In August 2021, Stefan Kalmár had left the ICA, for which he had worked for five years. After a somewhat lengthy search, the ICA has now found someone who will guide the ICA's fortunes as director in the future: Bengi Ünsal. The decision is notable in that Ünsal is the first woman to head the museum in fifty-five years. Her goals include expanding the museum's film and live performance offerings. She also plans to focus more on night programs and digital arts programs in the future, which have become enormously important in light of the Covid 19 pandemic.

During Bengi’s tenure at the Southbank Centre, she has been responsible for a year-round program of more than 200 contemporary performances. Before joining the Southbank Centre in 2016, Bengi was the Artistic & Managing Director of Istanbul's live performance and multi-arts venue, Salon IKSV, where she built the brand from scratch – successfully raising 100 percent of its funding entirely from brand partnerships, sponsorships, and ticketing income. She has also served as the Managing Director of Doublemoon Records in Istanbul, run her own events company, launched a festival, and worked for radio stations, music TV channels, Universal Music, and BMG.

Wolfgang Tillmans, chairman of the ICA, announced in a statement: "My colleagues and I are enormously excited that Bengi has agreed to join us at this crucial moment in the ICA’s history. Bengi has already started developing and sharing her ideas and plans on how she will shape a program across all art forms and all areas of our building, taking the organization back to its multidisciplinary heyday with a program rooted firmly in the here and now. I can’t wait to see what she brings to the ICA."