We’re delighted to welcome Aisha Ali, Larna Bernard, Joanna Dong and DL Williams as incoming trustees to our Board. They will join Melanie Aram, Briony Bax, Lauren Clancy and Nigel Gardner.
Chair of Trustees Lauren Clancy said:
I couldn’t be more excited for today’s announcement of our wonderful incoming trustees following an extensive period of recruitment in 2021.
Bringing wide-ranging expertise and representing excellence in their fields, our new board members will bring the knowledge, lived experience and passion to guide the organisation into the next ambitious phase of its creative growth and development.
As Chair I'm looking forward to continuing to work with my fellow trustees to deliver strong governance and strategic direction against a culture of radical inclusivity.
AISHA ALI
Aisha is a Non Binary, Queer, South Asian, Vocal Artist, Improviser, Composer, Inclusion and Cultural Producer, Workshop Facilitator and Artistic Director of Kiota: A Collective of BPOC (Black and People Of Colour) Creatives in Bristol. She is trained in the Arts of Fooling and Vocal Improv and primarily works with the Voice. Her compositions contain vocal harmonies, interesting beats and layers of foley instruments. She is passionate about where Art meets Activism and is particularly involved in Antiracist work. She is a member of the company Beyond The Ridiculous and manages The Wardrobe Theatre.
LARNA BERNARD
Larna Bernard is a seasoned business consultant, experienced and qualified in economics, customer experience, statistics, project management and market research. Over 30 years’ experience in corporate UK, in a range of sectors including Banking, Energy, Engineering, Personal Financial Markets, Regulation, Commodities and Publishing. She currently runs a bespoke consultancy helping organisations to strategize and optimize processes for service users and customers. She is a firm believer in community volunteering and alongside her corporate career has volunteered in a number of areas including education, the homeless, befriending, and school reading. She currently mentors young entrepreneurs to achieve stretching business goals and sits on the FCA Consumer panel.
JOANNA DONG
Joanna is the founder and director of Performance Infinity, a London-based performing arts management agency, offering a range of services to international partners and clients in the performing arts sector. As a creative producer, Joanna is interested in international co-producing, licensing and she is developing her skills in producing theatrical works in non-theatre space with community involvement.
Before working in theatre, Joanna worked for both Beijing and London Olympics for sponsor services, licensing, and marketing consulting.
Born and growing up in China, Joanna is living in London.
DL WILLIAMS
DL Williams is a deaf queer poet working with British Sign Language and English. Working with such different languages has inspired a deep interest in translation and how their work can be made accessible to signing and non-signing audiences. They have performed around the UK including at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, Wales Millennium Centre, the Barbican and the Albert Hall, as well as in America and Brazil. They have most recently been published in 'What Meets the Eye?' (2021), a bilingual anthology of deaf poets by Arachne Press. DL will release their own bilingual poetry collection, 'Interdimensional Traveller' with Burning Eye Books in March 2022. Their poems cover many themes, from identity to bilingualism to their beloved cats and as they say: “I aim to make my work accessible to everyone; whether they enjoy it or not is another matter!”
