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.

Chair – Jonathan Dimbleby

Jonathan Dimbleby is a broadcaster, writer and historian. He is a past president of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), Soil Association and RSPB. He has been a former chair of Index on Censorship and is currently chair of the Richard Dimbleby Cancer Fund as well as the Bristol Beacon.

Vice Chair – 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.

Vice Chair – 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.

Ani Stafford-Townsend

Professionally renowned for their millinery work in stage and screen, Ani is also a skilled costume designer, project manager, and artist. Throughout their career, Ani has seamlessly integrated creative endeavours with environmental and political activism. First elected to council in 2015, Ani is now in their third term as a councillor. They have served as the chair of the planning committee and council group leader, and currently sit on the advisory boards of the BiDs, as well as Visit West and works closely with the night time economy.

A passionate advocate for marginalized communities, Ani, born in Bristol, identifies as queer, disabled, and working class. Previously serving as the Shadow Cabinet member for Culture, Communities, Equalities, and Public Health, Ani is now leading on Culture for Bristol City Council

Chris Seaton

Chris is the Senior Partner of the UK law firm Burges Salmon LLP, with its headquarters in Bristol. Chris joined Burges Salmon in 1991 as a trainee and has worked and lived in the Bristol region for the last 35 years. Chris is an employment law specialist and chairs Burges Salmon’s Strategic Board.

Chris is a member of the Bristol Music Trust Capital Fundraising Group, is a trustee of Bristol Future Talent Partnership and Chairs the Wells Cathedral Choir Association, having been a boy chorister at Wells Cathedral.

Prior to joining Burges Salmon, Chris spent 11 years as an officer in the Royal Navy.

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.

Georgia Mann

Georgia Mann has been making arts programmes at the BBC since 2008. After studying English Literature at Cambridge University, she began her radio career as a reporter at BBC Three Counties Radio, going on to produce Radio 4’s Front Row for several years. She presents BBC Radio 3’s most listened to show Essential Classics, and she presents BBC Proms on radio and television.

Poetry and literature remain real passions for Georgia; she introduces BBC Radio 3’s Words and Music every week and continues to produce the programme. In June 2024 she brought classical music to Glastonbury, playing a classical DJ set at the festival. Georgia has written for The Guardian and is an occasional blogger for the Huffington Post, writing about the highs and lows of parenting – she’s also a very out-of-practise singer.

Katharine Finn

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

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.

Sandeep Katwala

Sandeep spent his professional career as a lawyer at Linklaters LLP advising clients on their cross-border investments and also was part of the firm’s Global Executive Committee with management responsibility for the EEMEA and India region. More recently he has held a number of Board roles with not-for-profit organisations (including Great Ormond Street Childrens’ Hospital Charity, Octavia Housing, WaterAid) and is currently Chair at Depaul UK, a charity supporting the young homeless.

Tim Westwell

Tim is the Co-founder of Pukka Herbs, the organic and ethically traded herbal tea company founded in Bristol. In 2001 Tim and business partner Sebastian Pole began making organic herbal teas with a unifying desire to contribute to a more conscious world. Pukka herbs developed into a multi-million pound business supplying to 40 countries while keeping conservation through commerce at its core. Since selling Pukka seven years ago, whilst still being still involved from a distance, he has been focusing on developing a regenerative agriculture project, and consults to various businesses.