Meet Us

The Team

Our dedicated team are at the heart of everything we can do.

Whether they’re our technicians, front of house staff, directors, education team, and volunteers, everyone is important and valued here. Together they build bridges, connect with communities and support all to make the arts accessible and exciting for all.

Our Advisory Board

Attenborough Arts Centre’s Advisory Board guides and champions our mission to make art accessible to all.

Our Advisory Board members include both University and external members, who collectively bring a range of professional and lived experiences to inform all that we do. Our Advisory Board oversees the delivery of our Business Plan, helping us to realise our future ambitions.

Jennifer Francis – Chair

Jennifer Francis is an experienced museum professional who has held several senior leadership roles at art, heritage and social history institutions across the world. Jennifer received her MA in Cultural Leadership and Policy Management at City University in London.

Jennifer has previously served as the Museum Director at Turner’s House, leading on strategy, planning, marketing and fundraising. She was also the Director of External Affairs at the Museum of London with responsibility for Fundraising, Digital Innovation and Marketing Communications, Brand and Tourism. Prior to that she worked as the Director of Marketing and Brand at Grounds For Sculpture New Jersey; as Director, Marketing, Communication and Visitor Services at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, where she oversaw the successful launch of the museum, its media relations, global exposure, agency and community liaison nationally and internationally, audience growth, philanthropy and income generation; and as Executive Director, Marketing and Communications at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In this role, Jennifer led the strategy and implementation of integrated marketing, communications, media relations, public relations, brand and corporate identity, digital marketing, creative, insights and audience development.

For a long period in her career, Jennifer worked as Head of Press and Marketing at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. She has also been consulting to a number of cultural organisations globally.

Jennifer has been an Adjunct Lecturer at Drexel University, and served on several Boards including ICOM-US and Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust.

Steve Williams – Interim Vice-Chair

As Director of Library and Learning Services & University Librarian at the University of Leicester, Steve leads a diverse portfolio spanning the University library, archives & special collections, digital learning, and research and education support services. A member of the University’s Senate, Senior Leadership Team and Research and Education Committees, Steve also leads the University’s AI and Digital Catalyst programmes.

Throughout his career, Steve has championed the intersection of culture, education, technology and public engagement. Before joining Leicester, he was University Librarian and Head of Libraries and Culture at Swansea University, where his responsibilities included Taliesin Arts Centre and the award-winning Egypt Centre. He also led the delivery of key infrastructure projects, including the £12 million Bay Library on Swansea University’s Bay Campus.

Steve is a Fellow of the British Computer Society and of Leicester’s Institute for Digital Culture. He is currently a trustee and board member of the Museum Data Service, a UK-wide initiative to collect and share object records across UK museum collections, and CILIP, the Chartered Institute for Library and Information Professionals. He has previously served as a trustee and board member at Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru (National Library of Wales) and SCONUL.

Professor Neil Chakraborti

Neil Chakraborti is a Professor in Criminology at the University of Leicester and is Founding Director of both the Institute for Policy and the Centre for Hate Studies. He has published extensively within the fields of hate crime, victimization and community engagement, and has been commissioned by a diverse range of funding bodies including Amnesty International, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Leverhulme Trust to lead research studies which have transformed policy and scholarship. Neil has also delivered programmes of research for numerous local authorities, government departments, third sector organisations and Offices for Police and Crime Commissioners, all of which have centred the voices of disadvantaged and disconnected communities.

Neil is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and series editor of Palgrave Hate Studies. He has received prestigious awards for his work from a variety of sources, including the Royal Television Society, Learning on Screen, the British Society of Criminology, the President’s Award from the University of Leicester and a Hero of Leicestershire Award. He has also held a wide portfolio of advisory positions which have informed policy and practice within organisations such as the Crown Prosecution Service, the Home Office, the Howard League for Penal Reform, the Human Dignity Trust and the Sophie Lancaster Foundation.

Emeka Ejiofor

The creator and owner of the revolutionary lifestyle brand True Colours Clothing, Emeka is a renowned poet/spoken word artist (True Colours is his stage name). He is the author of the thought-provoking, must-read poetry collection Outspoken by True Colours (available on Amazon). He is a Trustee at Derby College and a huge advocate for equality in society. He is currently in the process of publishing Outspoken vol.2 and a children’s book, with a big emphasis on embracing cultural and individual differences. Emeka is an ex-semi-professional footballer who has played for the likes of Burton Albion, and has over 20 years’ experience working with young people in the education sector. He now facilitates SYTC workshops all over the country and is gaining a powerful reputation for invoking positive change in the education system.

Tara Lopez

Advisory Board Safeguarding Lead

Tara Lopez is a Cultural Producer, Strategist and Manager, currently Director of Participation at Nottingham Playhouse. Since graduating from De Montfort University where she studied Dance, Tara has managed a wide range of projects and programmes across; cultural participation, carnival arts and festivals, with a particular focus on work with, by and for children and young people. A particular drive across all of her work has been addressing inequalities and under-representation within the Cultural Sector; most notably this has included leading mass participation dance project ‘Critical Mass’ which aimed to redefine inclusion in mega-events starting with Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Sonal Joshi

Sonal Joshi is the Head of Finance for Internal Performance & Planning at the University of Leicester. She is a CIMA qualified management accountant with over 20 years’ experience in finance. Sonal has been at Leicester since 2009 and has worked in various roles within the Finance division. Prior to joining Leicester Sonal had worked for a number of universities, including Imperial, Warwick and Nottingham. Sonal became part of the Attenborough Arts Centre Advisory Board in December 2021.

Vishal Joshi

A Leicester-based multidisciplinary fine artist, Vishal Joshi was recently commissioned to create a unique piece of art commemorating the Centenary of the University of Leicester. He has also painted a large mural within the Leicester Museum and Gallery. His unique style of mark making has been widely appreciated and celebrated. In recent years, MMA fighter Conor McGregor and actor-comedian Asim Choudhry have acquired Vishal’s original pieces. Joshi’s ability to create public engagement artwork that is inspiring and beautiful is what he is becoming known for. A large outdoor mural inspired by the identity of Europeans after Brexit was commissioned by STAMP Festival in Hamburg. Through his art, Vishal is a socio-cultural activist driven to express his beliefs with painting and sculpture as his methods of expression.

Destiny Oboh

Destiny is the University of Leicester Students’ Union Arts Lead, promoting creativity and collaboration through student engagement opportunities, encouraging participation and supporting students to explore and develop their creativity.

Zoe Partington

Zoe has a background in leadership in the arts and is a specialist in Disability Art and architecture. She has a breadth and combination of artistic and strategic thinking. She has Co- Directed Disordinary Architecture for 18 years and is happy to retire from this role to enable younger disabled artists and architects to flourish. She has worked with Fosters and Partners, University of Leicester RCMG, Wellcome Trust, V@A, The British Library, DaDa, BBC, The Space, Kew Gardens, Liverpool City Council and many others.

This is paired with her own artistic practice which is a combination of using technology and a vivid, intuitive palette, her rich use of colour and raw, expressive marks transform the surface into an immersive sensory experience that invites viewers to explore her work and her Disability Art style. This interest translates into business and strategic consultancy to create a layered experience of what art, creativity and accessibility might mean to us all through a different lens, but embedding culture at the heart of process benefits us all.

She often develops innovative approaches to accessibility within a social model of disability framework and has been involved in this for over 30 years sitting on the Board of Arts Council West Midlands and other arts organisations.

She creates audio descriptions of her visual work to to enhance the experience with blind audiences and to highlight the barriers blind people experience in art, cultural and heritage.

Simon Sansome

Simon is an award-winning disability advocate, journalist, entrepreneur and Founder and CEO of Snowball, one of the world’s largest disability and accessibility apps.

Simon became disabled following a spinal injury in 2014, leaving him paralysed from the waist down and a full-time wheelchair user. His experiences of inaccessible venues, transport and everyday services inspired him to create Snowball with one ambition: to give disabled people the information and confidence to go anywhere.

