New Year Brings New Trustees For Bristol Old Vic

Following an open recruitment process in 2024, Bristol Old Vic announced four new appointments to its Board of Trustees, alongside the appointment of new Directors to its subsidiaries and sub-committees as it continues to strengthen governance and representation needed to support the theatre's ambitions.

LaToyah McAllister-Jones will take the position of Deputy Chair from April 2025. She is the Executive Director of St Pauls Carnival and previously worked as the Head of Operations at Ujima Radio. LaToyah has significant experience working across a range of communities and cultural institutions in the city of Bristol particularly with African Caribbean-led community organisations. Driven by social justice, LaToyah has over 20 years' experience working in the homelessness sector with complex needs individuals and is experienced working in multi-disciplinary environments. She was also an associate non-executive director at NHS North Bristol Trust until 2022.  A community organiser and creative, LaToyah's work is at the intersection of activism and creativity, platforming stories and narratives as a way to connect with everyday activism.

Speaking today, LaToyah said, "I am thrilled to be joining the Bristol Old Vic team. It is somewhere that has played an important role for me and my family over the years and I am excited about the stories being brought to life in that space. I look forward to working with the team to continue to deliver for all our communities in Bristol.”

She is joined by Beth Byrne who, since growing up in Bath, has had 25 years' experience producing and programming work for the stage.  She is currently Creative Director at Warwick Arts Centre, the UK's largest arts centre outside London. Prior to this, Beth was CEO of East London's multi-artform heritage venue, Shoreditch Town Hall, and was previously Executive Producer at Southbank Centre. Other roles include Executive Director, Cheek by Jowl Theatre Company; Associate Producer War Horse West End; Associate Producer Neal Street Productions; and Associate Producer at The Donmar Warehouse, London. 

Bristol Old Vic also welcomes Timi Oni to the Board. Timi is a Strategic Communications professional with extensive experience in brand building and reputation management. Timi's ability to connect the dots across teams, to craft clear, consistent and effective messaging for target audiences, and navigate complex challenges has made her a trusted advisor to senior leadership.

The fourth new appointment is Christopher Sharp, a King's Counsel whose whole legal career over half a century has been focused in Bristol and the South West where he has gained experience through his work in Family Law. He is involved with local charities and universities, has a life-long love of the theatre and is passionate about the power of the arts to enhance everyone's quality of life, but in particular to transform the lives of young people. This has resulted in Christopher's long-term support of Bristol Old Vic and the contribution it has made, and continues increasingly to make, in these areas.

Bristol Old Vic is also expanding its subsidiaries and sub-committees to further support the organisation in key areas.

Following the departure of Klaus Goeldenbot from the Board of Trustees and Chair of Trading Board after 5 years, existing Trustee Suneeta Sellers has been appointed Chair of the Trading Board. Joining the subsidiary's existing members are:

Mike Kain is an entrepreneur and business leader. He co-founded 6 O'Clock Gin, the Bristol based premium craft gin brand in 2010, running the company until 2023. Under his leadership, the brand grew steadily in the UK and internationally, earning recognition for its refined taste and artisanal approach. Prior to that he held senior management positions in one of the world's largest construction materials manufacturers.

Beth Watling is Managing Director at Playful Productions, responsible for overseeing their diverse portfolio of theatrical productions. Current titles include Wicked, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, MJ The Musical and Dr Strangelove. Prior to this, Beth was the Producer for National Youth Theatre producing new work across the UK, West End and internationally. She has produced work for the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, FIFA World Cup, Shakespeare's Globe and The National Theatre. Beth was a member of the British Council's UK-Gulf Creative & Cultural Advisory Group and a member of the DCMS UK-China Advisory Group.

Catherine Lightfoot is an experienced People and HR professional, combining expertise in strategic leadership and organisational transformation with a passion for empowering others through coaching and consultancy. She is a Trustee at The Mazi Project, supporting governance, safeguarding and HR initiatives, and also specialises in ADHD coaching, leveraging her deep commitment to neurodiversity to support individuals and teams. With a background as VP of People and Culture and extensive global experience, she is dedicated to helping organisations foster inclusive, high-performance cultures.

TV Drama Executive Richard Fell will also be joining a new Development Sub-Committee chaired by current Trustee, Sophie Brendel, which has been created to help support the fundraising goals of Bristol Old Vic.

Richard is a multi-award-winning Producer. He has wide experience of producing high quality Drama most recently as Head of Drama/Managing Director at Company Pictures and previously at Carnival Films where he was Executive Producer on Sky's Stan Lee's Lucky Man and Jamestown. He previously held roles as Managing Director at Fresh Pictures and Senior Executive at Tiger Aspect Drama. During an eleven-year tenure at the BBC, amongst other things he was responsible for creating and curating the drama strategy on BBC4.
 
Speaking today, Bristol Old Vic Chair of Trustees, Bernard Donaghue said:
“This Recruitment process saw a wealth of talented individuals approach us to offer their skills and expertise for the benefit of Bristol Old Vic's ongoing success. We were thrilled to meet each and every one and are delighted to have appointed a group who will complement our existing board members and make the organisation stronger as we meet the ongoing challenges of the sector head-on.

We are hugely grateful to these individuals for committing their time to Bristol Old Vic and we welcome them to the team.

I'd also like to express my deep gratitude to our outgoing Board members as they come to the end of their tenure. We thank them for their invaluable contributions and passion for our shared mission to bring creativity to every corner of our city and champion the value of the arts."