Rich Mix has a strong and committed board of trustees and team of staff drawn from varied and diverse backgrounds with a wide range of skills and expertise.
Team & board
Meet the dedicated & talented people who make our work possible.
Board
Professor Michael Keith
University of Oxford
Chair
A resident of Tower Hamlets for over 25 years, Keith is a passionate Professor at the University of Oxford’s Anthropology Department. He has served on numerous community organisations’ boards, including Whitechapel Art Gallery, and was an active local councillor in the 1990s and 2000s. He has founded several urban regeneration schemes, and acted as a Chair for the Thames Gateway London Partnership.
About
Ansuya Vezendy
Attorney
Trustee
Ansuya Vezendy is a dual qualified attorney in the UK and New York with over a decade of experience in global regulatory compliance matters ranging from financial crime prevention to counterparty credit risk. Her investment banking career includes roles with Bank of America in NYC and UBS in London. In addition, Ansuya is the Co-founder of a holistic health retreat center in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest supporting responsible use of psychedelics for cultural and spiritual purposes, runs a private coaching practice and writes poetry.
About
Amina Ali
Tower Hamlets Councillor
Trustee
Cllr Amia Ali has lived in Tower Hamlets all her life and attended Central Foundation Girls’ School. Prior to her current role, she worked as a journalist for the BBC, a legal advisor and as a political advisor to a Member of Parliament. She was elected to Bow East back in 2014 and has been honoured to serve the residents and as Cabinet Member for Environment, Cabinet Member for Culture Art and Brexit and now Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing. As councillor she has campaigned for better services for Old Ford residents; more affordable housing; and safer, cleaner streets and looks forward to pushing ahead in her health role.
About
Chila Kumari Singh Burman
Visual Artist
Trustee
Burman is a London-based mixed media artist from Bootle, near Liverpool. A prominent member of the 1980s Black British Art movement, Burman has explored politics and the representation of Asian women throughout her career. Her work has been championed by the British Council, Victoria and Albert Museum and Tate.
About
Denise Jones
Eastside Bookshop founder and local resident
Trustee
Jones has been a committed London Borough of Tower Hamlets Councillor since 1994, and served as Mayor of Tower Hamlets in 1999-2000. She founded Eastside Arts Books Ltd, and is a Director of Brick Lane Bookshop and Wiltons Music Hall. She is also a Trustee of organisations like the V&A Museum of Childhood.
About
Deniz Harut
Executive Director, Public Sector and Development Organisations, Standard Chartered Bank
Trustee
Harut specialises in delivering financial services for charitable organisations. During the Ebola crisis, she successfully raised funds to help redevelop Sierra Leone. She is currently working on transitioning this fund to help economic growth across the continent. Harut is also an Honorary Treasurer of Food Cycle, a UK charity that assists people at risk of food poverty and social isolation.
About
Dylan Haskins
Commissioning Executive for Podcasts, BBC Sounds
Trustee
Dylan Haskins is Commissioning Executive for Podcasts at BBC Sounds, looking after content partnerships and a slate of new podcast titles aimed at 18-34 year olds. His current commissions include the Peabody Award winning Have You Heard George’s Podcast? from George the Poet and with several upcoming international investigative series such as Where is George Gibney? from Second Captains, Hometown and the launch of the first ever Panorama podcast series. In 2015-16 he was awarded the Jerome Hynes Fellowship by the Arts Council of Ireland on the Clore Leadership Programme.
About
EVELYN CURTIN
Senior Philanthropy Manager, VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM
Trustee
Evelyn is an experienced fundraising professional and Senior Philanthropy Manager at the V&A Museum where she works on capital infrastructure projects, exhibitions and learning programmes. She has worked in a range of large and small organisations and brings a strong understanding of capital, individual and corporate fundraising. She is passionate about the arts and helping creative organisations like Rich Mix succeed.
About
Gavin Rose
Chartered Management Accountant
Trustee
Gavin is a Chartered Management Accountant with over 20 years’ experience in the entertainment industry, working with Academy Award, BAFTA and Palme D’or winning content. He has held international roles in companies such as ITV, Entertainment One and most recently as the Finance and Commercial Director of Thunderbird Entertainment. In addition to core finance, he has worked in M&A, business development and change management roles.
About
Jackie O’Sullivan
Executive Director of Communications, Mencap
Trustee
A regular at Rich Mix since it opened, Jackie O’Sullivan is the Executive Director of Communications at Mencap. Throughout much of her career, she has held important, senior communications and marketing roles in both the private and public sectors, including being Director of the National Lottery Promotions Unit.
About
Kevin Brady
Tower Hamlets Councillor
Trustee
Cllr Kevin Brady serves as a councillor for St Peter’s Ward in Tower Hamlets and is the Chief Whip as well as Vice-Chair of the General Purposes Committee. Kevin is a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and is a company director at a talent agency in the West End, representing actors for their work in theatre, film and television.
About
Sangna Chauhan
Partner, Charles Russell Speechlys
Trustee
Having frequented Rich Mix for almost 10 years, local resident Chauhan is deeply committed to transferring the knowledge she has as a City law firm partner to charitable organisations. She believes in helping arts organisations celebrate diversity, so they can inspire change across the UK.
About
Sara Wallace
Executive Producer, SMUGGLER
Trustee
Sara Wallace is Executive Producer at SMUGGLER London, a production company creating advertising, music videos, documentaries and theatre. Sara has spent fifteen years working in film which has seen her live in New York, produce for Beyoncé and work on behalf of the UN. She now lives in London representing Directors including Kathryn Bigelow, Jonah Hill and Chris Smith.
About
Shamim Azad
Writer and storyteller living in east London
Trustee
Azad is a bilingual poet, storyteller and writer who published more than 35 books. She was the first Bangladeshi poet who performed in Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Translations of Azad were published in internationally by known publications including the New Yorker.
About
Vineet Jasooja
Executive Director, UBS
Trustee
Vineet has been in Banking and Financial Services for over 20 years and has worked in different countries, cultures and organizations. He has extremely diverse and rich experience in the areas of finance, risk, operations, business transformation and change, cost management, sourcing, vendor management, human resources and technology. He is a Chartered Accountant and also has a degree in Law.
About
Team
Executive
Judith Kilvington
CEO
NEGEDE ASSEFA
Head of Cinema and Operations
Jodie Cramphorn
Interim Head of Finance
NIKKI SMITH
Head of Events and Production
Tenzin Wagner
Head of Finance
Selma Willcocks
Head of Marketing and Communications
Joanne Williams
Executive Coordinator
LIVE EVENTS + LEARNING & PARTICIPATION
CINEMA
NEGEDE ASSEFA
Head of Cinema and Operations
Joana Assuncao
Cinema Technician
Lee Bourne
Cinema Technician
Claire Quinn
Cinema Technician
HIRES
NIKKI SMITH
Head of Events and Production
MARKETING & BOX OFFICE
Rachael Jones
Digital Marketing Officer
TECHNICAL
GLENFORD BARNES
Technical Manager
Dennis Cooke
Head Technician
Miguel De Campos
Technician
Wez Thurston
Technician
OPERATIONS
Kieran Jarvis-Brown
Duty Manager
Judith Miller
Senior Duty Manager
Dennis Rider
Cleaner
Ade Seriki
Duty Manager
Joanne Williams
Duty Manager
FINANCE
Tenzin Wagner
Head of Finance
