A former assistant to Simon Rattle at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Harding made his conducting debut with the CBSO in 1994. From 1997-2003, he served as the music director of the Deutch Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and is currently music director of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Harding has made regular guest-conducting appearances with the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic, as well as the LSO, with which he debuted in 1995.

"The LSO was one of the first major orchestras to engage me ten years ago and the relationship has grown since then, both in London and on tour," Harding said in a statement. "I'm delighted to take up this position and to play such a significant part in the future of the orchestra."