New Chair and trustees announced
Published November 13, 2023
13 Nov 2023
Bradford Culture Company, the charitable organisation behind Bradford 2025, has announced a new Chair and seven new members on its Board of trustees.
The new trustees bring a wealth of knowledge and experience from the public, private and voluntary sectors to the executive team governing the strategic direction, policies and planning of the district’s game-changing UK City of Culture 2025 programme.
Kersten England, the former Chief Executive of Bradford Council, has been appointed Chair, having served as a trustee throughout the city’s successful bid campaign for the coveted UK City of Culture title. Kersten, whose career includes senior roles in voluntary and community organisations, higher education and central government, recently retired from more than 30 years in local government. She will lead the Board throughout the development and delivery of the district’s UK City of Culture programme. Her remit includes ensuring the Board’s strategic vision and objectives are met to create a legacy for the district, as well as acting as a champion and ambassador for Bradford, and supporting Executive Director Dan Bates and Creative Director Shanaz Gulzar.
Also joining the Board of Trustees:
Phil Batty OBE – Chief Commercial Officer of NEWSUBSTANCE and SKYMAGIC
Phil brings experience of the UK City of Culture programme, having been appointed as Director of Public Engagement for Hull 2017. Phil will be the Chair of the Bradford 2025 Programme & Engagement Sub-Committee.
Sasha Bhat – Priority Director for Healthy Minds, and Deputy Director of Integration and Transformation at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust and the Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership
Sasha has co-designed, implemented and developed mental health services across the district. She will also be a member of the Bradford 2025 Programme & Engagement Sub-Committee.
Carol Dewhurst OBE – CEO of Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust
Carol will also direct and support the Bradford 2025 Engagement team, creating opportunities for young people across the district as part of UK City of Culture.
Alex Hudson – Journalist, previously Executive Editor of Newsweek, Deputy Editor of Metro and long-time producer and reporter at BBC News
Alex has nearly two decades of experience in journalism and technology, developing newsrooms across the world. He will serve as Chair of the Bradford 2025 Audience & Digital Sub-Committee.
Ruth Ibegbuna – UK social entrepreneur
Ruth is the founder of multiple social justice organisations, championing the rights of working-class young people. She also becomes a member of the Bradford 2025 Programme & Engagement Sub-Committee.
Debbie Jukes – General Counsel of Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP (ESI)
Debbie is also the Treasurer of ReadEasy Leeds, a charity that focuses on adult literacy. She will serve as a member of the Bradford 2025 Finance, Risk & Sustainability Sub-Committee and the Governance & People Sub-Committee.
Armoghan Mohammed – Regional Chair for PwC
Armoghan is the Chair of Trustees at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Having grown up in Yorkshire, he is keen to ensure that the huge variety of culture and talent that the North has to offer is showcased during Bradford 2025.
The new Board members will join the existing trustees:
Mary Dowson – Director & Co-Founder of Bradford Community Broadcasting
Mary has more than 30 years of broadcasting experience, and is committed to using engagement with community radio as a vehicle for positive social change.
Adeeba Malik CBE – Deputy Chief Executive of the QED Foundation
Adeeba was born in Bradford to immigrant parents. Before joining QED, she was a teacher in Hull and Bradford. In addition to her role at QED, she has held numerous ministerial and non-ministerial roles on various boards in Bradford, Yorkshire and nationally.
Stuart McKinnon-Evans – Non-Executive Director at the University of Bradford, and Non-Executive Director & Chair of the Audit Committee at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust
Stuart is a finance professional with international management consulting experience. He has had a long-running professional career at Board level, and in executive-level leadership roles in central government, local government and higher education.
Sabbiyah Pervez – Senior Investigative Reporter at BBC Look North
Sabbiyah is committed to capturing the narratives of Bradford communities through her work with disadvantaged communities across Yorkshire, empowering people to share their stories across the BBC locally and nationally.
Mel Pickup – Chief Executive Officer of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Mel is also the Chair of the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Council at Bradford Teaching Hospitals. Her work focusses on strengthening the connection between health, the arts and culture in Bradford so future generations can benefit from improved wellbeing.
Kamran Rashid – Founder & CEO of Impact Hub Bradford CIC
Kamran is directly involved in local communities in Bradford through his work, and has been on the Bradford 2025 journey since it began in 2018. He wants Bradford residents to have renewed confidence in the district and everything it has to offer.