Abigail Pogson
Abigail Pogson is a British arts executive who was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Barbican Centre in September 2025, taking up the role in January 2026. She previously served as Chief Executive of The Glasshouse International Centre for Music for a decade from 2015 to 2025.
Early life and education
Pogson was born and grew up in Yorkshire. She studied Modern and Medieval Languages at the University of Cambridge and subsequently completed an MA in Cultural Management at City, University of London.Career
Early positions
Following her postgraduate studies, Pogson began working in the arts sector. Her early career included positions at English National Opera, Music Theatre Wales, and the Society for the Promotion of New Music. In 2007–08, she was a Fellow on the Clore Leadership Programme.Before joining Sage Gateshead, Pogson served as Chief Executive of Spitalfields Music, a charity based in East London known for its Summer and Winter Festivals and year-round Learning and Participation Programme.
Sage Gateshead and The Glasshouse
Pogson was appointed managing director of Sage Gateshead in 2015, succeeding Anthony Sargent CBE after a phased handover. During her tenure, the venue welcomed over two million visitors annually and engaged more than 1.7 million young people in music education and performance activities.In 2023, under Pogson's leadership, Sage Gateshead was rebranded as The Glasshouse International Centre for Music following the announcement that a neighbouring arena would take the Sage name. The rebrand involved extensive public consultation, with the new name referencing the venue's distinctive architecture featuring 630 panes of glass.
During her decade at the organisation, The Glasshouse contributed an estimated £1 billion to the local economy and opened music education opportunities to 1.8 million young people.