Six New Trustees Appointed at the ArtsEd
Governance changes come as school launches new strategic plan
The newly appointed ArtsEd trustees. Clockwise from top left: Aimée Henderson, Albert Read, Huw Davies, Abbas Kazmi, Adam Cross, Marion Afoakwa
September 22, 2026
ArtsEd has taken another significant step in its programme of institutional renewal with the appointment of six new trustees. This marks a major strengthening of governance following several challenging years for the performing arts school.
The new board members took up their roles at the beginning of this month, coinciding with the launch of ArtsEd’s new Strategic Plan, refreshed organisational values and a restructured leadership team under Principal Professor Louise Jackson.
The appointments come at a pivotal moment for the school on Bath Road. Over recent years, ArtsEd has faced sustained scrutiny over governance, safeguarding issues and leadership stability. The school has since committed to rebuilding confidence, modernising its governance structures and ensuring that its board has the breadth of expertise required to oversee a complex educational institution. The arrival of six new trustees represents the most substantial change to the board in more than a decade and is intended to help embed the reforms already underway.
Professor Jackson, who joined ArtsEd just over a year ago, has led a year-long process of strategic and cultural renewal. On 1 September, the institution launched its new Strategic Plan alongside a professionalised brand identity and a refreshed set of organisational values: One ArtsEd, Courageous Creativity, Excellence with Care, Equity of Access and Opportunity, and Integrity and Stewardship. These values are intended to guide decision-making and collaboration across the school as it enters what leaders describe as a new chapter.
In announcing the appointments, Professor Jackson said she had been inspired by the passion and ambition of ArtsEd’s students, staff, alumni and supporters, and emphasised the importance of strengthening governance as part of the school’s evolution. She said the new trustees bring “exceptional expertise and insight” and will play a vital role in helping ArtsEd broaden access to its training, deepen its impact and prepare the next generation of performers and creative leaders for a rapidly changing industry.
The new trustees bring experience across education, finance, entrepreneurship, media, human resources, arts management, governance and organisational transformation. Marion Afoakwa joins as a HR expert with extensive experience in cultural and organisational change. Adam Cross has a background in drama education and cross-sector collaboration. Huw Davies offers a blend of artistic and commercial expertise from senior roles across the performing arts sector. Aimée Henderson adds deep governance and operational experience from education, charities and regulated organisations. Abbas Kazmi brings entrepreneurial, investment and innovation expertise, alongside governance roles in education and youth development. Albert Read, a senior media executive and author, contributes leadership experience from publishing, creativity and international growth.
Principal Professor Louise Jackson has led the institution for over a year
Their arrival follows further senior appointments within the institution, including Adam Davenport as Dean of Higher Education and Catriona Guthrie as Director of Enterprise and External Engagement. These changes form part of a wider effort to strengthen leadership, improve transparency and ensure ArtsEd is equipped to meet the expectations of students, regulators and the wider performing arts sector.
ArtsEd remains one of the UK’s leading performing arts institutions, with a long history of training actors, dancers and musical theatre performers. The organisation’s renewed governance structure is intended to support that legacy while ensuring the school is better prepared for the demands of modern arts education
Value Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |