Our People

Mark Osterfield was appointed Executive Director for the Central School of Ballet in March 2020. Mark has spent his career managing leading arts organisations and facilitating change for the public benefit with social, cultural and economic impact. He worked on the major refurbishment of Camden’s Swiss Cottage Central Library that was completed in 2003. As Executive Director Tate St Ives Mark championed the refurbishment and extension of the iconic gallery, winning Art Fund Museum of the Year 2018 as a result of his leadership. Since 2018 he has worked as a consultant and interim Director for a number of visual arts organisations including Spike Island, and Wysing Arts Centre.

Having studied ballet as a child, including a short stint at the Royal Ballet School, Mark read English at Keble College, Oxford, and then took a second degree in Fine Art at Middlesex University. Mark plans to bring this experience to the new role at Central, supporting young people to achieve excellence as dancers, whilst seeking to broaden Central School of Ballet’s reach and engagement with diverse communities, from its new premises in Southwark on the South Bank.

Born in London, Kate trained at the Royal Ballet School. She studied at London Contemporary Dance School for a postgraduate year and joined London Contemporary Dance Theatre under the directorship of Sir Robert Cohan. Later she joined Rambert Dance Company with the appointment of Christopher Bruce as Artistic Director. In their repertory companies she worked on new and restaged pieces with a variety of choreographers. Pursuing a freelance dance career she worked as a long-standing member of Michael Clark Company, with DV8, Mark Baldwin Dance Company, Jeremy James and Dancers, Martha Clarke, Michael Keegan-Dolan, Arthur Pita and Aletta Collins.

Kate has been the recipient of the Critics’ Circle national Dance Award for ‘Best Female Artist’, and a joint recipient with colleagues of the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance with London Contemporary Dance Theatre for their season at Sadlers Wells.

Kate retired from performing in 2012 and took up a post as Producer, Frieze Projects, followed by two years as Programme Director at Siobhan Davies Dance, and five years as Associate Director at Michael Clark Company. Kate joined Central School of Ballet in 2021 as Artistic Director and Professional Training Lead. Kate is Vice Chair of The Dance Professionals Fund.