Her first major role in the arts was with the
Royal Academy of Arts where she worked until 1989. She carried out her secondment at the
South Bank Centre with Michael Lynch and the
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. In February 2006, she left the National Portrait Gallery and became the director at
Compton Verney in
Warwickshire. In late 2008, she was appointed the new director of exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts, replacing the retiring Sir
Norman Rosenthal who had held the post for 31 years. This was a new position replacing the former Exhibitions Secretary post. She took up the role in January 2009. During her time at the Royal Academy of Arts she developed exhibitions such as Bronze, David Hockney, Van Gogh, and Degas. It featured both Aboriginal heritage and Australian art covering 200 years. In 2013, Soriano joined the television show Sky Arts
Artist of the Year as one of the three expert judges. She is continuing in this the role in the 2023 series, alongside
Kate Bryan and
Tai-Shan Schierenberg. From April 2014, Soriano began working independently as an art curator and on other cultural projects. She was one of five judges of the Place Prize for Choreography in 2008 when Adam Linder won the main prize. In October 2016, Soriano was appointed as the chair of the board of trustees for the
Liverpool Biennial, replacing Paula Ridley. During January 2018, she curated the
London Art Fair's 30th Anniversary - Art of the Nation: Five Artists Choose. In early 2019, she curated an exhibition of the works of
Harald Sohlberg for the
Dulwich Picture Gallery, the first exhibition of his works in the UK. Soriano was appointed chair of the
Art UK charity in December 2022, replacing Charles Gregson. In January 2025, Soriano became the interim director of
Hastings Contemporary. ==Publications==