Launch of new management structure

Zurich—A new management structure is being implemented at Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, representing a new direction for the organisation. For the first time, a collective of five people will be taking on the management of the museum. With this step, the museum is setting an example of how contemporary management structures can be implemented within the art scene. Going forward, flat hierarchies, process orientation and collaborative teamwork will become key elements of everyday working life at the museum.

On June 9, 2023, the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst (Migros Museum of Contemporary Art) began an intensive transformation process in order to reposition itself with a forward-looking management team and move away from the traditional model of artistic directorship. This move allows the Migros Culture Percentage institution to meet the changing requirements placed on a museum by means of a modern leadership structure.

From December, a collective of five people will be taking up the reins of the museum. As a result, the Migros Museum will be run based on flat hierarchies and a highly transdisciplinary and collaborative way of working, both in internal and external matters. This modern culture of collaboration is reflected in all of the museum’s areas of activity—each of which will now benefit from equal representation at management level. The restructuring of the museum therefore represents a logical step and follows on from the expanded definition of a museum issued by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in 2019.

The new collective management structure will take effect from December 1, 2023 and will see five department representatives each assume an equal role within the management team:

Tasnim Baghdadi, museum co-direction, Programmes / Michael Birchall, museum co-direction, Exhibitions / Patrick Ilg, museum co-direction, Communications / Catherine Reymond, museum co-direction, Operations / Nadia Schneider Willen, museum co-direction, Collection.

Hedy Graber, Head of the Social Affairs and Culture Directorate at the Federation of Migros Cooperatives, is delighted with the new structure: “As a private institution, we want to rethink the way in which museums are managed. The nature of the new structure is deliberately iterative so as to be able to adapt to new insights and developments. I am particularly pleased that we have been able to develop this new model by working collaboratively with employees at the museum.”

For the past two and a half years, the museum has been under the interim directorship of Catherine Reymond. “I would like to thank Catherine Reymond for the great commitment she has shown as Interim Museum Director and am delighted that she will be able to continue contributing her many years of experience as she takes up a seat on the new management board,” adds Hedy Graber. 

The Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, located at Limmatstrasse 270, Zurich, is a Migros Culture Percentage institution, and thus constitutes part of the Migros Group’s social engagement. Since its founding in 1996, the Migros Museum has maintained a continuous discussion about today’s central issues, inspired by the artistic positions and works of international contemporary artists. As a forum for active and lively dialogue on the topic of art and its role in society, the exhibitions are designed to involve the widest possible audience—with free admission. Find out more about the current exhibition “Interdependencies: Perspectives on Care and Resilience” at migrosmuseum.ch.