Bristol Music Trust, the charity that runs Colston Hall, has announced the appointment of five high-profile members to their board of trustees who will steward the Hall through the £48.8m transformation process and advocate for the Hall on the national and international stage.
Under the direction of existing board member and incoming chairman Simon Chapman, the board welcomes Pat Connor, Tony Cherry, Craig Gentle, Tanya Lacey and Sandra Meadows at an important time in Colston Hall’s development.
The board, whose members represent sectors including the charity sector, business, the arts, finance and education, provides corporate governance and guidance to Bristol Music Trust through management policy, advocacy, commercial experience and networking.
As Director of BBC South West and the BBC’s Head of Development & Events, UK Pat Connor (pictured above) brings profound leadership expertise and, in tandem with a planned career change later in 2019, will ensure that the Hall’s work is aligned to take advantage of local and national opportunities, as well as championing excellence and audience focus.
Tony Cherry (Pictured left) is a partner at the international law firm DAC Beachcroft LLP and has been in Bristol since 2002 including six years as Regional Senior Partner and is also a director of the Cabot Learning Foundation, chairing the Boolean Maths Hub and Summerhill Academy Council.
Craig Gentle is the Chief Financial Officer at St. James’s Place Wealth Management and qualified as a chartered accountant in 1993. Craig will have an eye on the Trust’s finances and will advise on investment and commercial deals.
Bristol based singer-songwriter and advocate for women’s involvement in music, Tanya Lacey (Pictured right) is actively involved in mentoring and tutoring song writing workshops to young people nationwide and works closely with Bristol Plays Music, the music hub for Bristol that is run by Bristol Music Trust, as well as lecturing in songwriting and lyric development at ACM (Academy of Contemporary Music).
Sandra Meadows, member of the Chartered Management Institute, is the highly respected Chief Executive Officer of Voscur with specialty in voluntary, community and social enterprise sector development as well as a member of the Commission for Race Equality and Commission for Women in Bristol.
Louise Mitchell, chief executive of Bristol Music Trust said: “We are thrilled to welcome these five new members to our Board of Trustees in 2019 and to have them involved as we transform Colston Hall into a world-class venue for entertainment, education and enterprise.
“There is a wealth of knowledge in this group, who are particularly strong in the media, the arts and education and city wide activism. Along with our existing board members and the leadership of incoming Chair, Simon Chapman, Bristol Music Trust is very well placed to capitalise on opportunities and remain focussed on building the concert hall that Bristol audiences deserve.”
The transformation of Colston Hall will create one of the best arts and learning facilities in the country and includes remodelling and upgrading the Main Hall, The Lantern and opening up the extensive cellars to create a new, intimate music venue and education venue. This redevelopment is the biggest of its kind in the arts sector in Bristol and exemplifies Bristol’s long-term commitment to solidifying the city as a leader in music and arts programming.
Author: Paul Allott
Paul Allott is a director and co-founder of Event Industry News, Event Tech Live and the Event Technology Awards.
