If there is a single thread running through Leon Gray’s story, it is curiosity, with a quiet instinct to keep exploring even when life takes an unexpected turn.
He never set out to work in the performing arts. “I did a degree in life sciences and zoology,” Leon shares. “There was an editorial position advertised in the university job center for graduates. I went for an interview and got a job working on a publication centered around life sciences, basically, my zoology background. I was trained as a sub-editor and then an editor, and I started writing a few articles as well.”
Leon with the family’s first rescue dog, Bram, a lurcher (greyhound-terrier cross). They have since welcomed two more rescues — Dexter, a collie, and Fudge, another lurcher (whippet-saluki cross).
What began as a logical next step for a science graduate soon opened new doors. Leon built a career in publishing, but life and rising London costs eventually nudged him north to Scotland. There, a part-time job at the Aberdeen Performing Arts ticket office changed everything. “I had set up a limited company and ran all my freelance writing and editorial work through it,” he explains. “But I also took a part-time box office job in Aberdeen as a side hustle, really just to get out and meet people in a new city. I worked evenings and Saturdays from 2005 until about 2012.”
He continues, “I really enjoyed meeting lots of people and speaking to customers over the phone as they booked tickets. Gradually, I got more embedded in the organization, and it took over from my publishing career.”
Leon rose through the ranks, from ticket seller to a supervisory position in the box office. He eventually drifted into IT after being asked to run a full system migration. “We were using ENTA at the time. We went out to tender, selected AudienceView as the preferred supplier, and senior management asked me to project-manage the migration. That was successful, and I learned a lot. After that project, I became IT Manager, using some of the skills I had built during the migration. I was IT Manager for about two-and-a-half years, then I was promoted to the senior leadership team as Head of Business Transformation, running big digital transformation projects.”
He stayed with Aberdeen Performing Arts for several more years, and then, in 2019, an opportunity to lead ticketing and CRM came up at the Edinburgh International Festival. “I was interviewed and offered the role,” Leon says. “Then COVID hit, so there was a bit of a delay with me starting. I have been here ever since.”
Leon’s professional path may be unconventional, but it has been shaped by remarkable leaders. Of note was Jane Spiers, the former CEO of Aberdeen Performing Arts, who he calls “an inspirational leader.” Leon says, “She was very focused on achieving what she wanted for the organization … [and] was incredibly thoughtful and generous with her time. [With her support, I was able to] flourish in my career and get to where I am now. I learned so much from her.”
Leon and Jane at her 2022 retirement party, where he surprised her and the team by travelling to Aberdeen Performing Arts to celebrate.
Jane’s influence helped Leon develop his own leadership values. “When she took over as chief executive, she clearly had a direction in mind, but she was very consultative in her approach. She led a series of workshops with staff … and really [fostered] a sense of community amongst the workforce. She asked our opinions about mission, vision and values. One of those was curiosity, and that has stayed with me … I really do get on with people who are curious, who like to explore, and potentially find different solutions for different problems or different ways of doing things. That has stuck with me as well. From a leadership perspective, I like that consultative approach.”
That openness extends to every relationship in Leon’s life. “I like people who are really honest,” he says. “Someone who is open to challenging me … to tell me when I am doing well but also point out when I am not. Pick me up if I’m doing something wrong or say something out of order. I value direct people, not those who hide behind a veneer.”
Leon’s proudest achievements are as varied as his career. The ENTA-to-AudienceView migration is at the top of the list. “It was a really challenging project. I was fairly new to the industry and had to learn an awful lot in a very short space of time.”
He continues, “I can still remember the success and relief on the go-live day when everything worked … It was a real life-changing moment to have done such a complicated project that had a big impact on the organization.
Leon is equally proud of the Scottish Environment Business VIBES Award that Aberdeen Performing Arts won during his time leading business transformation. The national recognition is awarded annually by the Scottish Environmental and Protection Agency.
“It was probably one of the first times an arts organization had won that award,” he explains. “In most cases, the winners were industrial organizations producing something in a factory setting. Over a couple of years, my colleagues and I managed to embed a real mindset and behavior to think about environmental issues. We had assessors come into the organization. They interviewed me and other members of the environmental team and then interviewed random people in the organization. They said we had really fostered and built a culture of awareness around our impact on the environment. It was really nice to be recognized for that because it was something everybody felt passionate about.”
Jane (center) and Leon (right) being presented with the VIBES award for Engaging Scotland in 2019.
At the Edinburgh International Festival, where he now serves as Head of Ticketing and Audience Experience, Leon has made people the heart of his work. “I came in straight after COVID when morale was low,” he recalls. “Very quickly, we built a positive, can-do attitude … It is not always about being recognized and winning an award … I am really proud of building the ticketing team to where it is now. It’s such a positive atmosphere and people support each other. It’s taken years, and I’m very proud of it.”
