Auckland Project in stronger place

WHEN I agreed to be Interim CEO of The Auckland Project, it was meant to be a short-term role - three months to support the organisation through a period of change, bringing a commercial mindset to an extraordinary cultural and regeneration initiative.

- David Land

Eight months later, I'm preparing to hand over the reins to co-founder Jane Ruffer, and I want to reflect on what has been one of the most intense, challenging and rewarding chapters of my career.

From the outset, I knew the scale of the task. This isn’t just a heritage site, it's a deeply ambitious regeneration project with the power to reshape Bishop Auckland's future. The foundations were already in place, laid over more than a decade by Jonathan and Jane Ruffer, through vision, philanthropy, and relentless determination. My role was to bring structure and sustainability; to help ensure that it becomes not just inspiring, but viable in the long term.

I was drafted in to review, reorganise, and refocus. That meant making tough decisions, restructuring the organisation, and embedding a commercial approach. It wasn’t easy. Change rarely is - especially when you're dealing with a project as complex, emotive, and important as this one. But the need was clear: if we want The Auckland Project to thrive, we must think like a business as well as a charity.

One of the first things I did was strengthen the leadership team, bringing in two experienced directors to help build the future of the organisation.

I enlisted the help of Kerina Clark, who was the force behind Aycliffe Business Park which employs 11,000 people, as Director of Operations, along with Simon Wright as Food and Beverage Director, who has almost 25 years of experience in the industry.

Both have hired incredible talent who have helped shape their departments and are now assets in the organisation.