Glyndebourne has announced the appointment of two new members to its Board of Trustees – Sharmila Nebhrajani OBE, Chair of NICE, and top solicitor Helen Ward, a partner at Stewarts Law LLP.
Lord Davies of Abersoch, Chair of Trustees, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Sharmila and Helen; they will add huge experience to the Board.’
Sarah Hopwood, Managing Director of Glyndebourne, said: ‘The strength of the Board has been felt more than ever this past year as we’ve sought their support and expertise to help us face difficult decisions arising from the pandemic crisis. We are thrilled to be gaining the talent and insight that Sharmila and Helen have to offer and to be further diversifying the experience and skill set of the Board.’
‘Creative Conspirators’
Glyndebourne has also announced a new pilot initiative bringing together a group of six volunteers to work with the Board and executive management to bring complementary experience and different perspectives to the company’s strategic thinking.
The ‘Creative Conspirators’ will meet four times a year to explore the challenges faced by Glyndebourne, with a focus in the first year on attracting new audiences.
Glyndebourne’s Director of Audience Development and Media, Richard Davidson-Houston said: ‘We want Glyndebourne to be as forward-thinking now as our founders John and Audrey were in 1934 by drawing on diverse experience and skills from outside the organisation. To that end we have brought together an incredible group of energetic, open-minded and inventive people to act as a think tank for creative ideas and to challenge our assumptions.’
Glyndebourne’s Creative Conspirators are:
- Jamal Edwards, entrepreneur and founder of the online urban music platform SB.TV
- Dr Zahira Jaser, Assistant Professor at the University of Sussex Business School
- Professor Anthony Lilley OBE, Director, Scenario Two Ltd
- Joy Nazzari, Founding Director of brand consultancy dn&co
- Jack Pepper, composer and broadcaster
- Zerlina Vulliamy, Founder President of Oxford Contemporary Opera
The group is chaired by Glyndebourne trustee Christopher Walter, a partner in the international law firm Covington & Burling LLP and co-founder/owner of the NME award-winning Ramsgate Music Hall.