The Young Vic today announces the appointment of four new trustees to the Board. These appointments come at a significant time for the Young Vic, as the theatre celebrates its landmark 50th birthday year and looks ahead to its recovery from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Actor Kobna Holdbrook-Smith MBE and Facebook’s Public Policy Director for Africa, the Middle East & Turkey Ebele Okobi join this month as Trustees. Director and facilitator Abigail Sewell and director and presenter Sita Thomas join this month as Ambassador Trustees.
Glenn Earle, Chair of the Young Vic Board of Trustees, said: “I am delighted to welcome Abigail, Ebele, Kobna and Sita to our Board of Trustees. Each of these exceptional individuals will bring unique perspectives to the deliberations of the Board in the interests of the Young Vic and our community of stakeholders. I look forward to working with them and my fellow Trustees as we plan for the future of our wonderful theatre.
I am excited that, with the appointments of Abigail and Sita, we have inaugurated our groundbreaking Ambassador Trustee programme. We see this as an opportunity for outstanding Directors in the earlier stages of their theatre careers to gain a first-hand understanding of the management and governance of a world-class theatre. We also see it as a huge opportunity for the Young Vic to benefit from their energy, experiences and outlook.
Finally, I would like to thank Rory Kinnear, who retires as a Trustee after nine years, for his immense contributions to the Young Vic. Rory has always been a source of support, counsel and wisdom to all of us. We will miss Rory’s insights and contributions in the Boardroom, yet know that he will always be an active member of the Young Vic family.”
The Ambassador Trustees are fully elected board members serving a 2-year term. These new positions are intended to support directors moving into creative leadership roles by providing experience in mid-scale theatre governance, including insight into the Artistic and Executive Director roles. The Young Vic Board also believe strongly they will benefit from the perspectives and knowledge the Ambassador Trustees bring. Recruited via the Young Vic’s Directors Program and the Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme, the new positions form part of the Young Vic’s commitment to making transparent areas of the theatre industry which can seem most opaque, which was first launched in 2019 with the series YV:IDemystify.
