was engaged by a regional Victorian local government organisation to appoint a Manager Tourism, Arts and Culture as part of a broader organisational restructure. The role was newly created to strengthen leadership across tourism, arts, culture, festivals, events and library services, and to elevate the strategic impact of these portfolios within the community.
Reporting to a Director‑level executive, the role was designed to provide credible, visible leadership to a multidisciplinary team delivering high‑profile, community‑facing services. The organisation required a leader capable of operating across both strategic development and operational delivery, with responsibility for shaping long‑term strategies while stabilising and re‑energising teams following a period of organisational change.
Key priorities for the role included the development of an Arts and Culture Strategy, refinement and delivery of an existing Tourism Strategy, strengthening relationships with community organisations and event partners, and building trust and cohesion across teams with varied levels of maturity and capability.
Given the profile of the portfolio spanning festivals, events, creative industries, tourism growth and cultural development the organisation sought a leader with strong stakeholder engagement skills, experience navigating complex environments, and the ability to balance creativity with governance, budget and accountability obligations.
Future Leadership™ was selected for its deep experience in executive search within local government and community‑focused sectors, and its ability to attract high‑calibre leaders capable of delivering outcomes in regional contexts
Candidate net Promote Score
Future Leadership combines truly personalised relationships with innovative technology solutions to ensure an approachable and efficient process for all our Net Promoter Score across clients, successful candidates and unsuccessful candidates is well above industry standard.
Candidates supported every year
We maintain genuine relationships with past candidates and continue to support them with leadership solutions long term, after they land their role.
Senior Women Appointed since 2002
Over half of the executive search assignments undertaken by our team have resulted in the appointment of outstanding female or LGBTQI+ leaders to high profile roles.
Candidate Retention Rate for 12 months since 2002
Our thorough briefing process and ability to engage passive candidates mean that we go to great lengths to find the right person for the role – long term!
The Process
Future Leadership™ undertook a comprehensive executive search process tailored to the organisation’s strategic objectives, operating environment and community expectations. Given the role’s breadth, visibility and newly established nature, a structured and evidence‑based approach was critical to identifying candidates capable of succeeding in a complex, place‑based leadership role.
Key steps included:
Briefing and Strategy Development
Future Leadership™ conducted an in‑depth briefing with senior executives to understand the intent behind the newly created role, the challenges facing the portfolio, and the leadership style required to rebuild confidence and momentum across the service. Particular focus was placed on clarifying the balance between strategic leadership, operational oversight and community engagement.
Targeted Candidate Search
A targeted search strategy was implemented, combining national advertising with direct sourcing through Future Leadership™’s extensive networks across local government, arts and cultural institutions, tourism bodies and related creative sectors. The search focused on identifying candidates with proven leadership experience in complex service environments and strong stakeholder management capability.
Candidate Assessment
All shortlisted candidates were assessed against clearly defined selection criteria, including leadership capability, strategic thinking, experience in tourism and/or arts and culture, and ability to operate effectively in politically and community‑sensitive environments. This stage included structured interviews conducted by Future Leadership™ to evaluate cultural alignment, leadership approach and readiness for a senior management role.
Final Evaluation
Shortlisted candidates progressed to formal panel interviews with senior organisational stakeholders. Candidates were required to demonstrate their capacity to lead change, develop and implement strategy, and engage constructively with internal teams and external partners.
This rigorous, end‑to‑end process ensured the appointment of a leader capable of delivering both immediate stability and long‑term strategic impact across a diverse and highly visible portfolio.
Emerging Capabilities
Stakeholder Relations
Ability to build trusted relationships across community groups, government partners, and internal teams.
Culture and Engagement
Capability to re‑energise a fatigued team and foster an inclusive, creative and collaborative workplace environment.
Organisational Capability
Skill in shaping new structures, modernising service models and building team capacity.
Communication and Influence
Strong presence in the community and adept at communicating vision, priorities and progress with clarity.
Adaptability and Resilience
Experienced in navigating environmental and organisational change, including natural disasters.
The Outcome
The search resulted in the appointment of a highly experienced senior leader with a strong track record across tourism, arts, culture and creative industries in regional environments. The successful candidate brought an innovative and commercially informed leadership approach, underpinned by a deep commitment to strengthening and showcasing regional communities.
With extensive experience establishing and leading regionally based creative initiatives, the appointee had demonstrated success in building cross‑sector partnerships with local government, state agencies, industry and education providers. Their background included the development and delivery of major multi‑year festivals and events, securing external funding to support long‑term sustainability, and leading strategic frameworks designed to grow creative ecosystems at a regional level.
In addition to sector‑specific expertise, the appointed leader brought strong general management and people leadership capability, having previously led large, geographically dispersed teams within complex operating environments. This included responsibility for commercial performance, organisational change, stakeholder engagement and the delivery of high‑profile programs.
Complementing their executive experience, the appointee had a strong governance and community profile, with active involvement in boards, advisory committees and peer assessment roles across tourism, arts and multicultural services. Their combination of strategic insight, practical delivery experience and collaborative leadership positioned the organisation to strengthen its tourism and cultural outcomes, re‑energise teams, and deliver sustainable, place‑based impact for the community.
