Gus Casely-Hayford
DirectorV&A East
Powerlistee
Arts, Fashion & Design
As director of one of the most exciting new British arts institutions, V&A East, Gus Casely-Hayford is on a mission to transform the visitor experience with digital technologies, luring in younger audiences and reaching diverse communities.
A two-part project, V&A East comprises a four-storey collection and research centre, V&A East Storehouse — which opened earlier this year at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park — and a five-storey museum at the Stratford Waterfront, opening in 2026.
Gus joined the project in 2020 after spending two years in America as the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C. An esteemed curator, cultural historian, broadcaster, and lecturer, Gus is also Professor of Practice at SOAS, University of London, and writes, lectures, and broadcasts widely on culture.
Since graduating from Central Saint Martins, he has worked closely with major cultural and political institutions including Tate Britain, the BBC, the United Nations, Sotheby’s Institute, the Smithsonian, and various international Arts Councils. He is a former Executive Director of Arts Strategy at Arts Council England and ex-Director of the Institute of International Contemporary Art.
In 2005, he organised the biggest celebration of Africa Britain has ever hosted — Africa 05 — at the British Museum. Gus received a fellowship for service to the arts and a SOAS honorary fellowship for service to Africa, where he also earned a PhD. He has served on the boards of cultural institutions including the National Trust and the National Portrait Gallery, and was awarded an OBE in 2018.
He has fronted programmes for Sky Arts and the BBC, including BBC Two’s Lost Kingdoms of Africa, and delivered a TED Talk in 2017 titled The Powerful Stories That Shaped Africa.
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