Louise de Winter Chair Expand Louise de Winter is Chief Executive of The Urology Foundation, a medical charity sponsoring research and training. She was previously Director of the National Campaign for the Arts where she was responsible for the strategic leadership and development of the organisation, fundraising and the effective delivery of campaigns. Louise was responsible for raising the profile of the NCA, making it a respected source of information for both the media and opinion formers. During her tenure at the NCA Gordon Brown, then Prime Minister, held a reception at 10 Downing Street in honour of the NCA and celebrating the arts and arts philanthropists, the NCA launched the Manifesto for the Arts in anticipation of the 2010 General Election and held arts hustings with the three main political party arts spokespeople. She also laid the groundwork for the UK Arts Index in partnership with David Brownlee of Audiences UK. She is a highly experienced Chief Executive with excellent knowledge of the charities and public sector and an in-depth understanding of government priorities and the media.
Katy Spicer Vice Chair Expand Katy is an arts management professional with over 30 years’ experience in the sector. Since 2008 she has been the Chief Executive of the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS), the national development organisation for the folk arts. Over the past seven years, Katy has been responsible for raising the profile and expanding the activities of EFDSS. This has included developing an award winning music and performance programme at Cecil Sharp House (EFDSS’ venue in North London) and introducing an artists’ development programme which works with professional artists at all stages of their career, delivering events throughout the UK and internationally. Such developments resulted in EFDSS becoming an Arts Council England Regularly Funded Organisation in 2009 for the first time in its 80 year history and is now a National Portfolio Organisation. Prior to EFDSS, Katy worked for Rambert Dance Company (General Manager), Arc Dance Company (Executive Director), Chester Gateway Theatre (Administrative Director) and Green Candle Dance Company (General Manager). She has been a performance assessor for Arts Council England and served on the Boards of Cheshire Dance, Dance North West, Dance UK, and Independance. Katy has a degree in English Literature and History from London University, and a post graduate diploma in Arts Management and Policy from City University.
Katherine West Voluntary Arts England Chair Expand Katherine West is Chair of Voluntary Arts England. Her day job is Museums, Arts and Events Manager for Cheshire West and Chester Council. The service she manages includes 5 museum sites that offer programmes of learning, exhibition, events, activities and outreach (see www.westcheshiremuseums.co.uk), arts development work with communities, partnership work with arts organisation, rural touring arts, supporting voluntary arts, events co-ordination, cultural regeneration programmes and she has responsibility for cultural strategy. Her career has focussed on cultural development in the public sector with arts development and management roles in local authorities. She has a degree in Drama from the University of Exeter and an MA in cultural leadership from Liverpool John Moores University. She is also Vice Chair of Arts Development UK and leads on their professional development programme.
Denis Stewart Voluntary Arts Ireland Chair Expand Denis Stewart is currently in his ‘post-professional’ stage of life, pursuing his interests in ‘life-wide’ learning and connecting with other people. A former Chair of the Ireland region of the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) and an active member of the International Futures Forum (IFF), Denis works with others to encourage and enabling ‘civic conversation’ – open, creative, encouraging conversation between citizens about things that matter to them – as a way of enhancing civic society. Denis’s professional life – initially as an academic scientist, then as a school teacher, and latterly as an educational developer in several national, senior executive roles, spanned four decades and involved working in all four countries of the UK. A native of Northern Ireland, he has had the pleasurable privilege of living for periods in both Wales and Scotland. In a world where there is preoccupation with money and measuring over meaning, Denis is passionate about promoting and enabling more of the ‘poetical’ in the midst of the ‘mechanical’. Encouraging and enabling people to give expression to their artistic creativity in diverse ways, and to learn that they can be ‘creative citizens’, is a key way of doing this.
Michelle Sweeney Voluntary Arts Scotland Chair Expand Michelle has great passion, drive and energy and is committed to advocating for both access and engagement across the fields of the arts and culture in their widest context and inclusive of their contributory role to Scotland’s Creative Industries. Michelle has more than 20 years’ experience of stakeholder management across the fields of arts & culture, communities, education, health & wellbeing and marketing and has significant experience of working across the private, voluntary and public sectors. Michelle is a strategic thinker with a strong record of delivering in the fields of community engagement, the creative and cultural industries, cultural tourism, events management and funding and business development and has a clear, jargon-free communication style.
Hamish Fyfe Voluntary Arts Wales Chair Expand Hamish Fyfe, BA, MA, PhD is Professor of the Arts and Society at the University of Glamorgan, Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries. He has been a Professorial Champion and University lead in the Welsh Beacon (Beacons for Public Engagement). Having a background in drama Hamish is an active researcher and teacher in the area of arts and communities, applied drama, and, more recently, the digital economy. His post, at the University of Glamorgan, brings together his interest in the social impact of the arts, arts practice, research in the arts and practice as research. He is a National Adviser to the Arts Council of Wales. He is the Director of the George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling, the only University based Centre for research and practice in Storytelling in Europe and the University Centre for Research in the Digital Economy.
John Smythe Treasurer Expand John originally trained as an Accountant, working in both local government and commerce, and also at that time had a successful secondary career as a DJ. Soon after joining the BBC in the early 1970’s, he moved into Film Production Management, at a time when BBC Film were producing much of their award winning work. Subsequent further career changes lead to his involvement in the BBC’s internal consultancy activities managing organisational changes, and eventually moving into system development, finished his career as Head of Systems for the commercial arm, BBC Worldwide. Since taking early retirement in 2005, John has maintained his business activity in the media, as well being a working director of his wife’s Management Training and Business Mentoring company – with the odd bit of long distance cycling thrown-in!