Outside of work, Leon’s heart belongs to his family, and he describes his children as the greatest loves of his life. “My eldest daughter, Evie, just graduated with a degree in fine arts. She is in Brazil right now, and in November she goes off traveling around the world. She’s going to Australia and New Zealand, then doing a tour of Southeast Asia. My son Finlay is in his third year at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, and he’s doing a degree in computer science. My youngest daughter, Emilie, is in Edinburgh … She is doing a degree in English and philosophy. I’m really proud of and admire all my children and love them dearly.”
Leon with his eldest daughter, Evie, after her graduation ceremony in July 2025. Evie graduated with a first-class honors degree in fine art from Grays School of Art at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.
Leon’s children Emilie, Evie and Finlay on a beautiful sunny day in Greenwich during a long weekend visiting friends and doing the tourist trail in London.
He smiles when he talks about his partner, Kate, a former arts marketer turned midwife. “We first met at an arts industry conference in London around 2013. [We] reconnected when I moved from Aberdeen to Edinburgh in 2021, and we have been happily together for five years now. She is my pillar of strength and my trusted confidant. Much of my success is [due] to her love and support, and I love her dearly.”
Leon’s interests reach far beyond the office. Among them, he is an avid cyclist. “I collect bicycles,” he laughs. “It will be a difficult decision who I leave them to in my will.”
Leon on a cycling tour in Orkney, off the coast of northern Scotland, in summer 2019. He and friend Lesley Anne spent two days riding around the island, stopping off at tourist spots including Skara Brae and the Italian Chapel.
Cycling is more than a pastime; it is a lifelong passion that keeps him grounded. “I have an old classic steel bike that I built, which is very dear to me. I also have a more modern carbon-fiber bike, and I’ve just bought a gravel bike to commute on through the cycle-to-work scheme at Edinburgh International Festival.”
Beyond cycling, there are plenty of places where Leon dreams of spending time. “I absolutely love living in Edinburgh … However, Scotland is not renowned for its sunny climate, and I am definitely Leonine in my traits. Leon by name, and I am a Leo. I prefer sunnier climes, so if I were to live anywhere, it would be somewhere on the Mediterranean. I love the south of France and Spain. I have been to Spain for the last three or four years on vacation after the festival in August. I love waking up in the morning and not thinking about what to wear, just pulling on a pair of shorts. I love the beach and swimming in the sea as well.”
He continues, “The place I would most like to visit is Japan. I would love to spend two or three days in Tokyo for the craziness of the bustling city metropolis, then have time to travel south [to Osaka] and experience something more traditional … I absolutely love Japanese food and the way of life, the respect for the environment and nature, and the respect for each other as well.”
Members of Aberdeen Performing Arts’ Green Team encouraged colleagues to volunteer with the Marine Conservation Society for beach cleanups. Pictured: Leon (right) and Nick (Finance Manager) after a successful clean at Aberdeen Beach.
Leon’s energy extends well beyond the bike. “I love running. I have always been very sporty. I played rugby at school and university, then felt I got a bit too old for being a bit too battered around … A friend got into triathlons when he was younger and challenged me to do one. I was a very bad swimmer, so I had to learn to swim efficiently and properly. I did my first triathlon, really enjoyed it, and then we did lots more … I’ve always loved cycling, but swimming not so much. I used to be ambivalent about running. I didn’t like the solitude, but now I love that time. I love when you are running and you are just processing thoughts. It is almost meditative. You can run two or three miles and be completely lost in your own thoughts. That is a really nice place to be.”
The vast crowd at the 2025 Great North Run, an annual half-marathon with about 60,000 participants. Leon has taken part for the past two years and will run again in 2026 in support of the Anthony Nolan Trust, which connects stem cell donors with people in need of a lifesaving transplant.
Although it has been three decades since he graduated from University College London, Leon has never stopped learning. “When I took the IT manager job at Aberdeen Performing Arts, I felt a bit of a fraud because I kind of learned everything on the job and I didn’t have any formal training or qualifications. So, I started a second degree in computer science,” he explains. “You can do it part-time whilst you’re working through The Open University … I am approaching my tenth year, and I’m in my last-year equivalent. I switched from pure computing to computing and mathematics … because you had to take some mathematics courses early on in the degree, and I actually really enjoyed those.”
Leon is also deeply passionate about music. “I grew up listening to my parents’ records, The Beatles from my mum and heavier rock from my dad,” he recalls. “At school, we had to pick a musician for a presentation, and I chose Jimi Hendrix after finding one of his compilation albums. I remember listening to some of that and gradually became more and more interested in Jimi Hendrix and the Jimi Hendrix Experience and then bought all of those albums. That style of music has stuck with me … I love blues and jazz music. I pretty much love all sorts of music. I would listen to everything. I love Queens of the Stone Age, which can be pretty heavy. I love folk music. I love Joni Mitchell. She is a fantastic vocalist. I’ve got really eclectic taste in music, but I have always had a connection with Jimi Hendrix because it is something I grew up with. Whenever I hear Jimi Hendrix now, it sends shivers down my spine. I wish he were alive. I’d pay thousands to see him play live.”
