Trustees
Dawn Airey
Dawn Butler MP
Stephen Whitehead
Johnny Capps
Sylvia Darkwa-Ohemeng
Simon Davies
Janet Ellis MBE
Graham Elton MBE
Mary FitzPatrick
David Hockley
Nicola Howson
Jessica Hung Han Yun
Tobi Kyeremateng
Johnny Moore
Prasanna Puwanarajah
Simon Stockill
Dawn Airey is Chair of the National Youth Theatre, Digital Theatre, Barclays FA Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship; Non- Executive Director of Channel 4, is on the Boards of Grosvenor Estates and Blackbird and is Chancellor of Edge Hill University. Dawn is a veteran of the media industry having worked in television for 30 years, holding senior positions at ITV as its first Network Controller of Kids and Daytime and latterly Managing Director of Global Content. She was also the first Director of Programmes and subsequently CEO and Chair of Channel 5. Dawn also worked at BSKYB as Managing Director of Channels and Services. She was CEO of Getty Images between 2015 and 2018 and remained as a non-executive director until July 2022. Prior to that, she spent three years as Yahoo’s Senior Vice President in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In 2017 Dawn was News International’s Visiting Professor of Media Studies at Brasenose College, Oxford University. She is a Fellow and a Vice President of the Royal Television Society, and has been given an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by Edge Hill University for her outstanding contributions to the media industry.
Dawn Butler MP was elected as the Member of Parliament for Brent South on 5 May 2005 and became the first elected African-Caribbean woman to become a Government Minister in the UK. Dawn was then elected MP for Brent Central in 2015. Dawn continues to commit her time in parliament to representing groups and people in society that are often underrepresented. Dawn has been awarded three times by the Patchwork Foundation having been voted the People's Choice 2016 Labour MP of the Year Award, Overall MP of the Year Award 2017 and Labour MP of the Year Award 2020. Dawn served as Labour’s Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities between 2017-2020.
Stephen is a senior brand, marketing and corporate affairs professional with proven strategic leadership across the financial, pharmaceutical and beverage alcohol sectors. Stephen has worked in the UK and internationally in leadership roles for several blue chip companies including GSK, Diageo, Barclays and Prudential. He has led large global teams through significant changes and challenges including mergers, acquisitions, disposals and large scale restructuring and externally driven crisis including the GFC. For the past twenty years Stephen has operated at the executive level reporting to and advising both CEOs and boards on financial communication, policy, reputation and brand issues. In addition Stephen was CEO of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry leading complex price negotiations directly with the UK government. Stephen has a degree in American Studies from the University of Manchester and divides his time between London and Yorkshire.
Johnny is co-creator and Executive Producer of Urban Myth Films’ first commission the 13-part action adventure series Atlantis for BBC1 and BBC America. After graduating from Manchester Johnny began his career as a script editor for Paul Abbott before moving to the BBC as Development Executive, working on a number of productions including The Scarlet Pimpernel and Dangerfield. He later story edited Peak Practice (ITV) before going on to produce the first series of As If. Johnny and Julian Murphy established Shine Drama in 2002 and created and produced many international hits including Love Bytes (Foxtel, Australia), the award-winning Hex (Sky One), the International Emmy Award-winning Sugar Rush (Channel 4), Synchronicity (BBC), Disconnected (BBC), Demons (ITV), and the multi-award winning Merlin (BBC1). Merlin ran for five series until 2012 and sold to over 180 countries worldwide.
Sylvia had been heavily involved with her borough’s youth service in Brent, being a Grantmaker, hosting forums every month for young adults and being part of the Brent Youth Parliament, which lead to a trip to the European Parliament in Brussels. Sylvia graduated from Rose Bruford and discovered stage management with a youth arts company called DreamArts, where she started off as a saxophonist when she was 16. Some of her theatre credits include: A Beautiful City, Besieged, Three NYT Playing Up, A Guide to Second Date Sex, Strong Arm Edinburgh Festival: Underbelly Venue, Putting Words in Your Mouth, Hive City Legacy Roundhouse, Halfbreed India Tour, Nine Night (Dorfman), Pericles (Olivier) National Theatre, Barbershop Chronicles USA and Canada Tour, Richard II The Globe Theatre: Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner Royal Court (Upstairs) Theatre, Fairview Young Vic, Rockets and Blue Lights Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre and My White Best Friend (And other letters left unsaid) The Bunker Theatre/Royal Court Theatre: via live Zoom, TWENTY TWENTY Young Vic, Live Newspaper: Edition 2 Royal Court Theatre, Sundown Kiki Young Vic: Taken Part, Marys Seacole Donmar, I Wonder If Young Vic: Taking Part, Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner: USA Tour (New York) Royal Court Theatre. She is currently the Assistant Company Manager at TINA – The Tina Turner Musical! at the Aldwych Theatre.
Simon is the Chief People, Legal & Strategy Officer at Lloyds Banking Group and a member of the Group Executive Committee. He joined the Group in 2016 from Linklaters LLP where he was Firmwide Managing Partner, a position he held from January 2008. Prior to this, Simon spent 12 years in Asia, specialising in M&A and securities advice, serving terms in each of Hong Kong and Tokyo and was Managing Partner for Asia from 2003-2007. He is a Solicitor of the High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, as well as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Simon joined Linklaters in London in 1990, having studied at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He is a member of TheCityUK China Market Advisory Group.
