Our Board

Rosemary is one of the most prominent women in British theatre of the modern era.

The business she co-founded in 1992, Ambassador Theatre Group, went on to become the world’s number one live-theatre company. Her latest venture is Trafalgar Entertainment, a premium international live entertainment business focussed on new productions and the distribution of live-streaming innovative content.

She was a National Member of the Arts Council England Board, chaired two major appeals for Great Ormond Street Hospital and is currently Joint Chairman of The Hall for Cornwall in Truro.

Iain Barbour is an experienced trustee, non-executive director and financier who has a passionate interest in education and the arts. He spent several decades working in the City of London, focusing most recently on the provision of infrastructure finance, including for higher education and student accommodation.

Iain’s non-executive experience is wide-ranging and encompasses both leading financial services businesses as well as educational and arts charities. He has served on several boards during his career, including as Chair of Alleyn’s School, Independent Director of DBRS Morningstar’s various global operating companies and as Chair of the Almeida Theatre’s Corporate Council.

Iain’s current non-executive roles include the University for the Creative Arts and Financial Guaranty UK, a regulated UK insurance company.

Jennifer Duck is Head of Service Delivery for ERM CVS (Environmental Resource Management Certification and Verification Services).

ERM is the largest global pureplay environmental consulting firm and her role is focused on leading the development of their CVS business globally.  This is primarily focused on providing independent ESG assurance and certification services.  Prior to this, she spent 17 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in various Director roles in the Assurance and Consulting businesses, both in the UK and globally.  Most latterly, she was Head of Transformation for Consulting.  She is a qualified accountant with the ICAEW.

Helen is CFO and Business Development Director for Trafalgar Entertainment and is Chairperson of Stagecoach Performing Arts and Helen O’Grady Drama Academy, who together each week, teach 150,000 students worldwide. Helen was previously CFO and Commercial Director of Ambassador Theatre Group during which time the business grew to become the largest theatre company worldwide.

Before then Helen spent 13 years in the advertising industry, holding senior finance roles within M.A.I PLC and French owned Havas and Vivendi, both listed on the French stock exchange. Helen is a trustee of Volunteer Dorset and the Society of London Theatre Pension Fund. She is a graduate of Glasgow University with an MA in English Literature and Modern History.

Following 20 years as a corporate lawyer at Slaughter and May, Elizabeth moved into portfolio life in 2012 allowing much more time to pursue her love of theatre, whether in the audience, or more actively involved in amateur groups. 

She has served on the boards of listed and private companies, not-for profits and charities, including Great Portland Estates plc, Clarion Housing Association, HML Holdings plc and Interserve Group Ltd, where she chaired the remuneration committee. 

Current non-executive roles include Viewber (providing nationwide property viewing support) and London Bubble Theatre, where she chairs the finance committee.  Elizabeth maintains her involvement in the law by interviewing and mentoring young lawyers for Accutrainee.  

Tali Pelman is Group Creative Managing Director for Stage Entertainment, a first-class international theatrical producer and presenter. In her role, Tali leads strategic original content creation across the Stage Entertainment group. She produced and is leading the global rollout of the acclaimed hit musical TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, which is currently opening its eighth first-class production around the world.

Tali joined Stage Entertainment following over a decade of producing plays and musicals in the West End and on Broadway, both independently and as Producer for the Ambassador Theatre Group. Previously, Tali was Executive Director of the Gate Theatre. Tali is a graduate of Columbia University, was a Kohn Fellow at the London School of Economics, and received her Executive MBA from the London Business School, where she was awarded the Celia Atkin Scholarship. She is a Board Member of the Society of London Theatre, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and the Theatre Development Trust and is a member of the Broadway League.

John Reiss is a broadly experienced business and not-for-profit leader. He understands popular culture and knows how to access wide audiences.

Professional accountancy with PwC was followed by senior finance positions in industry before he established his own consultancy advising on corporate strategy, financing and management. Clients have included entertainment, media and consumer businesses. He co-founded magazine Opera Now and the Guinness Encyclopaedia of Popular Music  and was a director of George Harrison’s HandMade Films, of collectible model maker Corgi Classics, of media access services provider IMS, of market research agency First Research International and film marketing services business Miracle Media Group.

John is currently executive chairman of Premier which he has built to be the UK’s largest international creative communications agency specialising in entertainment, arts and culture. He is also chair of educational supply business Creative Art Products, of multiplex cinema Peckhamplex and of Big Data software consultancy Traak Systems.

Through thirty years in professional and business life, he has been active with not-for-profit organisations. He has been a comprehensive school governor, helped a number of national charities, worked on development committees of major arts organisations such as The BFI and was chair of the trustee board of Missing People for a decade.

Tim directs plays, musicals and opera.

He is Artistic Director of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Artistic Director Designate of the Donmar Warehouse.

Winner of The Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2020 for Reasons You Should(n’t) Love Me.

Other credits include Measure for Measure and The Taming of the Shrew (RSC), Philip Pullman’s Grimm Tales (Unicorn) and Unprecedented: Going Forward (BBC4).

Shadee is an actor and singer from North London, she is the Board’s student alumnus representative and graduated in 2020 with a BA in Performance – Acting.

She is a lover of literature and music. Her credits include: The Meaning of Zong (Bristol Old Vic) and Romeo and Juliet (Regents Park Open Air Theatre).

Roles whilst training include Emilia in Emilia.