People

Bristol Beacon is run by Bristol Music Trust and is a registered charity. We have a board of Trustees who oversee how our charity is run which is made up of a wide cross-section of local, regional and national people with a background in business, music, law, finance and education.

Marti Burgess

Marti is a lawyer and Partner at Bevan Brittan, owner of Lakota nightclub, and member of The Society of Merchant Venturers. Marti sits on the board of Bristol Cultural Development Partnership and the Bristol City Council’s Economy Board where she represents Bristol@Night. She is the chair of the Black South West Network; a black-led racial justice charity.

Cllr Craig Cheney (Bristol City Council)

Craig is the Deputy Mayor of Bristol, councillor for Hillfields and member of the Mayor’s cabinet with executive responsibility for Finance, Governance and Performance at Bristol City Council.

Craig has responsibility for Bristol’s property assets, has a background in the financial sector, and is the director or the Bristol Museums Development Trust.

Jonathan Dimbleby

Jonathan is a prolific and esteemed British presenter of current affairs and political radio and television programmes, an author and historian. Jonathan’s broadcasting career, that spans over 50 years, has led him to become a household name with programmes including: Any Questions? (BBC) and his namesake political programme Jonathan Dimbleby (ITV). Jonathan has a passion for improving environmental sustainability and is an ardent supporter of charitable causes with previous president positions at Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), Soil Association and RSPB.

Katharine Finn

Katharine is a Partner at PwC with over 30 years specialising in financial audits at the firm. She is currently the deputy chair of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and the Bristol City Chair for TheCityUK. She is also a member of the Society of Merchant Venturers and sits on their education committee and a Trustee of Avon Wildlife Trust. She has previously been the Prince of Wales’ Ambassador for Responsible Business in the South West.

Craig Gentle

Craig is the Chief Financial Officer at St. James’s Place Wealth Management since January 2018. Craig joined St. James’s Place in 2016 as Chief Risk Officer and prior to this he spent 22 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, 12 of which were as a Partner. During his time at PwC, Craig held a number of roles, including as a Senior Audit Partner. Craig qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1993.

Sandra Meadows MBE, FRSA

Sandra is an independent business and EDI consultant, facilitator, Coach and Director of The Centre for Mentoring & Coaching. A Bristol resident since 1989, she holds extensive experience in the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise sector and considerable senior management and Board level expertise.

Sandra was awarded an MBE in 2020 for services to the community of Bristol and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and member of the Chartered Management Institute. She maintains a strong interest in improving individual and organisational performance and increasing diversity in leadership.

Recognised as ‘Top 100 Women in Bristol’ 2019 and ‘Most Influential Women in Bristol’ 2022.

Sonia Mills

Sonia spent her career in the NHS which included several CEO-level posts with NHS Oxfordshire, Swindon Marlborough NHS Trust and latterly CEO for North Bristol NHS Trust responsible for the development of the new Southmead Hospital. Sonia is chair of Bristol Music Trust Capital Fundraising Group and was previously a Governor at Colston Girls School and chaired the Board of Governors for UWE.

Louise Mitchell CBE (Bristol Music Trust)

Louise is the Chief Executive of Bristol Music Trust, the charitable trust that runs Bristol Beacon, and was appointed in 2011.

Previously, Louise was the first Director of Glasgow UNESCO City of Music, a position taken after being at the head of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall for 13 years where she spearheaded the regeneration of two of Glasgow’s most revered venues: the City Halls and the Old Fruitmarket.

Louise is Chair of the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, a Trustee of the Royal Philharmonic Society and the International Music and Performing Arts Charitable Trust (IMPACT) Scotland and a member of the South West Regional Arts Council.

In 2022 Louise was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in King Charles III’s first New Year’s Honours list in recognition of her services to the Arts in Bristol

Stephen Peacock

Stephen is Chief Executive of Bristol City Council, having previously been the council’s Executive Director for Growth and Regeneration with achievements including the City Leap decarbonisation project, Temple Quarter regeneration and the council’s house building programme.

A former equity Partner at Grant Thornton UK LLP, Stephen has extensive experience of economic development, scale-up businesses, major regeneration projects, technology and the energy sector. His early career included a decade in the international energy industry following which he was a founding director of 3 Mobile.

Tim Westwell

Tim is the Co-founder of Pukka Herbs, the organic and ethically traded herbal tea and supplements organisation. In 2001 Tim and business partner Sebastian Pole began making organic herbal teas with a unifying desire to contribute to a more positive world. Over 18 years Pukka herbs developed into a multi-million pound business supplying to 40 countries while keeping conservation through commerce at its core.