A new funded leadership programme, the Imogen Kinchin Fellowship, has been launched on the second anniversary of Imogen Kinchin’s death. The initiative is designed to accelerate and support emerging cultural leaders, reflecting Imogen’s legacy of breaking ceilings and helping others to do the same.
Nominations for the first cohort of eight future leaders open today.
Eight industry figures who were close friends and colleagues of Imogen will serve as mentors. They include Emma Brünjes, Jo Danvers, Georgia Gatti, Glenn Graham, James Grieve, Nia Janis, Nicholai La Barrie and James Mackenzie-Blackman.
The programme is delivered in partnership with Half Moon Young People’s Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, National Theatre, Playful Productions and Theatre Royal Plymouth. These organisations represent key stages of Imogen’s career.
Launching in September 2026, the fellowship will support between six and eight emerging cultural leaders each year. There is no upper age limit and applicants are expected to reflect the breadth of Imogen’s work across different regions, sectors and artforms.
Each mentee will receive a £3,000 fund to support their participation, a dedicated mentor and access to wider mentoring through events and networking dinners.
Georgia Gatti said:
“Imogen had a fierce loyalty and an instinct to champion the people around her. She was always on the end of the phone when I needed her, offer considered advice and helping you see you could do more than you think you could. Our career paths are rarely linear, and having peers and mentors to talk to, listen to, and learn from is invaluable. That’s what this Fellowship is for.”
Nicholai La Barrie said:
“Imogen was a force of nature; if she believed in you, she would be your greatest champion. That is what mentorship is at its best: making space, offering challenge, and backing someone to keep going. Our industry can still feel like a closed club – the sustained, long-term mentoring this Fellowship provides will open doors to different kinds of people, talent, and creativity.”
George Perrin MBE said:
“Imogen was both the light that dazzled and the light that illuminated. She saw things in you that you could not yet see in yourself, and she brought people together, in life and in work. It is wholly fitting that her professional legacy will be to support and spotlight a new generation of courageous, generous and ambitious cultural leaders.”
The fellowship honours Imogen’s distinguished career, which spanned roles at Theatre Royal Plymouth, the National Theatre, Half Moon Young People’s Theatre, Act Productions, the Lyric Hammersmith and most recently Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, where she served as Executive Director.
More information can be found here.
