Geoffrey Clements, Chair

Geoffrey began his career as an accountant in Bristol and left Coopers & Lybrand in 1992 to start his own practice, specialising in tax and small business services.  He was for many years a member of the Bristol Chamber of Commerce Tax and Public Finance Committee and the local Institute of Taxation, which he chaired in 96/97. He recently finished a 6 year stint on the Audit Committee of City of Bristol College. 

He has been on the committee of the Friends of the Bristol Oncology Centre for 30 years and is past president of the Anchor Society.  For several years he was a committee member of the Bristol Council for Voluntary Service, taking the Chair for 3 years.  He is currently a Trustee of the Temple Ecclesiastical Charities, Age Concern Bristol and Dr Johnson’s House Trust.

Alan Boldon

Alan has spent the last 20 years working on interdisciplinary projects as an artist, curator and project manager.  He was Director of a variety of arts projects and companies, and researched and wrote arts policy for a number of towns and cities including Luxembourg, where his work as a curator was at the heart of the European Capital of Culture 1995.

For 12 years he directed an international arts summer school devoted to exploring interdisciplinary engagement with place.  He has taught and lectured at BA and MA level throughout Europe, the USA and Canada for the past 10 years. 

He recently finished working at Dartington College of Arts where he led the development of Arts and Ecology.  He is currently working as Head of Development for Arnolfini where he is building long-term partnerships with a focus on research into how the arts can contribute to the development of sustainable cities.

Annie Menter

Annie is currently an Executive of the WOMAD Foundation.  Her responsibilities include the strategic and artistic development of the Foundation, responsibility for artist residencies and outreach programmes, devising and implementing a broad education programme for each international WOMAD festival and the setting up and management of the WOMAD Summer School. 

Annie has been working in the field of arts and education for the past twenty-five years, including working on research projects in West Africa, India, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and South Korea. She has developed teaching resources for Oxfam and as a textile artist, in 1986 she co-founded Vizability, a group of artists working in the field of public art and community empowerment through the arts. 

David Fairclough

David has been involved in Theatre finance and administration for over thirty years at RSC, Royal Exchange, Manchester, and a number of other regional subsidised theatres.  Ten years ago he joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School as Finance Director and amongst other things set up the BOVTS Friends organisation and became involved and interested in the theatre life of Bristol.  He now works part-time in education in Bristol and is involved in other freelance education work.

Michael Bothamley

Michael is a Partner at Beachcroft LLP, Regional Senior Partner in the Bristol office and National Head of Real Estate sector group. 

His voluntary posts include Vestryman at St Mary Redcliffe, Trustee of Clifton RFC, Trustee of Bristol Zoo and Governor at QEH School and he has particular interest in or links to; The Canynges Society, The Anchor Society, Emmaus, Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory, Bristol RFC, Quartet Community Foundation and The Merchants Academy.

Nicky Rylance

Nicky’s roles have included Deputy Chief Executive of the Bristol Initiative and the Bristol Chamber of Commerce, where she spent 17 years developing a range of strategic partnerships between the public and private sectors. With Bristol Cultural Development Partnership she headed up marketing, PR and fundraising for Bristol’s European Capital of Culture bid. She now operates as a freelance consultant. 

She is a former trustee of Arnolfini and has held a number of non executive positions including Governor of the University of the West England, and Director of Business West.  She is a practising artist and keen supporter of the arts.

Peter Lord CBE

Peter is the co-owner and Creative Director of Aardman, one of the world’s leading model animation studios, which he co-founded with his longtime collaborator David Sproxton in 1972.  As a director, Peter has been honoured with two Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Short – for ‘Adam’ and ‘Wat’s Pig’.  He has also earned BAFTA nominations for ‘Adam’, ‘The Amazing Adventures of Morph’ and ‘War Story’.  In 2000, Peter co-directed with Nick Park and produced Aardman’s first full-length feature, DreamWorks Animation’s ‘Chicken Run’.  Under the Aardman banner Peter produced the Oscar-winning first feature length film starring the beloved duo from their short films, the cheese-loving Wallace and his faithful canine sidekick Gromit.  DreamWorks Animations’ ‘Wallace & Gromit – the Curse of the Were-Rabbit’ was released in 2005.

Peter is a visiting professor at UWE and attends numerous animation and film festivals to give talks and sit on jury’s. In 2006, Peter was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Phil Gibby

Phil joined Welsh National Opera in January 2007, and is the company’s Director of Development & Communications.  He has previously been Director of Arts & Business South West, headed the marketing and development department at Bristol Old Vic and was chief reporter and news editor of The Stage. 

His voluntary posts have included Audiences South West, art+power, Wiltshire Music Centre, Total Theatre Network, Show of Strength, Bristol Arts Marketing and Theatr y Byd.

Sarah Smith

Sarah is a professional business manager, with over 30 years’ experience in both the private and public sectors. As a Director of Elev8Ltd she currently specialises in management consultancy, business development and project management working in the private and public sectors. Prior to this her roles included Development Manager, General Manager and, for three years, CEO of the Bristol Old Vic as well as being General Manager of the Hall for Cornwall Trust.
Sarah is project co-ordinator of the redevelopment of Bristol Theatre Royal complex.

Arts Council South West, Bristol City Council and Theatre Bristol have observer invitations to board meetings.