Meet the team

(he/him) I work in the arts because I’m constantly excited and surprised by what artists propose. I’m a collaborator, and love enabling and pushing artists to develop their best work. I love that this may mean very engaged activist art, it may create personal/societal change through theatre, or it may create a form of fantastical escapism, or something completely different.

Prior to Fuel I ran the UK’s longest running LGBTQIA arts festival (based in Liverpool), Homotopia; and A Lovely Word Festival and regular spoken word poetry night at the Liverpool Everyman. My other freelance producing credits include; Owen McCafferty’s Julius ‘Call Me Caesar’ Caesar, progressive brass band Perhaps Contraption’s Nearly Human (“Completely extraordinary” BBC 6 Music), and Majid Mehdizadeh’s YMAM (Young Man’s Angry Movement) (**** Guardian,**** Stage), Felix Mufti’s be gay do crime. Before working in the arts, I was an elected student sabbatical officer at Liverpool Guild for two years and am still passionate about representation and campaigning.

You can contact me on [email protected]

(she/her) I work in the arts because it is a transformational and essential part of a thriving democratic and civic society. Also, it’s fun!

I am Executive Assistant to Kate McGrath and Assistant Producer at Fuel. I joined Fuel in January 2020, during which time I administrated the Freelance Task Force and Creative Freelances: Shaping London’s Recovery and ran Fuel’s Big Give Fundraising Campaigns (2021-2023). I administrate the Producing and Touring Companies Network chaired by Kate McGrath. Most recently I assistant produced on the 2024 tour of Hannah Lavery’s Protest and am currently assistant producer on Khalid Abdalla’s Nowhere. Before Fuel, I was Campaigns Officer for Stonewall (2015-2018) and obtained an MA in Arts and Cultural Management from King’s College in 2019. I have held various front of house and box office roles in London and New York City, including at Southwark Playhouse, Vault Festival, the Public Theatre and Lincoln Center Theater. Clore Emerging Leader 2023.

You can contact me on [email protected]

(she/her) I have worked in the arts for over ten years, leading a range of theatre and cross art form projects. I always place care, connection and community at the centre of my work, and aim to shape the future of the arts sector to be more equitable. I love leading projects that celebrate, reflect and shake up the world, and support and empower artists to develop their creativity in sustainable, accessible ways.

Before joining Fuel, I was the Senior Programme Producer at Contact, Manchester, and prior to this the ReAct Producer at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton. I was also a freelance producer, artist and facilitator and worked with organisations including the Royal Exchange, the Lowry, Slung Low, Oldham Coliseum and Art With Heart. I have also worked as an evaluator and researcher, and taught on the BA Drama course at the University of Manchester. In 2022 I took part in Clore Leadership Pulse, a course that developed my knowledge, skills and confidence as a cultural leader.

You can contact me on [email protected]

I work in the arts because it raises everyone’s quality of life. Also the people who work in the arts tend to be passionate about what they do and very nice. This particularly applies to Fuel.

I have worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 30 years including 20 years in the arts, leading the finances (and occasionally other bits) of Battersea Arts Centre, The Albany Deptford, Rich Mix, and LIFT. I currently sit on the boards of Lost Dog dance company and performance company Uninvited Guests and have previously served on the boards of the JMK Trust and Camden People’s Theatre. I am also Finance Manager at Theatre Centre when not working with Fuel.

You can contact me on [email protected]

(she/her) Ine was previously Executive Director of Boundless Theatre, leading the company through a period of experimentation with form and content through the pandemic. Prior to this she was Development Manager at the Bush Theatre where she was jointly responsible for creating and implementing the fundraising and talent development strategies. During her time, the Bush fundraised for and completed the largest capital project in the organisation’s history.

As a producer, Ine has presented work at Southwark Playhouse, Theatre503 and the Finborough Theatre, and toured shows both nationally and internationally.

You can contact me on [email protected]

(she/her) I work in the arts because I believe the arts to be the most formidable tool for human connection. I work in the arts because I love being part of enabling artists to entertain us, shock us, delight us, comfort us, inform us, and, most importantly, help us make sense of the world.

