We are excited to announce our new leadership team as we refocus for the future in 2022, our 75th anniversary year. The new leadership team includes three new directors – Nicola Benedetti, Kate Carter and Katherine Planas – as well as two expanded roles for Fran Hegyi and Roy Luxford.

In addition to welcoming our first female and first Scottish Festival Director, Nicola Benedetti, who will take up the post in October 2022, we have also recently appointed two new directors that bring together a variety of perspectives and experiences from across Scotland, the UK and internationally. Director of Audiences, Kate Carter, joined us in March from Scottish Ballet, and Director of Development, Katherine Planas, joins this month from the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.

Preparing to support the incoming Festival Director and her vision for the Festival, Programme Director Roy Luxford will take on additional responsibilities to become Creative Director and Executive Director Francesca Hegyi will step into the role of CEO supported by the Director of Finance and Commercial, Susan McIntosh. This will enable us to place renewed focus on our artistic vision and purpose, while ensuring the smooth administration of day-to-day operations.

Nicola Benedetti, Festival Director Designate, said:

“Getting to know the team at the International Festival has been fantastic and I’m so looking forward to joining the organisation fully later this year. My colleagues in this new leadership team comprise a wealth of talent, experience and knowledge and I am honoured to work alongside them to build on the Festival’s incredible legacy.”

Francesca Hegyi, Executive Director, said:

“These changes build upon the incredible foundations of a Festival that stands as a beacon for the finest performers in the world, a celebration that has captured the hearts and minds of Edinburgh and its visitors for 75 years. We wouldn’t be in the position that we’re in now if it weren’t for the passion and hard work of all the leaders that have come before us, ardent advocates for the arts that made their mark and shaped this organisation.

“I’m confident in a strong future for the Festival as we look forward to working with this accomplished group, with a wealth of experience from across the world.”

Keith Skeoch, Chair, Edinburgh International Festival Board said:

"We're moving into an incredibly exciting phase in for the International Festival. I'm very pleased with the calibre of the new directors and I feel that we're building a team, and a structure, that will be primed to execute Nicky's creative vision when she steps in as the artistic lead at the Festival in October this year."