Hull’s City of Culture Company announces board

HULL’S UK City of Culture Company has assembled its board with nine new trustees.

With an emphasis on business proficiency and community representation, the trustees will oversee the Culture Company’s strategic direction, providing strong governance to ensure that Hull’s City of Culture year is well planned, co-ordinated and financially robust.

Writer and broadcaster Rosie Millard, recently appointed chair of the Culture Company board, will be joined by:
• Sameera Anwar-West, a Hull-based corporate lawyer working in the entertainment and media industry
• Councillor Steven Bayes, Hull City Council’s portfolio holder for UK City of Culture 2017 and the visitor destination strand of Hull’s City Plan, who will act as vice chair
• Councillor Terry Geraghty, portfolio holder for the city’s leisure, heritage and cultural services, who has 43 years’ experience in public arts
• Neil Hodgkinson, editor of the Hull Daily Mail, representing the City Leadership board
• Stephen Liddle, an educational consultant and former headteacher with a career spanning 35 years, including  ten years as the principal of Hull’s Winifred Holtby Academy
• Tapan Mahapatra, consultant surgeon at Castle Hill Hospital and chair of the Hull and East Riding Hindu Cultural Association
• Anthony McReavy, director of alumni development at the University of Hull
• Karen Okra, a community support worker who was part of the team that presented Hull’s bid to the City of Culture judges in November 2013
• Malcolm Scott, a chartered surveyor, representing the Humber LEP

Millard said the trustees brought invaluable expertise, sector knowledge and skills to the Culture Company’s team, along with a real passion for the city.

She said: “This board is our business-focused backbone, with the community and major partners represented by key individuals.

“Added to that is an unbeatable range of skills, expertise, contacts, expert knowledge and life experience that will provide a strong foundation as we start to accelerate the preparations for 2017.”