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.

Simon Chapman (Chair)

Simon retired as the senior audit partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers in the West and Wales having spent over 30 years with the firm. Simon is Chair of the Bristol Music Trust’s Board of Trustees and Audit & Risk Committee (ARRC).

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.

Tony Cherry

Tony is a former Partner at international law firm DAC Beachcroft LLP and its predecessor firms since 1983; in Bristol since 2002 and Regional Senior Partner from 2010 to 2016. Tony is also a Director of the Cabot Learning Foundation, for whom he Chairs the Audit Committee, the Boolean Maths Hub and Summerhill Academy Council.

Patsy Connor

Pat is Director of BBC South West and the BBC’s Head of Development & Events, UK. Pat oversees the BBC’s audience, external stakeholders and staff engagement in the South West, representing the BBC to both internal and external stakeholders. She also provides overall leadership for BBC Bristol and sits on the BBC’s Nations and Regions Board.

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.

Tanya Lacey

Tanya is an internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter, signed to Sony RCA in 2009 and in 2012 created her own independent record label Laceywood Records. Tanya has written for, toured and collaborated with a wide array of artists worldwide, is passionate about female representation in music, and is actively involved in mentoring and teaching songwriting workshops to young people nationwide.

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 a board member of the Association of British Orchestras and also on the Board of Destination Bristol, is a Trustee of the Royal Philharmonic Society, a Royal Society of Arts Fellow, Vice Chair of British Association Concert Halls, and was also a past Board Member of International Society for Performing Arts.

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.

Andrew Nisbet

Andrew is the Founder and Chairman of Nisbets plc, the UK’s largest supplier of catering equipment, based in Bristol. Andrew served as High Sheriff of Bristol for 2012/13.

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.