Qatar’s rising museum scene: from current challenges to new insights on museum leadership

This paper reviews the results of a qualitative study on museum leadership in Qatar’s rapidly growing museum sector. The research aims to examine the profiles of the leaders of these new cultural institutions, which the government entity Qatar Museums strategically develop. It also explores the challenges museum directors face within the context of Qatar’s strategic cultural plan, one of the four pillars of the National Vision 2030. The research outcomes illuminate (1) Qatar’s ambitious goal to emerge as a new international cultural player, and (2) the leadership mindset required to define and launch large-scale museums. The findings identify four areas of weakness for the museums in Qatar regarding (a) attracting the right talent, (b) discovering and developing the museums’ audiences, (c) managing limited resources, and (d) the need for increased autonomy, especially concerning finance, human resources, communication, and marketing. This study emphasises how current museum leaders in Qatar envision the future of their institutions through an innovation lens and examines the qualities of Qatar’s senior museum directors that enable them to shape the country’s aspirations.