New board members appointed
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has appointed Vicky Browning, Anna Collins, Liam Evans-Ford, Tracy Ann Oberman, Saratha Rajeswaran and Michèle Taylor as Board Members at the Theatres Trust for three years.
Vicky Browning OBE joins the board as our finance trustee. Vicky’s career spans both the commercial and charity sectors. Having spent nearly 15 years leading charities, she is currently enjoying a series of roles as interim CEO, most recently for national advocacy charity POhWER and cross-sector collaboration body WIG (the Whitehall & Industry Group). Previously, she led ACEVO, the network of civil society leaders for over five years, joining from CharityComms, the membership network for communications professionals in UK charities, where she was director for seven years.
Vicky says “Living in London, I am very fortunate to have access to an incredible range of opportunities to indulge my love of theatre-going, from the breadth of the programmes at the National Theatre or Old Vic, to seeing new and exciting work coming out of the Royal Court or my local theatre the Kiln in Kilburn.”
"I am excited to be joining the board of Theatres Trust to support its work of ensuring that current and future generations have the same access as I do to good quality theatres where they can enjoy the thrill of live performance."
Anna Collins is our Scotland trustee. Anna spent her early career in Scotland managing front of house operations for ATG and Glasgow Life across their portfolio of cultural venues. For the last ten years she has been providing strategic leadership for clients undertaking significant new build and refurbishment projects within the arts and is the co-founder of an award-winning, sustainable accredited architecture practice.
Anna says “Having witnessed the challenges of keeping these wonderful buildings alive over the last ten years, I am delighted to be appointed to Theatres Trust to support and shape the vital work it does in protecting such a significant part of our shared cultural heritage”
Liam Evans-Ford joins the board as our Wales trustee. Liam is Executive Director and CEO at Theatr Clwyd, the biggest producing theatre in Wales, taking up the post in 2016. Before joining Clwyd Liam was Associate Producer and Capital Development Associate at York Theatre Royal; General Manager and Producer at Sheffield Crucible Theatres; Community Producer on the York Mystery Plays 2012 production; and set up two companies – The Factory Theatre in London and Sprite Productions in Yorkshire. Liam is Chair of Creu Cymru, the development agency for theatres, arts centres and theatre producers in Wales
Liam says “I believe in theatre venues, in what they can offer, what they can represent, the history they can tell, the current stories and view of the world they can hold, the entertainment they can offer, and the opportunities for communities, economies, and social wellbeing they often deliver and improve upon. Having long been an admirer of the Theatres Trust and the work they undertake and given my very live knowledge of a major capital programme, I’m deeply excited to support the work of the Theatres Trust as a Board member.”
Tracy Ann Oberman joins the board as our performer / creative trustee. Tracy Ann Oberman is an actress, writer and theatre creator. Tracy Ann has had an extensive career both on stage and screen. She has been a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre and has worked extensively across the country’s regional theatres and in the West End.
Saratha Rajeswaran joins the board as a generalist. Sara is Chief of Staff to the Group CEO at Aviva plc, a leading Insurance, Wealth and Retirement business in the UK, Ireland and Canada. Sara has almost twenty years’ experience in executive advice, corporate affairs and political consultancy.
Sara says "I am delighted to join the board of the Theatres Trust. Our theatres are a national asset - supporting communities, artists and audiences today as well as growing and inspiring the artists and audiences of tomorrow, to keep the UK's highly productive and innovative creative arts sector fit for the future."
Michèle Taylor MBE is our access / equality diversity and inclusion trustee. Michèle is Director for Change at Ramps on the Moon, having run her own business as a Disability Equality strategist and trainer since 1992. Michèle has been working with cultural and heritage organisations over more than 30 years to embed systemic and structural change to ensure that their practices, policies and premises are open to disabled people.
Michèle says “The work of Theatres Trust has never been more important and I am delighted to be on the board to be part of ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to experience live performance in inspiring surroundings.”
All appointments are for a three-year term. As an arms-length public body, appointments to the Theatres Trust Board are made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.