People

Meet the Team

Staff

Contributors

We work with a range of talented freelancers and contributors, in areas from marketing and design to special projects and commissions. Our printing is supported by the team at URBAN Design & Print. Our audio archive is managed by Melanie Low and Chris Kent, and previous podcasts have been produced by Alia Cassam.

Hector Proud has 20 years experience working as a producer, programmer, publisher, publicist, gallerist, promoter and rabble-rouser, his experience of the arts & entertainment sectors is both broad and deep. As founder and director of The Proud Archivist and CultBrand (and, before that, Idea Generation Gallery & Idea Generation PR) Hector has overseen approaching 1,500 projects ranging across the spectrum of arts, entertainment & culture.

Victoria Bastable began her relationship with Poet in the City as a participant of the Producers scheme, 2017 whilst completing her degree in English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. Since graduating from the producer’s scheme, Victoria has worked on multiple freelance projects with Poet in the City to produce events, films and poetry experiences. Victoria has just started working for Harmonic artists as a producer, publicist and artist manager whilst continuing to collaborate with Poet in the City.

Lara Costello joined Poet in the City in January 2018 as Creative Marketing Coordinator, a role made possible by the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries scheme. She now works as a freelance creative practitioner, working primarily in live events, festivals and theatre, while still providing freelance marketing support to the organisation.

Trustees

Lennie Goodings (Chair) is Chair of the UK British publishing house Virago Press. Her authors include among others, Margaret Atwood, Maya Angelou, Sarah Dunant, Sarah Waters, Naomi Wolf, Joan Bakewell and Marilynne Robinson. She is Canadian and has been in London and with Virago since the late 1970s; working with authors and books is her passion. She is an author herself and has written A Bite of the Apple: Behind the Scenes at Virago Press.  She was a trustee of English PEN and often chairs talks at festivals. 

Mary-Alice Stack Mary-Alice is Chief Executive of Creative United, an independent Community Interest Company that specialises in the development of innovative finance solutions to enable growth within the arts and creative industries. She is a graduate of the Courtauld Institute with a BA in the History of Art, and has over 20 years experience working with arts organisations across the charitable sector. Prior to the establishment of Creative United, she was Director of ArtCo Projects at Arts Council England.

Craig Westwood Since August 2016, Craig has been Director of Communications and Research for the Electoral Commission. Immediately prior to this role, Craig was a Partner at the communications agency Pagefield, leading corporate affairs accounts for clients ranging from multi-national brands to small charities. He spent the preceding 10 years at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, including four years leading policy on libraries and three as Private Secretary to the Minister for Culture. Before joining the Civil Service, Craig worked in corporate press offices including at Fourth Estate publishers and at the British Library.

Zerritha Brown Zerritha Brown is a Cultural Producer and leader with 20 years’ experience in community arts and large scale events. She is currently the strategic lead for culture at Brent Council where over the last 12 years she has held various leadership and producing roles on high profile projects such as the London 2012 Games and the Mayor of London’s Borough of Culture – Brent 2020 programme. A Clore Leadership Programme Alumni, she is passionate about equality and access and committed to creating deep and meaningful engagement which effects lasting change.

Shahrukh Bhatty Shahrukh is a chartered accountant working for South Bank Employers’ Group, South Bank Business Improvement District and Jubilee Gardens Trust. With more than ten years’ experience in not-for-profit and charity sectors, he has a broad base of finance and governance skills, knowledge and acumen to support Poet In The City. Outside his professional life Shahrukh is the Treasurer for Poetry London, a print magazine published three times a year, which attracts and publishes the best new work from around the UK and the world of contemporary poetry. He has a strong interest in arts and culture, ensuring it is accessible to all, and believes it has the power to enhance society by providing opportunities and addressing vital challenges.

Charlotte Cole Fundraiser, relationship manager and events producer within the arts and non-profit sector. Since 2015, she has worked with National Careers Week, Royal Court Theatre, Wilton’s Music Hall and is the incoming Development Manager at Battersea Arts Centre. Charlotte is also a Board Member with Young Arts Fundraisers, a professional network for early-career fundraisers in the cultural sector.

Lucy Dundas Lucy is a communications professional with over 15 years working in the cultural, literary and heritage sectors. She is currently Head of Communications at the V&A, leading on strategic, corporate and commercial communications for the museum to support a new brand strategy and three new capital development projects in East London. Previous roles have included Associate Director at leading cultural communications agency Flint, developing and delivering high level creative campaigns for a broad range of clients, and four years at literary agency Peters, Fraser & Dunlop.