How Kevin Rodd aims to attract a new generation of visitors to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park

“I went to work as finance manager for Oxfam on the ground in north Pakistan for six months, which had been hit by a major earthquake,” he recalled.

“Buildings had been flattened but people were doing their best to work together. We needed, for example to buy wood, in order to build latrines. Normal supply chains were down, so we had to rely on somebody who was going door to door promising to provide us with wood.

“We had to take a leap of faith and pay them in the hope they would actually provide us with the wood. It was something that goes against all auditing protocols. I had to go out in a UN helicopter to pay staff with cash, it was the only way to do it. It wasn't enough to have plan A. You needed plans B,C and D as well. Just getting things like food and water was extremely difficult.”

His new role as Deputy Director at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, might seem relatively tame by comparison, but the idealism and ability to think on his feet which served him so well in Pakistan will certainly come in handy as he helps the charity meet its targets. The accounting and financial management graduate’s links with the vast park in West Bretton date from the 1980s, when he helped family friend and artist Don Rankin to create a sculpture trail.

“I helped to dig out some of the trenches for that trail,” he recalled. “Don was somebody I looked up to. He even inspired me to write a dissertation on landscape art as part of my A-levels, before I went down the finance route at university.

“Don was a really good family friend who used to go youth hostelling with my dad. He went on to land the role of resident artist at YSP and we are hoping to re-interpret the trail he created to make it relevant for the 21st century. He would build artwork with slate that would make people look twice at the landscape. He made small forts from slate that looked like follies. He really made you look at nature in a different way.”

Initially, Mr Rodd’s career took a conventional auditing route. After graduating from Loughborough University he joined the Audit Commission, rising through the ranks to become principal auditor.

However, he was keen to see the world and when a role at Oxfam came up in 2002, he jumped at the opportunity. As part of the internal audit team he spent half his time reviewing Oxfam’s programmes in their international offices including Afghanistan, Kenya, Sudan, Liberia, Rwanda, Mexico, Peru, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

“It was the most challenging role, physically, emotionally and operationally, that I’ve had but also the most rewarding as you were able to see the direct positive impact that Oxfam had on people’s lives and you could see the small part that you played in that,” he said. He then joined the University of Oxford, where he rose to become chief operating officer, working in the gardens, libraries and museums division which contains famous collections.

“The pandemic was hugely challenging for so many organisations, including visitor attractions,” he said. “We had to make sure visitors and staff were safe because health and wellbeing are paramount. It was a complex job because the university had to deal with reputational issues linked to the debate over Black Lives Matter and decolonisation.”

There were also wider discussions about the manner in which artefacts had been acquired.

Mr Rodd added: “People wrongly assumed that we didn't want to discuss these issues when, in fact, there were lots of conversations about the objects within our museums and how we had obtained them. We had to try and respect different views.”

His arrival last month was regarded by insiders as a real coup for Yorkshire Sculpture Park, an independent charitable trust which welcomes around 400,000 visitors each year to the 500-acre, 18th-century Bretton Hall estate in West Yorkshire. Founded in 1977, it is the largest sculpture park of its kind in Europe and features, among others, the works of Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. Across its 46-year history, YSP has worked with 1,000 artists from 40 countries. As deputy director Mr Rodd will support YSP’s mission to make art accessible to all.

“I am learning so much now I am inside the organisation,’’ said Mr Rodd. “It does feel a bit like a hidden gem. There are a multitude of things to do. We have huge manicured landscapes covered with sheep and one of the largest populations of heron in the UK. It also gives people the chance to engage with contemporary art. We offer excellent value for money. Around 65 per cent of our incomes comes from visitor experiences.”

In future, the park may diversify and find different income streams.

He added: “There may be more corporate events and away days. Companies could promote the wellbeing of their employees by buying their staff free admission. I've got a fantastic team which I want to support as much as I can. One thing I've started to look at is the use of data to help us make decisions,’’ he said. “We already have lots of data about our visitors and operations and activities and we need to think about how we interpret it and record it. A key element is understanding what visitors want and need.” Mr Rodd is keen to ensure that growth is achieved while remaining true to the values of his hero, Don Rankin. “We must maintain our core values during any period of change,’’ he said.