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The Courtauld Institute of Art appoints first managing director

Article: David Styles | Image: Dr. Tzo Zen Ang © Cat Garcia

Dr. Tzo Zen Ang has been announced as the Courtauld Institute of Art’s inaugural managing director, at a time when the organisation’s Somerset House base is undergoing a major redevelopment.

Tzo Zen Ang will join the Courtauld Institute of Art from the Royal Academy of Arts, where she has served as chief operating officer since 2014.

In her new role at The Courtauld, Tzo Zen Ang will focus on operational management, ensuring it delivers against strategic objectives which include growing gallery audiences; continuing to attract and support a high-quality, inclusive student body; broadening the impact of academic research; building on existing partnerships and establishing new strategic relationships; and establishing a sustainable long-term business model.

The Courtauld’s temporary home in Vernon Square, King’s Cross, where students and academics are currently based

As her appointment was announced, Ang said: “The Institute is building on its already stellar reputation with hugely inspiring transformation plans that will help it even better deliver its founding vision of ‘art for all’.”

Prior to joining the Royal Academy, the Courtauld’s new MD worked at the Royal Opera House and the management consultancy McKinsey & Co. She also holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge.

The appointment coincides with the institution undertaking Courtauld Connects, a project to the make its artworks, research and teaching accessible to even more people. This includes extensive restoration of its Grade I listed building at Somerset House, already under way.

Professor Deborah Swallow, Märit Rausing director of The Courtauld, said: “The addition of such a highly respected and talented professional to the senior management team reflects the scale and ambition of Courtauld Connects, the biggest programme of development in our history. I look forward with great enthusiasm to working with Tzo Zen on the delivery of the project and our wider strategic objectives.”