East Street Arts appoints New Trustees

East Street Arts today announced the appointment of several new Trustees who will join the Charity’s Governing Council in 2021.

Andrew Gillam, Jean Dent, Mark Wilson, Minoti Parikh, Nick Ramshaw, Rodolfo Barradas, and Will Arnold were selected following an open recruitment process and joined at an important time of development and growth for the charity.

It was paramount that we updated the East Street Arts board in order to maximise opportunities and to increase the impact that art can have on our communities. The new trustees join existing board members Claire Price, Craig Burrow, Bhavisha Kukadia, and Nicola Greenan and bring with them a mix of skills and experience to help us better achieve our purpose.

Andrew Gillam
Andrew is a Chartered Surveyor and Member of the Chartered Institute of Building with over 35 years’ experience in property development. He is a keen supporter of the Arts and a regular visitor to many arts venues and is looking forward to supporting East Street Arts in the future.

Jean Dent
Jean brings to the board over 40 years experience in the public sector as Director of City Development at Leeds City Council, she retired from this role in 2010.

Mark Wilson
Mark’s background is in education, previously as a Headteacher and education charity Chief Executive. As a resident of Leeds and stakeholder in the city, he will be a passionate advocate for Leeds as an international city and a cultural centre and a great addition to the board.

Minoti Parikh
Originally from India, Minoti has called Leeds home since 2014. Minoti has had an exciting and diverse career including working as a Sports presenter in India, and more recently as an entrepreneur and business consultant. Minoti is passionate about Leeds and is excited to support East Street Arts in their next phase.

Nick Ramshaw
Nick is no stranger to East Street Arts having helped with the branding of East Street in 2013 and contributed a room design in the original Art Hostel, he is keen to take the position as a trustee to support the organisation further. Nick brings 30 years’ experience in the world of branding to the team in addition to being a committed fan of culture and a resident of Leeds.

Rodolfo Barradas
Rodolfo is a marketing and communications professional and a civil servant, with experience of working across government in Cabinet Office, NHS Test & Trace, and DWP. Furthermore, he has worked for arts organisations throughout Yorkshire, including Ilkley Literature Festival, Cast in Doncaster, and York Theatre Royal and is keen to use his skills to support East Street Arts, artists, and the local communities within Leeds.

Will Arnold
Will is a Chartered Accountant specialising in mergers and acquisitions. He has over 22 years of professional services experience. As a purveyor of arts and culture in Leeds for many years, he is keen to give back where possible to the sector.

East Street Arts Artistic Director Karen Watson said:

“We are really pleased to be working with such an array of experienced trustees, as we continue to build our reach and impact across the city. Their many extensive areas of professional expertise will be invaluable in helping us to ensure we continue to support our artists and neighbours.”

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