Mark Turner joined the Board in October 2018 before becoming Chairman in 2020. He spent the last 20 years of his career as Global Head of Strategic Planning and then as Global Head of Structured Finance for one of the world’s largest corporates. He was recruited to the Board to bring that experience to bear in helping to move the financial side of Guildhall Renaissance forward. Mark’s interests include theatre and sailing.

Anthony has been Head of Marketing for the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) since 2000. The BSO are one of this country’s leading orchestras and performed at the re-opening of the Guildhall in 1959. Anthony is also company director of Heritage Concerts which has successfully put on several outdoor events. Anthony has been a Trustee since the formation of the Trust in 2011.

Simon is owner of Hibou Communications and a former CEO of the Parity Trust, a community finance operation. Through Parity he supported many community schemes including the refurbishment of the New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth. Simon chairs the Trust’s Audit and Finance Committee. Simon has been a Trustee since the formation in 2011.

Chris has an extensive background in construction and is Bid Manager for Wates. He previously worked for Warings, Costain and Balfour Beatty. He has been a Portsmouth resident for 20 years and sits on the Client Team managing Guildhall Renaissance. He has been a Trustee since the formation of the Trust in 2011.

Claire has been working with Vivacity Culture and Leisure since 2011 as their Heritage Services and Programmes Manager. Prior to this she worked for Cornwall County Council in outreach and marketing, having worked for a number of years in education as a teacher. Claire joined the Board in 2017 and supports the work of our learning and participation team with her knowledge and experience.

Professor Trevor Keeble joined University of Portsmouth as the Dean of Creative and Cultural Industries in May 2017 having left the post of Executive Dean (Learning, Teaching and Research) at the University for the Creative Arts. He has 20 years' experience of teaching, management and leadership in creative arts education, and has held executive and management roles for academic development, student experience, research and enterprise during his career.

Declan has been an active Board member of a number of local Hampshire organisations over the past 8 years, including as Chair of Trustees of Home-Start Butser, a Trustee of Home-Start Hampshire and a Trustee of the Spring Arts and Heritage Centre in Havant. Declan was a Senior Human Resources Consultant with IBM for over 30 years, working in the UK and across Europe, before setting up his own HR consultancy some 8 years ago specialising in employee benefits, acquisitions and HR Project Management.

Sam is currently the Chair of Portsmouth Ambassadors and works actively to support the Shaping Portsmouth Programme. She is currently a serving Headteacher and has worked extensively in both secondary and primary school settings, teaching and leading school improvement projects. She graduated with a degree in Humanities from the University of Greenwich and then went on to Kings College London to pursue her career in teaching. Sam was awarded the honour of being named as Portsmouth Poet Laureate.

Peter was BH Live’s founding Chief Executive and led the organisation through a period of significant growth and business expansion. Prior to this, he was Managing Director of the Bournemouth International Centre and Pavilion Theatre. He moved to this role having spent 10 years as General Manager of the nationally recognised Guildford Spectrum Leisure Complex. Previous roles also include Chair of Community Leisure UK and Vice President of the AIPC, which promotes excellence in conference and event management.

Founder, Lead Singer and Bassist with legendary band, Level 42, Mark has been a Patron of The Guildhall Trust since 2016. He believes music venues like the Guildhall are the life blood of the live music industry and is keen to support Portsmouth Guildhall to ensure it continues to thrive.

Following 6 years as Chair of the Board, Mark continues his involvement with The Guildhall Trust as a Patron to support the Trust’s work around emerging business, community and skills development. As CEO of the Southern Coop and an Ambassador for the Princes Trust, Mark has a wealth of experience within the business and charity sectors.

A painter, sculptor and printmaker, Le Brun was elected President of the Royal Academy in December 2011, the youngest to be elected since Lord Leighton in 1878. Born in Portsmouth in 1951, Le Brun trained at the Slade and Chelsea Schools of Art, London. In his early career he was a double prize winner at the John Moores exhibitions 1978 & 1980, also showing in the Venice Biennale 1980 and the ground breaking Zeitgeist at the Martin-Gropius Bau, Berlin in 1982. He has since exhibited extensively worldwide.

Since 1984, British multi-instrumentalist Spike Edney has been Queen‘s Musical Director and keyboard player, performing with the band at “Live Aid”, “Rock in Rio”, “Live at Wembley” and “Knebworth”. He has worked with Bob Geldof’s Boomtown Rats, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Thomas Dolby, Haircut 100 and Duran Duran. With his own band Spike’s All-Star Band a.k.a. The SAS Band he has gone on to perform with Roy Wood, Chaka Khan, Roger Daltrey, Lionel Richie, Roger Taylor, Brian May, Paloma Faith, The Sugababes and many more.

Actress, model, author and activist, Joanna Lumley OBE joins the Trust as an advocate for the Renaissance of Portsmouth Guildhall. The recipient of three BAFTA Awards, the Special Recognition Award at the 2017 National Television Awards and the BAFTA Fellowship Award for her work on screen and stage, Joanna played the legendary Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous until 2012, stepping back into the role for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie in 2016 and has numerous other credits to her name.

Composer, pianist, bandleader and broadcaster, Jools Holland OBE DL joins the Trust as a Patron and advocate for the Renaissance of Portsmouth Guildhall. After starting out playing pubs in the East End docks, Jools Holland went on to lead his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra and sell millions of records worldwide. He was an original member of the band ‘Squeeze’ and he has worked with many artists, including Sting, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, George Harrison, David Gilmour, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Florence Welch, Paul Weller and Van Morrison.

TV personality, Fred Dinenage MBE joins the Trust as a Patron and advocate for the Renaissance of Portsmouth Guildhall. Recently celebrating his 55th Anniversary with ITV, Fred has presented a number of shows including Tell the Truth, World of Sport, Coast to Coast, How and its successor, How 2 and since 2009 has co-anchored the region’s news programme, Meridian Tonight. Fred has developed a great love for the city of Portsmouth and as a football enthusiast was on the Board of Directors at Portsmouth FC between 1998 and 2007.

Andy has been the CEO of The Guildhall Trust since 2012. Andy has spent his whole career in arts management. Originally with the Apollo Leisure Group in the late 80s where he worked at some of this country’s largest theatres, he joined Stoll Moss Theatres in 1989. He worked on the opening of Miss Saigon at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane before taking over as manager of the Lyric Theatre Shaftesbury Avenue. He has opened and developed many unique venues including the Hat Factory in Luton in 2004 and the Luton Cultural Trust in 2008.

Rachel has worked in the food and beverage industry in Kent & London. Having spent a large part of her career for Hilton Hotels, Rachel ventured away from hotels and landed a job as General Manager at The Charing Cross Theatre & The Players Restaurant & Bar.

Since 1984, Nick has developed a vast knowledge of sound, lighting and stage production with a number of positions held within the Guildhall Stage department. In 2012, Nick was appointed the role of Head of Technical Services, with the responsibilities of maintaining and enhancing the fabric of the building, along with overseeing the requirements of events.

With over 18 years of experience within the Tourism & Leisure Industry in Portsmouth, Kelly has been privileged to work for some of the city’s most iconic venues - Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and Kings Theatre. Kelly joined the team in 2017.