About the Summit

Summit History

The Edinburgh International Culture Summit is a biennial ministerial forum established in 2012 by the Edinburgh International Festival in a unique partnership with the British Council, Scottish Parliament and the Scottish and UK Governments. The Summit is devised and produced on behalf of its partners by an independent charity – Edinburgh International Culture Summit Foundation.

Previous Summits

View resources from previous Summits via the links below:

Summit Aims

The Edinburgh International Culture Summit brings together Culture Ministers, artists, thinkers and arts leaders from around the world to share ideas, expertise and best practice, with a view to inspiring positive change in cultural policy and investment.

The Summit seeks to emphasise the importance of artistic exchange in a world that is increasingly complex and multi-lateral.

Our agenda is deliberately non-partisan and pragmatic. We aim to present multiple points of view rather than singular attitudes, ensuring that no country, continent or cultural perspective comes to dominate proceedings.

Culture and the arts have an inestimable impact on the vibrancy of the world we create and on the strength of the relations we create with each other.

Summit Staff and Governance

Delivery Team Culture Summit 2022 

Programme Director Sir Jonathan Mills AO
Executive Producer Jean Cameron
Executive Administrator Claire Pace Monreal
Events Manager Kate Hollands
Programme Manager Diane Henderson
Delegate Liaison Manager Éva Gyöngy Máté
Digital Event Programmer Emily Granozio
Project Manager Kate Cattell
Content Researcher Jake Kendall

Video Producer Mauro Silva
Culture Summit Hub BK-AVirtual
Communications and PR Susie Gray, Abbie Dobson, The Corner Shop PR
Website Hillside Agency
Design Emma Quinn Design

Edinburgh International Culture Summit Foundation Trustees

The Edinburgh International Culture Summit Foundation was formed in 2014 to support the work of the Summit. The Trustees of the Foundation are Shonaig Macpherson CBE (chair from February 2023),  Joanna Baker CBE, Stephen Gethins, Benny Higgins, Chris van der Kuyl, Gayle McPherson, Dan Mulhall, Dame Seona Reid DBE, Mona Siddiqui OBE, Andrew Wilson (interim chair May 2022 – February 2023).

Partner Support

Strategic Board

The Edinburgh International Culture Summit founding partners are represented by a Strategic Board, comprising:

Alison Johnstone MSP, Scottish Parliament Presiding Officer (Chair)
Scott McDonald, Chief Executive, British Council
Francesca Hegyi, Edinburgh International Festival, Chief Executive Officer
Rt Hon Angus Robertson MSP, Scottish Government,  Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture
Lucy Frazer MP, UK Government,  Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Rt Hon Lord Stephen Parkinson of Whitley Bay, UK Government, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State of Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Shonaig Macpherson, Edinburgh International Culture Summit Foundation

Partner Liaison

The delivery of the Edinburgh International Cultural Summit is coordinated by representatives of the founding partners, comprising: Lucy Young, Acting Deputy Director, British Council Scotland; Katy Taylor, External Affairs Advisor, Edinburgh International Festival; Roy Devon, Head of Events and Exhibitions, Scottish Parliament; Iain Waller, Unit Head, International, Culture Division; Keith Nichol. DCMS, Head of Cultural Diplomacy; Joe Cook, DCMS, International Culture Policy Advisor

Edinburgh International Culture Summit Foundation (Company Number SC474473).

Founding Partners

Knowledge Partners

The Edinburgh International Culture Summit acknowledges important partnerships in developing its programme:

Corporate Supporters

Philanthropic Supporters

We thank the following, and other philanthropic supporters who wish to remain anonymous

Binks Trust
Nish Trust

Individual Supporters

We thank the following, and other individual supporters who wish to remain anonymous

James and Morag Anderson
Late Sir Angus and Lady Grossart
Scobie Ward
Alan McFarlane

Public Supporter

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Alan Pert, Director, Melbourne School of Design
Alberta Arthurs
Andong Lu, Nanking University
Ben Divall
Camilla Darling and Johanna Kieniewicz, King’s College, London
Clara Miller
Carmen Romero, Artistic Director, Santiago A Mil International Festival
County of the City of Los Angeles for the use of the Hollywood Bowl
Davis Butner
Ed Byrne, AC, King’s College, London
Eizo Okada, Kyoto Institute of Technology
Elihu Rubin, Yale School of Architecture
Emilio de la Cerda, Cultural Heritage Undersecretary, Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Chile
Erwin Viray from the Singapore University of Technology and Design
Evan Roberts, Creative Director – Clemenger BBDO
George Brandis and Alessandra Pretto, Australian High Commission London George Khalaf and Kristin Ohnstad, Empatico
Irina Bokova
Ismail Serageldin
Josh Kun and Jay Wang, Annenberg School of Communications, USC
Judith and Leah Pisar
Kathrin Deventer and the European Festivals Association
Kirsty Macari and Rebecca Foy, University of Dundee
Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, Music Director, LA Phil
Murray Fraser and Filipa Wunderlich, Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London
Parmesh Shahani
Paul Brummel, CMG, Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Richard Sennett and Saskia Sassen
Ryan Ramsay and Roswell Encina, Librarian of Congress
Sanjoy Roy, Director Teamwork Arts, New Delhi
Scott Murray and Alissa Tanskaya for their advice concerning the video content of the Special Edition
Sel Kardan and Carol Colburn Grigor, CBE – The Colburn School, Los Angeles Susie Thomson
William Dowson, Bank of England
Zeyba Rahman, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art