Devyani Saltzman is leaving the Barbican arts centre, sparking a big leadership change shortly after new CEO Abigail Pogson took charge. Saltzman joined in February 2024 as director of arts and participation. She unveiled a bold five-year creative vision months ago and was named one of the 40 most influential women in UK arts. The Barbican has not confirmed when she will leave or plans to replace her. Saltzman handled the Barbican’s artistic programming and community work. She became the public face of the centre, speaking openly about the need for diverse leadership in London’s cultural institutions. "We are actually in a new wave of next-generation leadership that hopefully is going to shift the model," she said this year. The Barbican has seen many leadership changes in recent years. In 2021, managing director Nicholas Kenyon resigned after claims of institutional racism. He was followed by Will Gompertz, who left after two years. Saltzman was one of seven senior leaders brought in after the Barbican changed its management structure, all answering to Pogson, who started last month. Saltzman joined during a controversy when the Barbican canceled a talk by Pankaj Mishra about the Holocaust and Gaza, which caused some artists to withdraw their work. She helped to rebuild trust by engaging with Mishra and the artistic community. CEO Pogson is overseeing the Barbican’s first major renovation since it opened in 1982. The project will close the theatre, music venues, and galleries for 12 months starting June 2028. It will cost £231 million for the first phase, with an estimated total of £451 million. The Barbican was originally created for residents of the nearby flats but now welcomes over 1.5 million visitors a year, making it one of the UK’s top cultural hotspots.