1 June 2021
Pushkin House Announces the Appointment of a New Executive Director
Pushkin House announces today the appointment of Elena Sudakova as its new Executive Director. Ms Sudakova brings a wealth of expertise and experience in the leadership of cultural institutions, including her previous roles as founder and director of Grad. She takes on executive leadership at a pivotal moment in our 67-year history, as we prepare both to resume live-audience events at our Bloomsbury Square residence and to expand digital access to events for our growing global, online audience.
Regarding Ms Sudakova’s appointment, Craig Kennedy, Chairman of the Pushkin House Board of Trustees, said: “We are excited to have Elena taking on the Directorship. She brings tremendous energy and breadth of vision to the role. Under Elena’s leadership, Pushkin House will continue to provide the range of high-quality programming—with contributors from around the globe—that our cosmopolitan community has come to expect. We especially look forward to Elena introducing our audiences to a new generation of lesser-known, creative voices from throughout Russia.”
Elena Sudakova, incoming Executive Director, said: “I am thrilled to be joining Pushkin House at this unique moment, and I look forward to working together with the trustees, the team, and volunteers to enhance Pushkin House’s role as a bridge between two cultures and as an enabler of ecosystems and networks at the crossroads between the UK and Russia past, present and future. Building on Pushkin House’s dynamic programme of talks, readings, exhibitions, and musical performances, we will continue to explore the connections between individuals, disciplines, periods, and cultures, reaching out to wider communities and more diverse localities.“
Ms Sudakova succeeds Clem Cecil, who served as Executive Director from 2016 until June of 2020.
Since last June, Rebecca Ostrovsky and Rafy Hay have provided interim leadership of our cultural programming, while Alina Gainard has been overseeing operations. During the same period, Preslava Fentham-Fletcher has transformed our development effort, while Alexander Karpeyev has continued to curate our music program with talent and imagination. The Trustees would like to thank all of them for the superb job they have done as stewards of Pushkin House during the challenging period of lockdown. We look forward to their on-going involvement with the House.
About Elena Sudakova
Elena is a founder and director of Grad, a not-for-profit art organisation which has been operating in London since 2013 as a Kunsthalle, a platform and a forum for debate while researching, curating, commissioning, and producing a dozen critically acclaimed projects. Best known for premiering in London historical and archival materials from the Russian museums and cultural institutions, Elena also commissioned full scale installations in London by contemporary artists Olga Chernysheva, Irina Korina, Zhanna Kadyrova, ZIP art group and many others. Elena is also co-founder of ShadowMemory - an experimental art platform that provides free access to everyone, 24/7, and acts as a multidisciplinary art exhibition, a tour, a game, and an immersive experience, interacting within both digital and physical spaces. She lives and works in London.
Enquires: office@pushkinhouse.org.uk