I am from Palermo, Italy. I came to London in 2016 to undertake a MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy at Goldsmiths, University of London, and pursue a career in the Theatre sector. Before moving to the UK I studied International Relations and Public Policy at the University of Florence and worked in PR for the European University Institute.

I joined Fuel in 2020 as their Fundraising Manager, leading on Trust and Foundations as well as Statutory fundraising. In January 2024, I took on the role of Head of Fundraising, adding Individual Giving to the list of my responsibilities.

Prior to joining Fuel, I worked in fundraising roles ad Theatre Peckham and LIFT.

You can contact me on [email protected]

(she/her) I work in the arts because of the power of the arts to help us make sense of the world and each other. Before joining Fuel, I was Executive Coordinator at Rich Mix, where I looked after their tenanted workspaces and worked in areas including HR and governance. I have also worked in venue management at Shoreditch Town Hall and on independent theatre directing and producing projects. I am from Ontario, Canada. In Toronto, I ran casting, programmes for artists, and company management for Canadian Stage and worked in general management for music-led organisation Art of Time Ensemble and the Toronto Fringe Festival. I currently also manage social media channels for London Development Trust and am a Duty Manager at Shoreditch Town Hall.

You can contact me on [email protected]

(she/her) I work in the arts because I believe brilliant artists give us a new way of looking at the world around us and everyone in it. The best moments in my job are when I see people in the audience connecting with the shows we make – couples watching 'Love Letters Straight From Your Heart' and falling in love all over again; toddlers speechless with wonder watching conkers fall from the sky in 'The Forest'; passers-by being drawn towards 'Electric Hotel' and becoming engrossed. I am incredibly lucky to work with artists who constantly surprise and amaze me, and I’m passionate about reaching as wide an audience as we possibly can.

I studied English and French at Oxford University and went on to work as a journalist for the Scotsman in Edinburgh. After that, I took the plunge into producing and started working freelance, making shows in pubs and warehouses. I got a job as a trainee producer at Battersea Arts Centre in 2002 where I learnt a huge amount about making theatre and met brilliant artists, many of whom I still work with. And I met Louise there and in 2004 we decided to set up Fuel. I have loved (almost) every moment since and can’t wait for what’s next around the corner...

You can contact me on [email protected]

(he/him) I am a Producer & Dramaturg interested in making new theatre with pioneering artists. Alongside my work with Fuel, I am Producer for Disaster Plan, recently presenting Julia Taudevin’s Move in an acclaimed site-responsive production on Edinburgh’s Silverknowes Beach in collaboration with Slung Low and the Traverse Theatre, together with the accompanying film of the production. I was previously Programmer & Producer for Assembly Festival, curating an award-winning theatre programme at the Edinburgh Festival, and leading the year-round artistic programme at Assembly Roxy in Edinburgh. I also spent six years as a Literary Agent at Casarotto Ramsay & Associates, working with a prestigious list of writers, directors and literary estates. I am a Trustee of award-winning visual theatre company Tortoise in a Nutshell.

You can contact me on [email protected]

(she/her) I work in theatre because I am passionate about people, their stories, and how they help us interrogate our society. I believe the arts are a playground for the many, not the few, and my career has so far been focusing on making the sector accessible to as many different voices as possible.

I am from Rome, where I studied Literature, Music and Live Art. I moved to London in 2015 to complete my MA in Arts & Cultural Management at King's College University. I started to work in theatre in 2016 by joining LIFT Festival's placement scheme, while also completing an internship within Battersea Arts Centre's participation team.

Prior to joining Fuel, I worked for Save the Children, leading on a national digital learning and engagement programme in Italy, and spent five years at Battersea Arts Centre as a Producer in the Creativity & Social Change team, developing and delivering programmes which aimed at engaging a wide range of audiences and shifting power within the cultural sector, co-creating work with organisations, artists and communities locally and nationally.

You can contact me on [email protected]

(she/her) I work in the arts because it shows the incredible power of collaboration, creativity and humanity. It’s a space for all voices and all stories, reflecting the world we live in.

Before joining Fuel, I have worked for Performing Arts and Film Festivals, as well as individual dance, theatre, opera and cross-arts productions in the Netherlands, Canada and London. I have a BA(Hons) degree in Stage Management from Guildhall School for Music and Drama.

