Board

Ibukun Alamutu is a Senior Associate Consultant at Bain & Company London, a global strategy consulting firm. Prior to joining Bain, she worked at PwC London, where she advised on corporate finance mergers and acquisitions; and qualified as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant.

Raised in Nigeria, Ibukun graduated from the London School of Economics with a BSc. in Accounting and Finance. In addition to her accounting, finance and strategy experience, she brings experience supporting social enterprises from her time as Co-director at The Young Consultant London – a student consulting organisation focused on small businesses and charities; and her time at Amplified Arts Academy, a performing arts academy with a mission to provide accessible programmes.

She is a dance enthusiast and is currently a member of Boy Blue Entertainment’s training company, an Olivier Award winning dance company. She performed in their biennial show at The Barbican in March 2022.

Kurt Barling is Professor of Journalism at Middlesex University.  He was an award-winning BBC investigative journalist and film-maker until 2015.  Kurt worked across BBC News and Current Affairs from 1989. Assignment, Newsnight, The Money Programme, Today, Black Britain and BBC News among other programmes.  He was Special Correspondent in London from 2001-2014.  Amongst his many journalism awards Kurt is proud of the 5 national awards for his reporting of race in Britain, the US, Africa and the Caribbean. He is author and editor of books on German history, Terrorism, Economic Development and the polemic The R Word: Racism.  Kurt gained a first-class degree in Languages & Politics before graduating with a Masters and PhD from the London School of Economics. He was an LSE lecturer in International Relations from 1986-89.  He sits on an advisory Board at the British Library and is adviser to a successful Silicon Valley Breaking News Platform which is transforming the landscape of American journalism.  He was raised in North London to a family that has supported Arsenal FC since 1915.  As a member of the National Youth Theatre in the 1980s he learned to love the value of theatre to enrich lives.

Hedda Beeby has worked in theatre all her life. For 12 years she was co-director at Oxford Playhouse where she was jointly responsible for re-opening the theatre after a 4 year closure and overseeing a £4 million capital refurbishment. From Oxford she joined ATG where she was Group General Manager with her role particularly focussed on production development and overseeing the Group’s satellite companies with Carlton TV, Trademark Films and Natural Nylon. She then joined Eric Abraham’s Portobello Theatre where she worked on West End productions and with the South African township company, Isango Portobello, creators of the award-winning MAGIC FLUTE. A life in the country beckoned and for 9 years Hedda was Artistic and Executive Director at The Watermill Theatre.  Hedda is now a producer at Fiery Angel, one of the UK’s leading theatre producers, creating shows for the West End, internationally and throughout the UK and running the Children’s Theatre Partnership.

Jonathan Edwards is a senior civil servant at HM Treasury.  He has advised ministers on a range of financial stability and corporate finance matters, including a series of transactions to return the government’s banking assets to the private sector.

Jonathan joined HM Treasury in 2013 from Slaughter and May, where he advised on corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions, having qualified as a solicitor in 2009.

Jonathan has a degree in Modern History from Oxford University and lives in the local area.

Kathleen is a partner at a City law firm specialising in employment law and safeguarding with particular expertise in advising cultural and charitable organisations.  She has been a Trustee of the Park Theatre since September 2023.

Originally from Yorkshire, Kathleen developed a love of theatre as a child at a local theatre group in The Bradford Playhouse. With her family, she regularly visited the excellent regional theatres in West Yorkshire. As an adult, she has lived in Finsbury Park for 20 years and has children at local Haringey schools. She is a keen theatre-goer and values the diverse cultural opportunities London provides.

Kathleen firmly believes in the key role of Park Theatre as a place of community and opportunity for local and national performers and directors as well as its importance in offering new and exciting experiences for the wider community.

Joe begun his career working at the National Theatre under Richard Eyre and then Trevor Nunn. His time there culminated in producing the Transformation Season in 2002.

From there he went on to work in New York for four years for Broadway producer Ron Kastner where he co-produced a number of shows including Life x3, Gypsy, Talking Heads and Retreat from Moscow both on and off Broadway.

On returning to London Joe was Executive Producer of Old Vic Productions: from 2006 until early 2017. Joe lead the OVP team in producing a wealth of productions including the Olivier Award-winning Jerusalem, Clybourne Park and the critically acclaimed Passion Play, Private Lives, Good People and The Pajama Game. In addition, he represented the company in its role as co-producer with Working Title Films of the smash hit, Billy Elliot The Musical in London and worldwide.

Joe also runs his own production company, Smith & Brant Theatricals, with his partner John Brant. Before the formation of Smith & Brant Theatricals in 2013 Joe was a Partner of McCabe/Smith. There his producing credits included Broadway hit revivals How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and Promises, Promises. In the West End he produced Million Dollar Quartet, and the multi award-winning Sweeney Todd and Spring Awakening.

For Smith & Brant Theatricals a selection of Joe’s West End credits include: Come From Away (also Broadway and Worldwide), True West, Bitter Wheat and the national tours of Gaslight, Strangers on the Train and Fatal Attraction.

Alongside running Smith  & Brant Joe is also the Theatre Producer for Rocket Entertainment; Elton John and David Furnish’s production company.  There he is currently producing the original musical Tammy Faye in collaboration with the Almeida Theatre.

For the past 10 years Joe has headed up Stage One as Chief Executive and strongly believes in nurturing and supporting the next generation of commercial producers. In 2014 he was instrumental in creating the One Stage season at the St James Theatre.

Joe has just finished his tenure as Chair of the Board at the Gate Theatre, in Notting Hill. As a passionate supporter of new writing, he was proud to Chair the Board of one of London’s leading new writing theatres.

Joe lives in Alexandra Palace with his family.

Julia Tyrrell is an independent Literary Agent representing writers for Theatre, Film and TV.

She has a background in performing arts, having worked as a dancer after training at London Contemporary Dance School; she has been in love with the theatre since the age of four. She went on to work offstage, with Noel Gay Theatre, on West End productions and progressed within Noel Gay Organisation to become a writers’ agent with her own list.  She then spent six years with talent and literary agency Hamilton Asper Management, before leaving to set up her own company in 2002.

Julia Tyrrell Management specialises in a personal style of management representing established award-winning talent and exciting emerging voices.