Chief Executive
Britten Sinfonia

print
info Issues viewing the video?

David B

00:00:01 My name is David B, I’m the Chief Executive of Britten Sinfonia, and my role is a large role but it’s essentially running the business, because after all whilst this is an orchestra, it is a business. But it’s also looking after the artistic priorities of the orchestra, and planning artistic things into the future. So it’s a nice mixture of the artistic and the business side. That’s what I do.

00:00:26 I think I’m one f those people that didn’t really – at school at least – I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I think I was finding my feet in terms of what I was interested in, and it was a huge variety of things. Academically I knew that I loved History and English and Music, you know, I kind of played the piano, particularly badly, struggled though my grades. Was a bit of singer, as well. So there was that side that I did. But equally I was – I played tennis, that’s another thing I did outside, I played tennis and sport. So I think I was having fun really, and just doing things that interested me. There was no question that, you know – I was not, you know, going to win Wimbledon, I was not going to be a concert pianist, and my mediocre skills in terms of composition were not going to lead to a career along those lines.

00:01:19 Someone I greatly admired at my village school was my teacher. And so I remember thinking, actually I’d quite like to be a teacher. I could quite imagine teaching kind of junior school children, and I think as in life generally, you kind of come across these people who influence you, who you admire, and I think he was one of the kind of early inspirations, if you could put it like that.

00:01:42 I read History at University, but got very involved in the music areas. I actually got a lot of pleasure at University from organising some concerts that happened, or a short concert tour that a choir may have done. So almost being at that stage the backroom boy, and thinking that was interesting, I quite enjoyed that. And then realising that of course that orchestras, arts companies, drama theatre companies, it didn’t happen by magic, they were organised by a group of people who made it work. And when it got to the state of thinking what I would do professionally, I was aware that in terms of the music management side, it was then dawning on me that that was a possible career option.

00:02:29 My parents were not pushy in any way, they would listen and offer advice, but in terms of the type of parents who would say, you know, we’d really love you to be a lawyer and earn lots of money, or we’d love you to be a kind of you know whatever, they were never at all pushy like that. It was very much left to my own devices. Which was great, it gave me real freedom. Influences certainly during A level time, there were two particular ones. One was my music teacher Joyce Backhouse was a huge influence on me. And the second was my history teacher, Francis David. And so they were influential, both in the way they taught and their subjects, but also personally in terms of listening to what I might or might not do.

00:03:11 I personally have very little regrets in terms of the career path that I’ve taken. They’d be – ’cause in a way it’s been straightforward, in that there’s been three key jobs for me. Working at the Academy of St Martin in the Fields; running a theatre – music theatre company, the National Youth Music Theatre; and then Britten Sinfonia, which I’ve been doing, believe it or not, for the past fifteen years. I never plan too far ahead. Even looking at me now, at the ripe old age of forty something, I’m not necessarily one of those people who is absolutely planning the career strategy. I’m just not one of those people. And I know many people who do, it’s kind of like well I’m taking this job on, I’m going to do it for three and a half years, and then I’m going to do that. I’m a little more fluid in terms of the way I look at things.

00:03:56 ENDS

 

David is CEO of the Britten Sinfonia. He looks after both the artistic and business sides of the orchestra. He has a history degree but has always loved music and became very involved with music at University. His teachers at school were greatly influential in helping him to think through what he wanted to do. He ‘never plans too far ahead’ but has few regrets.

More information about Chief executives and senior officials

?
£104,000
average salary

The UK average salary is £29,813

?
36
average weekly hours

There are 37.5 hours in the average working week

?
77%  male 
23%  female 

The UK workforce is 47% female and 53% male

Future employment

Future employment?

Description
? This unit group includes those who head large enterprises and organisations. They plan, direct and co-ordinate, with directors and managers, the resources necessary for the various functions and specialist activities of these enterprises and organisations. The chief executives of hospitals will be classified in this unit group. Senior officials in national government direct the operations of government departments. Senior officials in local government participate in the implementation of local government policies and ensure that legal, statutory and other provisions concerning the running of a local authority are observed. Senior officials of special interest organisations ensure that legal, statutory and other regulations concerning the running of trade associations, employers’ associations, learned societies, trades unions, charitable organisations and similar bodies are observed. Chief executives and senior officials also act as representatives of the organisations concerned for the purposes of high level consultation and negotiation.
Qualifications
Entry may be by appointment or internal promotion, as appropriate, and is usually based on relevant experience although candidates may also require academic qualifications for some posts.
Tasks
  • Analyses economic, social, legal and other data, and plans, formulates and directs at strategic level the operation of a company or organisation;
  • Consults with subordinates to formulate, implement and review company/organisation policy, authorises funding for policy implementation programmes and institutes reporting, auditing and control systems;
  • Prepares, or arranges for the preparation of, reports, budgets, forecasts or other information;
  • Plans and controls the allocation of resources and the selection of senior staff;
  • Evaluates government/local authority departmental activities, discusses problems with government/local authority officials and administrators and formulates departmental policy;
  • Negotiates and monitors contracted out services provided to the local authority by the private sector;
  • Studies and acts upon any legislation that may affect the local authority;
  • Stimulates public interest by providing publicity, giving lectures and interviews and organising appeals for a variety of causes;
  • Directs or undertakes the preparation, publication and dissemination of reports and other information of interest to members and other interested parties.
  • Analyses economic, social, legal and other data, and plans, formulates and directs at strategic level the operation of a company or organisation;
  • Consults with subordinates to formulate, implement and review company/organisation policy, authorises funding for policy implementation programmes and institutes reporting, auditing and control systems;
  • Prepares, or arranges for the preparation of, reports, budgets, forecasts or other information;
  • Plans and controls the allocation of resources and the selection of senior staff;
  • Evaluates government/local authority departmental activities, discusses problems with government/local authority officials and administrators and formulates departmental policy;
  • Negotiates and monitors contracted out services provided to the local authority by the private sector;
  • Studies and acts upon any legislation that may affect the local authority;
  • Stimulates public interest by providing publicity, giving lectures and interviews and organising appeals for a variety of causes;
  • Directs or undertakes the preparation, publication and dissemination of reports and other information of interest to members and other interested parties.
  • Analyses economic, social, legal and other data, and plans, formulates and directs at strategic level the operation of a company or organisation;
  • Consults with subordinates to formulate, implement and review company/organisation policy, authorises funding for policy implementation programmes and institutes reporting, auditing and control systems;
  • Prepares, or arranges for the preparation of, reports, budgets, forecasts or other information;
  • Plans and controls the allocation of resources and the selection of senior staff;
  • Evaluates government/local authority departmental activities, discusses problems with government/local authority officials and administrators and formulates departmental policy;
  • Negotiates and monitors contracted out services provided to the local authority by the private sector;
  • Studies and acts upon any legislation that may affect the local authority;
  • Stimulates public interest by providing publicity, giving lectures and interviews and organising appeals for a variety of causes;
  • Directs or undertakes the preparation, publication and dissemination of reports and other information of interest to members and other interested parties.
Employment by region
?
Top 10 industries for this job
?
Computer programming, etc 8235
Head offices, etc 7460
Auxiliary  services 7269
Financial services 5349
Legal & accounting 4889
Education 3947
Other professional 3426
Travel, etc 3322
Health 3149
Real estate 3095
Employment status
?

From personal careers advice to finding work, see our round-up of
useful websites to help you on your way

Explore more videos by: