Meet the latest additions to our Board of Trustees, Jean Vianney Cordeiro and Hugh Summers, and the ten young people (aged 16-25) who will form our second Youth Advisory Board. Our YAB meets five times a year and they lead a two-way conversation with the Board of Trustees, looking at new ways that CFT can become a more welcoming and diverse organisation for young people, as well as developing their own skills and potential.

Members of the YAB will serve for one year initially; some of them have been (or are) members of Chichester Festival Youth Theatre and our Prologue scheme for 16-30 year-olds, students, CFT ushers and others are starting their careers in the local area. They are: Issie Berg Rust, Theo Craig, Olivia Elgood, Aled Hanson, Daniel Hill, Ophelia Kabdenova, Alice Kilgallon, Francesca McBride, Jacob Simmonds and Priya Uddin.

Kathy Bourne and Daniel Evans, Executive and Artistic Directors of CFT respectively, said: ’Since establishing our Youth Advisory Board in 2020, they have played an important role in driving CFT towards a diverse, inspiring and exciting future. The inaugural YAB initiated projects including our recent very successful Youth Voice Conference on mental health and wellbeing, queer inclusion and anti-racism, and a rebrand of our Prologue scheme for 16-30 year-olds; they also consulted on projects including the refurbishment of the Festival Theatre foyer and our programme of CFT Lates. We warmly welcome Jean, Hugh and our new YAB members, and look forward to working with them. We and the Board would also like to record our gratitude to the outgoing Trustees, Georgina Liley and Holly Mirams, for their invaluable contribution to CFT.’

Jean Vianney Cordeiro and Hugh Summers said: ‘We’re so excited to be joining the Board of Chichester Festival Theatre. Kathy Bourne and Daniel Evans helm a brilliant team in producing industry-leading work for an engaged and ever-evolving audience. Furthermore, CFT’s community work is exemplary and we look forward to continuing the fantastic work of outgoing Trustees Holly Mirams and Georgina Liley as we take over their role as Co-Chairs of the Youth Advisory Board.’

Jean Vianney Cordeiro is a corporate finance and strategy professional, currently serving as Head of Corporate Development at Pets at Home. He previously worked in Investment Banking roles at Morgan Stanley and RBC Capital Markets before moving into a Corporate Development role at Smith+Nephew. He is Treasurer Trustee and Chair of the Finance, Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee at Stonewall. He was born and raised in Montreal, Canada.

Hugh Summers is a Production Coordinator for Wessex Grove, a theatre production company working in the West End, on Broadway and worldwide. He has previously worked in production roles across London, including with Park Theatre, the Boulevard, Colin Ingram Ltd and Sonia Friedman Productions as well as producing a series of concerts at the Apollo Theatre as part of Nica Burns’ Rising Stars Festival. Prior to joining the Board of Trustees, Hugh was a member of CFT’s inaugural Youth Advisory Board.