Andrew Morlet, Chair
Andrew Morlet is Chief Executive of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which was established in 2010 to develop, promote and scale of the concept of a circular economy globally. In this role Andrew has led the publication of over 20 major research reports and established a global network of over 2200 organisations, including many of the worlds largest companies in sectors including consumer goods, plastics, fashion and food, to design and deploy circular economic system solutions. Andrew leads teams working with governments, cities and universities around the world on development of enabling circular economy policies, education and learning programmes.
Andrew was previously a strategy consulting Partner with McKinsey & Company, based in Seoul and Singapore, and Global Managing Director for Information Technology strategy with Accenture, based in Sydney, London and Boston. Prior to his career in strategy consulting Andrew led an HIV/AIDS research programme with the University of NSW, and co-founded a design and textiles printing studio in Sydney, with prints on paper and fabric acquired for the permanent collections of the Australian National Galley, Powerhouse Museum Sydney, and Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Andrew sits on a number of management and advisory Boards in the UK, USA and in Europe, including the Remade Institute, SAP Sustainability Advisory Board, the UKRI Sustainability Advisory Group, and the European Commission Expert group on the Economic and Societal Impact of Research and Innovation (ESIR).
Professor Bruce Brown, Chair, finance and business committee
Professor Bruce Brown is Currently Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Art London and previously was Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research at the University of Brighton. He currently is Chair of the arts panel in the Hong Kong Research Assessment Exercise 2020 and previously was Chair of one of the four main panels for the UK Research Excellence Framework 2014. He is editor of Design Issues Research Journal, published by MIT Press.
Majeda Clarke, maker trustee. Textile artist.
Majeda Clarke is an award winning textile artist based at Cockpit Arts, London. She received the 2018 British Muslim Award for Creativity and took part in the Crafts Council Hothouse Programme. After a career in education, as a Head of English and then as an inspector and advisor for Camden schools Majeda retrained in Textiles before setting up her own studio. She is still active in education, recently working on the new government T Levels for Craft and Design.
Matt Durran, maker trustee. Artist and curator
Matt Durran is an artist and curator who works on large-scale installations and sculptural pieces and has run his own art practice for over 25 years. He studied glass at Sunderland and in Copenhagen and has represented the UK at over 30 international glass symposiums. His explorations have taken him from ancient lava-formed obsidian to stockpiled waste glass and the frontiers of new technologies. They’ve found him devising collaborative solutions to energy sustainability and the up-cycling of waste materials. They’ve led him inwards through medical research to the internal architecture of the human body and outwards to the built environment we live in. His practice strives to balance aesthetics with emerging technologies. He stresses the importance of making his own work, pushing forward with new materials his own artistic expression, of making beautiful, compelling and inspiring pieces.
Helen Hyde, trustee
Helen worked for the John Lewis Partnership for over 30 years. Her last post was as Partners’ Counsellor and she sat on the Partnership Board. She is an HR Professional and executive coach. She has a lifelong passion for textiles, particularly needlework, and is studying at the Royal School of Needlework.
Yinka Ilori, trustee, multidisciplinary artist
Yinka Ilori is a London-based multidisciplinary artist of a British-Nigerian heritage, who specializes in storytelling by fusing his British and Nigerian heritage to tell new stories in contemporary design. Humorous, provocative and fun, every project that he creates tells a story. Bringing Nigerian verbal traditional into playful conversation with contemporary design, Yinka Ilori’s work touches on various global themes that resonate with different audiences all over the world.
Lady Kitt, trustee. Paper sculptor, researcher and drag king
Lady Kitt is a paper sculptor, researcher and drag king, based in Newcastle- upon Tyne. Kitt describes their work as "mess making as social glue, driven by insatiable curiosity to explore, share and (gently) incite the social functions of stuff that gets called art". Kitt is co-lead for Social Art Network North East, a founding member of disabled artist led consortium Disconsortia & a member of global art-activism movement Nasty Women (NW), co-convening the NW International Art Prize in 2018. Kitt has recently shown work at Atlanta Contemporary (USA), Saatchi Gallery London (UK) and is currently Maker in Residence at Durham University and one of nine "Constellations" artists with UP Projects and Flat Time House.
Dr Zoe Laughlin, Trustee. Creative director of the Institute of Making
Dr Zoe Laughlin is the co-founder and Director of the Institute of Making, University College London. She has lectured and published widely on making and materials.
Andy Marshall, trustee. Group managing director, Immediate Media Co
Andy Marshall is a senior publishing professional with nearly 30 years media experience and is group managing director at Immediate Media Co: a fast growing and highly successful media business which owns many market leading brands including Radio Times, Mollie Makes, hitched.co.uk and Jewellery Maker TV. He was the co-founder and managing director of Origin Publishing (now part of Immediate Media Co) and previous roles include head of marketing at Future Publishing and head of business development at The European Newspaper. Andy has also acted as an advisor to Plymouth University at the launch of its MA in Publishing.
Philip Matthews, trustee. Fund manager at Wise Funds.
Philip began his fund management career at Jupiter in 1999, spending 13 years managing retail and institutional equity portfolios. His portfolios focussed on income generation and he has experience investing into UK companies across the market cap spectrum. In 2013 he joined Schroders, where he managed their UK Alpha Plus portfolio and UK Growth Investment Trust. He is a keen collector of contemporary craft and a strong supporter of efforts to improve access to craft education.
Ed Matthews-Gentle, trustee
Ed Matthews-Gentle FRSA, is Programme Leader, Creative Lancashire and strategic lead for Creative Industries at Lancashire County Council, with over twenty years' experience working with and developing creative organisations. Current projects and collaborations include British Textile Biennial, the development of the Lancashire 2025 bid to host UK City of Culture and overseeing Lancashire's Cultural Strategy. More recently Ed was invited by Crafts Council to join the Craft UK - Anti-Racism Working Group. Ed also curates the National Festival of Making Conference and talks programme.
Clare Twomey, maker trustee. Artist, curator and professor of visual arts research
Clare Twomey is an artist, curator and Research Fellow at the University of Westminster. She studied Ceramics at Edinburgh College of Art completing an MA in Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art, London. She uses performance, serial production and site-specific installations in her exploration of clay.