Janet trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama . She has appeared in theatres up and down the country and on TV in everything from Dr Who and The Sweeny to Jigsaw. She presented Blue Peter for four years in the Eighties, and since leaving has worked as an actress, presenter, broadcaster and writer. She is a regular panellist on C5's The Wright Stuff and is a regular contributor to radio and TV . She writes an agony column for the Daily Mail, which appears every Monday. Her first novel, The Butcher's Hook, was published by Two Roads. She has three children and five grandchildren and a dog.
Graham is a Partner at Bain & Co. in London. He joined the firm in 2001 and ran the EMEA Private Equity business from 2005-18. He is now Chairman of that business as well as Chair of five private companies: With Intelligence, Lane Clark & Peacock, Capital Economics, Sport Pursuit and JMAN Group. Prior to Bain, Graham worked in the media industry at Pearson and United Business Media and at the Boston Consulting Group. He served as a Trustee of The Arts Educational Schools Chiswick for ten years and is now Chair of Now Teach. In his student days at Oxford and Harvard he directed at the Oxford Playhouse and produced and directed on Broadway.
Following a career as a journalist and documentary film producer, Mary began working in Diversity & Inclusion over 20 years ago, including roles as Diversity Editorial Executive for Channel 4 and for the BBC and most recently Diversity & Inclusion Lead for General Electric Renewable Energy. While Mary was in role at GE Capital, they won a range of diversity industry awards including The Times Top 50 Employers for Women in 2014 and 2016. Mary is currently Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Rolls Royce and is Lead Trustee for Equality.
David is a qualified Chartered Accountant, having qualified with PWC. He has worked as CFO in a variety of media companies, having started out with the Financial Times both in the UK and Hong Kong, where he was responsible for overseeing the Finance operations across a broad range of countries including Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, China and the Philippines. Subsequent to the FT, he worked at Channel 5 which finally resumed in him managing the sales of the business to Northern & Shell. Over the last 5 years, he has worked as am independent consultant with Hearst Magazines, Travel Channel, Scripps Networks Interactive, Central European Media Enterprises and Picsolve. He specialises in M & A, restructuring, refinancing and Interim CFO roles. His main interests are all forms of Sport, travel, gardening and family.
Nicola has spent over 25 years working as a communications professional in a range of industries. During this time Nicola has advised a range of clients including major consumer brands such as Mars and Asda, media companies including ITV and Sky, and cultural organisations such as the Old Vic Theatre. Nicola spent ten years at leading communications agencies, freuds, where she founded its Corporate practice before becoming its CEO. Prior to this she spent the bulk of her career in the media industry, including working as Communications Director of ITV. Nicola is an Ambassador for WWF and a Trustee of the Old Vic Theatre. Nicola now runs her own boutique communications consultancy in London specialising in reputation management for both corporations and individuals.
Jessica designs for festivals, theatre, circus and installation. She trained in lighting design at Rose Bruford College graduating in 2014. Recent credits include EQUUS at Theatre Royal stratford and Trafalgar studios, Boomtown Festival, Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner at The Royal Court, Fairview at The Young Vic and Blindness at the Donmar Warehouse. In 2019 Jessica received the Knight of illumination award and Off West End Award for Best Lighting Design.
Tobi Kyeremateng is a BAFTA-winning film & TV producer from South London. She has produced work internationally for renowned broadcasters and media such as the BBC, BFI, Channel 4, Film 4, Netflix, NOWNESS, Sky Arts, and more - including 'Konan: Trapped In Trauma' for Channel 4 Documentaries, mockumentary-comedy series 'DROPPED' for Channel 4 Comedy, and the E4 comedy-drama series 'How To Be A Person' which won 'Best Short Form Programme' at the 2023 BAFTA Television Awards. Her films have screened at acclaimed festivals such as Sundance Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Aesthetica Film Festival, London Short Film Festival, and S.O.U.L Film Festival. Tobi was featured in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 – Europe – Art and Culture 2022 list, as well as being selected for the prestigious BAFTA Elevate programme for producers and BFI's NETWORK@LFF 2023 development programme. In 2023, she received the Netflix New Talent Award at the Women In Film & TV Awards. Tobi is the founder of the Black Ticket Project - an organisation supporting Black young people with creative opportunities.
Johnny is the CEO (UK) of Fulwell 73, an independent TV production company. Previously he was Chief Operating Officer of the visual effects and creative studio, The Mill. Prior to this, he worked for Sky, where he held various posts over the course of 20 years, most recently as Director of Operations for NOW TV. During his time at Sky, Johnny also helped drive various strands of expansion, including Sky’s investment in original content, their partnership with HBO, and the launch of Sky Sports F1. Johnny brings with him extensive knowledge in combining commercial and creative strategy to ensure businesses operate as efficiently as possible.
Simon is a medical doctor who splits his time between a small, rural general practice in North Yorkshire and as a senior clinical leader in the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire. He has previously been an elected local councillor and a university lecturer. He is an NYT alumnus and a long standing Trustee with very specialist expertise in safeguarding and wellbeing. He has previously chaired the subcommittee on Diversity and Equality and is currently Lead Trustee for Safeguarding.