Often described as the “TripAdvisor for accessibility,” Snowball helps people find and review accessible places and services, including accessible toilets, Changing Places facilities, Blue Badge parking, wheelchair-accessible venues, hotels, attractions and transport. It also considers accessibility for people with visual and hearing impairments and neurodivergent people.

Simon appeared on BBC’s Dragons’ Den, where all five Dragons made him an investment offer. Following the programme, Snowball’s growth accelerated, leading to a major partnership with Google, providing Snowball with access to Google’s technology, expertise and support as it works towards expanding its accessibility platform globally.

Snowball also works with organisations including Transport for London, Barclays, Santander, universities, local authorities, charities and major tourism and leisure organisations, helping improve accessibility while building a unique picture of disabled access.

A qualified journalist and graduate of De Montfort University, Simon has also worked in local government, social care and television production. His campaigning and entrepreneurial work has received numerous awards and national recognition, including being named among the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100.

Simon regularly speaks about disability, accessibility, technology and entrepreneurship.

His mission is summed up by Snowball’s philosophy: “Everyone Deserves Everywhere.”

Simon’s goal is to use technology, data and the collective voice of disabled people to create a world where accessibility is expected, understood and built into everyday life — rather than treated as an afterthought.

Meera Saujani

Meera is a marketing and communications expert with multi-discipline international experience across the public and private sectors. She has spent the last decade as a diplomat in China, working for the British Council, and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Meera has led on marketing and communications for a number of high-profile initiatives promoting the UK arts and creative industries, including the first ever bilateral UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange. She has spearheaded marketing partnerships with organisations including BAFTA, Secret Cinema and Aardman. Meera combines her passion for the arts and inclusivity, her local Leicester knowledge and her international expertise to bring a wealth of experience to Attenborough Arts Centre.

Meet our Patrons

Our Patrons support Attenborough Arts Centre’s mission to be one of the UK’s leading socially-engaged cultural organisations.

Michael Attenborough CBE

Michael Attenborough continues the Attenborough family association and support for the centre. He is a passionate supporter of inclusion in the arts and the rights of disabled people. His long career in theatre includes Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre, the Hampstead Theatre and Principal Associate Director of the RSC. Freelance work includes productions for the National Theatre, the Royal Court and Chichester; a number in the West End and twice on Broadway. He also teaches and trains at three universities and four drama schools, including RADA, where he is Director Emeritus.

Grayson Perry CBE

Grayson Perry is an internationally celebrated visual artist and was the first transvestite potter to win the Turner Prize in 2003. Having trained in sculpture he went on to learn ceramics in night classes, his work is now collected and represented in many museums and galleries around the world.

Yinka Shonibare CBE

Yinka Shonibare is a British-Nigerian artist living and working in London. Noted for his use of traditional batik patterned cloth in his sculptures he has exhibited in the UK and internationally and his work can be found in many notable collections. In 2010 his first public art commission, Nelsons ship in a bottle, was created for the Forth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. He is an enthusiastic supporter for disability arts and is Chair of Shape.

Dame Evelyn Glennie

An internationally celebrated multi-percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie has been Deaf since the age of 12. Her work has seen her performing with orchestras around the world along with creative collaborations with stars of the contemporary music world such as Bjork and Bobby McFerrin.

Meet Us

The Team

Yasmin Canvin

Exhibitions & Visual Arts Manager

Stephen Escott

Theatre and Gallery Technician

Andrew Fletcher

Director

Kate Foster

Creative Courses & Retail Manager

Clare Fox

PA to the Director

Noreen Gallagher

Projects & Development Manager

Angela Hullait

Operations Manager

John Kirby

Programme Manager

Lisa Jacques

SENsory Atelier Programme Manager

Dr Paul Jenkins

Music Scholarships

Raminder Mallett

Front of House Administrator

Paige Manning

Marketing Officer

Rizwana Parkar

Finance Assistant

Hannah Pillai

Programme Coordinator

Marianne Pape

Learning & Communities Manager

Felicity Roles