Welcoming Our New Board Members
Today we say a fond farewell to two of our board members, Giles Kerkham and Jeanette Siddall CBE who are moving on from Gecko after working tirelessly to support us for many years. Their contribution to the company has been immeasurable and we wish them well in their future ventures!
As Giles and Jeanette exit stage right, we welcome two exciting new board members to the team:
AMY VAUGHAN
Executive Director & Deputy CEO at Battersea Arts Centre
I am Executive Director & Deputy CEO at Battersea Arts Centre, a venue in South London supporting and platforming artists making contemporary performance and building projects alongside young people and the community to make positive social and personal change. My expertise lies in organisational development and design, and I have a career background in venue management as well as a long stint in policy making and funding at Arts Council England.
My connection to Gecko began in 2006 when I worked at Cambridge Junction where they were a regular incoming touring company that I always enjoyed welcoming into the venue! Later, I led the regional team in the East and the National Touring Team at ACE and was able to connect with Gecko as part of the National Portfolio. Gecko have something to say, I’ve always loved the dedication, craft and aesthetic that's so core to their work, both on and off stage. It’s a real pleasure to be part of the adventure.
HELEN LANNAGHAN
Co-Director of the London International Mime Festival
I am one of the two directors of the London International Mime Festival (LIMF), which has had the great pleasure of presenting some of Gecko’s work as part of our programme since 2004. The festival focusses on contemporary visual theatre that is not driven by a spoken narrative and to date, it has presented almost 800 companies in its 47-year history.
2023 marked our last large-scale LIMF festival and as a long-time admirer and supported of their work, I joined the Gecko Board to see how I might be able to assist them as they move forwards into a very exciting period for the company, with the development of the Creation Space and their ongoing creative learning and theatre projects.
It's a real privilege that Amy and Helen have decided to join us as board members and we can't wait to start working with them to shape the future of Gecko!