Andrew Corbett-Nolan
Chair
Professor Andrew Corbett-Nolan is the Chief Executive of the Good Governance Institute (GGI) and is a nationally recognised expert on public and third sector governance. He specialises in board development work, and some of the more complex governance reviews and national work that GGI undertakes, particularly in the NHS with the development of clinical governance. His work has been recognised by appointment a Salzburg Global Fellow.
For more than 25 years Andrew has sat on public and third sector boards ranging from the largest NHS Trust in England to small community groups. He is well-known as a thought leader in public sector governance.
He lives in the Sussex house where he was born. His interest in the arts is broad and he sits on the steering group of the Cultural Governance Alliance. Alongside Hastings Contemporary he is very involved in supporting opera at all levels, from the International Opera Awards through to grassroots community operas.
Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown was educated at the Royal College of Art in London. He was Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research at the University of Brighton and recently chaired the Creative Arts panel for the Hong Kong Research Assessment Exercise 2020 and the Research Grants Panel [Arts] for Fundação para a Ciência ea Tecnologia Portugal. He chaired the Main Panels for arts and humanities in the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF2014) and was invited by the Portuguese Government to conduct an international review entitled Reforming Arts and Culture Higher Education in Portugal. He has served as Trustee and Governor of organizations such as the Crafts Council, Art’s Council for England’s South East Arts Board and the Ditchling Museum.
Peter Chowney
Peter was born in Woking before moving to Bournemouth. He studied Microbiology and Biochemistry at Aberystwyth University, then worked for a time in food and pharmaceutical research. Since then, he has worked mostly in local government, for the Audit Commission and as an independent consultant. He moved to Hastings in 1996 and was elected to Hastings Council in 2000. As a councillor, Peter held a variety of positions including as the cabinet member with responsibility for regeneration and culture, as deputy leader, and as council leader for five years. He resigned from the council in May 2022 and has now taken on various roles including as a school governor, Chair of Ore Community Land Trust and as a volunteer at Great Dixter garden. He has a daughter who is the deputy director of an art gallery in Hoxton, two cats, three chickens, and a partner called Jo.
Esther Fox
Esther Fox is a Programme Director, Artist and Researcher, interested in the connections between art, medicine, museums and ethics. Esther is the Head of the Accentuate programme, creating opportunities for D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people to participate and lead in the cultural sector. She is currently taking the strategic lead on Curating for Change, working with over 20 Museums across England to deliver a programme for disabled people wishing to pursue a curatorial career. Esther’s arts practice is socially engaged and often participatory in approach, commissions include by The Science Museum and the Francis Crick Institute. Esther lives in St Leonards on Sea and is passionate about supporting Hastings Contemporary to bring world class art to local communities and develop equitable opportunities for all.
Patricia Millett
Patricia’s background is in Investment Banking (with Swiss Bank Corp) where she used her bilingual language skills with francophone corporate and institutional clients before turning to education. She gained her PGCE in Secondary French and spent 20 years in the teaching profession including Special Educational Needs (SEN). She sits as a Trustee on a number of boards which have a particular focus on music and education. Patricia believes strongly in the educational power of music and the visual arts to transform lives and transcend barriers. She has a keen interest in Participation Programmes to engage diverse communities in disadvantaged areas. She is delighted to be a trustee of Hastings Contemporary and to make a contribution to such an important art gallery.
Joni O’Sullivan
Joni is Head of Culture, Inclusion and Diversity for Lloyds Commercial Bank. A specialist in cultural transformation, inclusion and diversity, and community investment, Joni has a focus on effecting positive change in deprived communities through the use of business expertise, and is an experienced social enterprise mentor. Joni was born on Bere Island, West Cork and lives with her family in Eastbourne.
Ronke Phillips-Pakenham
Ronke is Senior Correspondent at ITV News. Her career as a journalist includes stints in print, radio and television, as a presenter and reporter in both national and regional media, in the UK and abroad. Awards Ronke has won include two Amnesty International awards for her piece on the murder of Kristy Bamu and her report uncovering the identity of ‘Adam’, whose torso was found in the Thames. Ronke is a passionate supporter of several charities. She lives in East Sussex.
David Rogers
David is a qualified Chartered Accountant and spent much of his career specialising in insolvency and corporate recovery, and later acting as non-executive chairman for a range of businesses. He has worked extensively in the public sector, helping Stoke and Staffordshire local authorities develop longer term strategic plans and placed-based regeneration. More recently, he joined and Chaired the Board of Combined Healthcare, the NHS trust which is responsible for mental health services across North Staffordshire. David has recently moved to Hastings, bringing to the gallery his personal passion for the arts and for the role of arts in physical and mental health recovery.
Kay Sandford-Beal
Kay has over thirty years’ experience of working in the not-for-profit sector, specialising in arts, heritage and education, including the British Museum, Tate and the Royal College of Art. Her most recent experience includes directing the operations of the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art and leading the Blackheath Conservatoire of Art, Music and Drama as its CEO. Originally from Hereford Kay has been a Governor of Hereford College of Arts for the past 8 years. Having recently moved to East Sussex, Kay is delighted to have the opportunity to support Hastings Contemporary as a Trustee.
Ben Urban
Ben is a Curator and Cultural worker based in Hastings, where he was born. He studied Fine Art at Goldsmiths University of London, and later studied for his research degree at the University of Kent specialising in Disability access in cultural, leisure and sporting environments. His Grandfather was the Commodore of the East Hastings Angling club for 20+ years, just across the Stade from the gallery.
Currently he works as the Director and Co-founder of Flatland Projects, an arts organisation focused on artistic development and the commissioning of national and international artists’ first institutional exhibitions. He is also the lead, and member of the founding steering group of Beeching Road Studios, a brand new facility focused on artistic production, studio space, and viable career pathways for artists and creatives of East Sussex. He joins the board at Hastings Contemporary with energy and excitement moving into the next phases of the gallery’s life cycle. Aside from his work in the Cultural sector Ben is a Judo coach working with Team GB’s Paralympic fighters and coaches and England’s Olympic development athletes.