Helen Marriage, CEO / Artistic Director of Artichoke says: 

“I am thrilled to welcome such a talented group of individuals to our Board of Trustees. Between them they bring a breadth of experience and knowledge that will be incredibly valuable for Artichoke as we continue to develop and grow into our third decade. I also want to thank everyone who applied to be a Trustee. We had an amazing response from so many accomplished individuals, and the widespread interest in the role was an extraordinary endorsement of the esteem in which Artichoke is held.”

Laia has been instrumental in creating the first-ever London Cultural Infrastructure Plan and the most pro-culture London Plan ever, leading on new policies for affordable workspace and the ground-breaking Agent of Change. She is Director of Partnerships for the World Cities Culture Forum, a leadership network of 40 global cities. Previously, she ran BBC creative programmes for five years, was Creative Producer for the London 2012 Olympic Games, and led projects for Tate Modern, Southbank Centre and London International Festival of Theatre.

Anthony James Heaton OBE is a British sculptor, disability rights activist and arts administrator, who was appointed an OBE in 2013 for services to the arts and the disability arts movement. He has exhibited nationally and internationally and major commissions include Gold Lamé winning the commission to be the first sculpture sited on the Liverpool Plinth in 2018 and Monument to the Unintended Performer, installed on the Big 4 outside Channel 4 TV in celebration of the 2012 London Paralympics. Tony brings a wealth of experience and 20 years of leadership in the arts, and is currently Chief Executive of Shape Arts in London.

Originally from New Zealand, as Managing Director and Head of Brand and Marketing for Europe and Asia Pacific, Desirée manages RBC Capital Market’s brand, promotion and sponsorship partnerships, as well as the company’s corporate social responsibility activities. On top of this role, Desirée is a member of RBC’s UK Diversity Leadership Council, the Capital Markets European Mentoring Programme Committee, is a new appointed Executive Sponsor of RBC’s Multicultural Employee Alliance (MEA) UK and, until recently, was Co-Chair of RBC’s gender diversity network, RWomen UK. She is a Freeman of the City of London, Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Marketors and a Trustee of the Marketor’s Charity, as well as an Advisory Committee Member for The Barbican.

Shirley Rodrigues was appointed as London Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy in October 2016. She has devised and delivered environmental policies and programmes in London, nationally and internationally for government and philanthropy including most recently overseeing a global cities and climate change grants portfolio at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). She is now working to deliver the Mayor of London’s vision to make the city a fairer, greener, healthier and more sustainable one. This includes ambitious programmes to reduce air pollution across London including the expansion of the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone, making London carbon neutral by 2030 and spearheading London’s economic and social recovery from the impacts of Covid-19 through a Green New Deal.  

Nephertiti was born in West Africa and raised in East London. She has worked in the charity sector for 20 years and is currently Artistic Director of the social arts charity Peckham Platform. Since 2013, she has worked on high-profile public realm projects with organisations including Art on the Underground, City of London and Contemporary Art Society, Manchester and Whitworth Galleries, Somerset House, and the Singapore Biennale. Her practice focuses on performance, audio and moving image in non-gallery contexts, producing discursive works, collaborations and research projects. She has a BA in Photography from the Manchester School of Art and an MA in Curating Contemporary Art from the Royal College of Art. 

Read more about Artichoke’s Board of Directors and Trustees.

For press enquiries contact: nia.shaw@artichoke.uk.com