Richard Davidson-Houston became Glyndebourne’s Managing Director in October 2022 and has led a period of rapid growth and renewal in the two seasons since. Collaborating closely with artistic director Stephen Langridge, Richard’s focus is to ensure that Glyndebourne will be sustained far into the future and, in his words, continues to flourish as ‘one of the wonders of the cultural world’. Richard first joined Glyndebourne at the end of 2019 as Director of Audience Development. He oversaw the organisation’s communications strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic, placing audience retention at the forefront of Glyndebourne’s response. Following a degree in English Literature at the University of York, Richard spent time as a strategy consultant, then launched (and later sold) his own research and design business before arriving at Microsoft, where he oversaw the rise of then market-leading internet services. Other highlights followed during ten years with Channel 4 Television, where Richard led the organisation’s digital transformation. Sussex born and bred, Richard’s first Glyndebourne experience was in the early 1980s on a school trip. He admits that any seeds this may have planted took rather a long time to germinate, and feels very fortunate to have arrived where he started.