When asked what he would most like to master, he mentions music again. “I wish I had continued playing instruments. At school, I had lessons on double bass and played for the best part of a year. I was very slow to learn, and it was very difficult to practise because it’s a rather large instrument to carry around. I also dabbled with drums and wish I had continued into my adult years. It was my birthday in August and Kate booked me a series of drum lessons, which I’m looking forward to starting.”
Leon reads constantly, too, from philosophy of science to fiction and everything in between. “I am reading Rebecca Kuang’s ‘Katabasis’ now … and Donna Tartt is my favorite writer. I absolutely love all her books, ‘The Secret History’ and ‘The Goldfinch’ especially. She usually leaves 10 years between books, and it has been 10 years since ‘The Goldfinch’ came out, so I’m waiting in anticipation for a new novel.”
And when asked about his favourite live performances, he responds with enthusiasm. “Black Watch” by National Theatre of Scotland “totally blew me away,” he says. “[I will always remember] the quality of the production, the writing, the staging, the closeness of the audience to the action and the actors … I also love live music, and I’ve been fortunate to see a lot of bands. It’s difficult to pick a favorite, but Queens of the Stone Age played a festival day in Finsbury Park in London, it must have been 2017 or 2018. It was a mini festival day, and Iggy Pop was supporting. It was a really fun day, friendly crowd and great music.”
He adds, “I also love contemporary dance, especially Crystal Pite’s ‘Assembly Hall’ and ‘Figures in Extinction,’ both of which have appeared at Edinburgh International Festival. Dance has become an acquired taste for me. It is not something I would have gone to see when I was younger, but as I’ve worked more in the industry, it is something I have really come to appreciate. The physicality of the dancers is quite unbelievable when you think about what they are doing.”
Leon’s reflections on both his personal life and career are marked by gratitude. If he could go back in time and give his younger self advice? “I would probably tell myself that actions have consequences and think very seriously about everything you do, because you never know what those consequences will be … Now, with my experience, I know it is better to think through things more clearly … I think there’s a time and a place for spontaneous decisions, and it is about making a distinction between when that’s fine and when you need to take a bit more time.”
He has also learned perspective. “If you are having a bad day, putting it in the context of what’s going on in the world, your own problems are probably fairly insignificant. I think really focusing on positivity and optimism are good qualities to have. It’s nice to reflect on that and just the way you change as a person in your life as well.”
Leon’s relationship with INTIX reflects the same openness and curiosity that have defined his career. He had known about the association for years through colleagues across the U.K. and Europe, but it was only recently that he decided to join. “I have got to a point in my career where I felt like I had something to give back,” he says. “Everyone has always extolled the positivity of INTIX and the community. What really resonated with me was the support INTIX members have in terms of fostering the next generation of ticketing professionals. I really like the idea of the mentoring program. I think that is something that was missing when I first started in the performing arts.”
He also sees INTIX as a rare space where professionals at all levels help one another. “There are lots of long-time members, so there is a constant base of support,” he says. “If you have a problem, you can almost guarantee that someone in the INTIX community has faced it and considered solutions. People are really open, friendly and all for helping the community as well … It is not just about the next generation, but about everyone supporting each other, having those conversations, being open and honest, and being able to say, ‘I am struggling, can you help?’ with no judgment.”
The annual INTIX conference in New York became a personal milestone. “This year, I did two presentations. One was in the Global Village with Spektrix about harnessing technology and training … I also did a shorter solo session on the pricing strategy at the Edinburgh International Festival … I am not the world’s most confident public speaker, so I was proud of delivering that.”
Beyond giving back as an INTIX speaker, Leon lends his time to other causes close to his heart. “I am a trustee for Birds of Paradise Theatre Company, an organization that creates world-class productions and projects which place disabled artists and creatives center stage and challenge the status quo.”
Leon adds, “Ensuring accessibility to the arts is extremely important for me. In my role at Edinburgh International Festival, I oversee the accessibility program to ensure all audiences can experience the International Festival. Through Birds of Paradise, this extends to ensuring disabled actors on the stage and creatives behind the scenes can participate in the arts and tell their valuable stories.”
He also volunteers with Hidden Door, an organization that transforms forgotten urban spaces in Edinburgh into temporary venues for music, art, theatre, film, dance and spoken word. “It is a completely volunteer-run charitable organization,” he explains. “I lead on ticketing strategy and help to run the box office during the busy festival period.”
As he looks to the future, Leon reflects on the team that makes his work so rewarding. “I really respect my colleagues. They are incredibly talented, and it is a pleasure to work with them, harness their expertise in their area, and help deliver a fantastic festival experience every year,” he says. “I hope I am generous with my time. I do really care about ensuring people have a great experience when they are at work, that it is something they want to do, and I hope I’m approachable. I am always here to offer advice and expertise where I can, and I’m always humble and looking to learn from others. It is not a competition, and we can all learn so much from each other. We should be humble and use the tools we’ve got with each other.”
Curiosity may have sparked Leon’s journey, but purpose now drives it forward. As he continues to open doors, mentor others, and champion access for all, his influence will ripple far beyond the stages and ticket offices he has helped transform.