Aled Rhys-Jones Expand Aled’s relationship with Voluntary Arts goes back to 1995 when he first joined the Board as the Chair of Voluntary Arts Wales, a responsibility he held for sixteen years. Aled was elected President of AMATEO, the European Network for Active Participation in Cultural Activities at their General Assembly and Conference hosted by VA in London in 2012. Aled is currently a co-opted member of the VA Board. With a background in professional theatre and TV as an actor, Aled has worked extensively with the organisations that support amateur theatre in the UK and internationally for over 20 years, in both professional and voluntary roles. He has edited over seventy plays for publication and directed fifteen theatre Summer Schools. He has an interest in inclusivity and was a Director on the first Unusual Stage School organised by Disability Arts Cymru for whom he also serves on the Board as Treasurer. He served as Vice Chair of the Central Council for Amateur Theatre UK for over ten years and became a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts in 2007. His abiding passion and one which consumes most of his waking hours has been the development of the international aspects of amateur theatre through exchange, festivals, conferences, training courses, symposia etc. Aled served as English Speaking Secretary to the International Amateur Theatre Association from 1999 to 2007 and he continues to support the work of the association as Vice President of its British Centre, the International Theatre Exchange.
Jerri Daboo Expand Jerri is Associate Professor of Performance in the Department of Drama at the University of Exeter. She has worked professionally as a performer, director and teacher in theatre, television and dance. Her work moves across performance forms and cultures. She has run her own theatre company, and curated festivals and exhibitions. She has been researching performance and culture in the Bristish South Asian communities, particularly looking at the development of performance, culture and activism in the town of Southall. She brings her experience of working with arts and culture in diverse ethnic communities to her involvement with Voluntary Arts.
Vivien Finch Expand Vivien has recently served as President of The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles, an organisation she joined soon after its formation in 1979. Textiles of all descriptions have been her passion since early childhood, but patchwork and quilting are top of the list! QGBI is an educational charity and Vivien has always enjoyed passing on skills through teaching, not only to perpetuate the nation’s stitched heritage but also to develop individuals’ creativity and sense of achievement. She held the post of Editor of ‘The Quilter’ for seventeen years then joined the Trustee board in 2008, serving as Lead Trustee for The Quilt Museum & Gallery in York (now sadly closed) prior to her term as President. Previous careers in retail management and with an accountancy firm have provided useful skills. 35 years of volunteering for one organisation have impressed on Vivien how much can be achieved with clear vision and the combined efforts of like-minded enthusiasts.
Maryam Imran Expand Maryam Imran is a Project Management, Training & Fundraising Consultant, based in Glasgow, currently working for Glasgow ANSAR, Diversity Arts and Noor Arts. Her previous work has included BEMIS – Black and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure in Scotland and Deaf Connections. She is predominantly a community facilitator of equality and diversity work with training as her main specialism. She also has strategic fundraising, capacity building, research and consultation, community engagement and networking skills, particularly with public bodies. She has a vast range of funding experience from Scottish Government Grants, Big Lottery, VAF, trust funding and business sponsorship in voluntary and community group settings.
Catherine Mugonyi Expand Catherine Mugonyi is Equality Officer at Blackpool Council. Catherine’s job involves working with BAME communities in Blackpool, consulting with BAME residents on service access and employment opportunity issues. On behalf of Blackpool Race Equality Forum she has also co-organised a Sustained Theatre Up North (STUN) roadshow event which allowed local BAME groups to access support and development opportunities regarding their arts activities and programmes. Catherine is also a director of a community interest company, Aunty Social CIC which provides accessible, affordable, participatory arts activities for local people.
Bobsie Robinson Expand Bobsie Robinson is currently employed by Bradford Council as the Cultural Policy and Strategy Manager. She has a long and varied history of working with BAME communities on various regeneration initiatives. She has established new groups and organisations particularly in the African and Caribbean community in areas such as Education, Health, Young and Older people. On a regional and national level she has been involved with various Arts Council England steering groups to engage and develop BAME artists and organisations. Bobsie is currently leading on a joint DCLG and Arts Council England Arts in Communities programme where she is developing a number of community arts networks across various localities and interests groups to enable grassroots communities to participate and engage in the arts.
Nisha Tandon OBE Expand Nisha Tandon OBE conceptualised and founded ArtsEkta (Ekta meaning ‘Bonding’), a social enterprise leading on innovation through a highly unique programme of work, addressing key social issues in Northern Ireland such as segregated communities, demographic change, legacy of the troubles, multiple deprivation, and weak community/arts infrastructures. Nisha has also led the design, development and delivery of Cultural Coach, a region-wide intercultural outreach programme; the development of Northern Ireland’s first South Asian Dance Academy; the delivery of three large scale award-winning festivals including Northern Ireland’s largest intercultural arts festival, Belfast Mela. She was appointed by the Minister for Culture, Arts & Leisure to the executive board of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland providing representation for the community arts sector. She also leads on the Stronger Together working group established in 2010. In June 2014, Nisha was the first Asian women from Northern Ireland to be awarded the prestigious UK Asian Women of Achievement Award for contribution to arts and culture, and later that month she was awarded an OBE for services to the minority ethnic sector in the 2014 Queen’s Honours List. In 2015, she won the British Indian Award for ‘Indian Spirit in the Community’ presented by Trade Next and BDO.