You can contact me on [email protected]

(she/her) Before joining Fuel full time, I took on a variety of roles in and around Theatre – mainly Lighting Design and Production or Stage Management.

After graduating in Performance Design at Leeds University, I started off re-lighting for STOMP’s International Tour. I was soon hungry for making my own shows and so took on the Advanced Theatre Practice MA at Central to meet other Theatre-Makers. This is where I became introduced to Fuel and all the fantastic artists they look after.

I have since spent just under a decade being freelance and on tour, nationally and internationally, working with companies such as Fuel, Lost Dog, Clod Ensemble, Gecko, BBC, Paines Plough, Punchdrunk, Tamasha, Kalí, Graeae and Company 3.

As Production Manager for Fuel, I’m excited to be enveloped by their adventurous work and engaging with their countless collaborators.

You can contact me on [email protected]

(she/her) I work in the arts because of the unique ways it can be used to amplify stories and narratives in different cultures. Representation and supporting unheard and underrepresented voices is very important to me because you can’t be what you can’t see, we need to see ourselves and our diverse stories on stage. I’m very excited to be part of the team at Fuel because they do just this, and I hope to be able to bring more of our stories and our joys to the stage.

Prior to joining Fuel, I worked as a social media coordinator with a nurse-led, start-up organisation that supports nurses who have faced discrimination at work. It was always important to me to encourage them to speak out publicly about their experiences, and to make sure that more of their stories and experiences were told by them and reflected their truth.

You can contact me on [email protected]

I work with Fuel as Postdoctoral Researcher for Twenty Years of Fuel: The Role and Development of the Independent Producer in Theatre and the Cultural Economy, an archival research project to mark the occasion of Fuel's 20th anniversary in 2024.

I bring significant experience working within theatre archives, social justice, and community engagement, including six years as a company member with Clean Break, who work with women in prison and women at risk. For Clean Break I developed audience campaigns, tours and public engagement events for over fifteen productions, and I began the process of digitizing the company's four decades of archival materials. Today, as a researcher in theatre studies at Queen Mary University of London, my publications on theatre, sensorial experience and social justice investigate the ways in which social stigma, policing, and imaginaries of prison and public health staged within the theatre produce atmospheres of carcerality, and how carceral atmospheres agitate degrees of political engagement within audiences across a range of sites of performance. In addition to my research with Fuel, I am also a reader for the Royal Court Theatre's Literary Department, and Teaching Fellow in Queen Mary's School of English and Drama. I received my PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies from University of Melbourne, Master of Fine Arts in Critical Studies from California Institute of the Arts, and was a Fulbright Scholar at University of Hamburg.

You can contact me on [email protected]

British lyric soprano Nadine Benjamin is a charismatic and versatile artist who is in increasing demand on both the operatic stage and the concert platform. She is also developing great renown as an exponent of song, in particular Verdi, Strauss, Berg and contemporary American song. From 2018 to 2020, Nadine was an English National Opera Harewood Artist and made her debut with the Company as Clara (Porgy and Bess), followed by Musetta (La bohème) and Laura (Luisa Miller). Nadine made her Royal Opera House debut in October 2020 as a soprano soloist in New Dark Age, with works by Anna Meredith, Missy Mazzoli and Anna Thorvaldsdottir, and directed by Katie Mitchell.
Nadine is a known for her work as a Creative Empowerment Thought Leader as a Mentor, Certified High-Performance Coach and Accredited NLP Mind Coach, and founded her opera and mentorship programme ‘Everybody Can!’ in 2015 to provide a platform to encourage and support others in recognising and achieving their own visions. She has both produced and sung principal roles in Otello, and Tosca for Everybody Can! Opera. An Ambassador for Music Masters, Nadine was “highly commended” at the 2016 Aviva ‘Women of the Future Awards’, attend the Women of the Year Lunch in 2019 and was invited to both Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street in recognition of her work as a mentor and singer.

Sean is a specialist arts and media lawyer with over 25 years of experience - working with theatre, dance and other arts companies, and in film and tv. His areas of expertise include copyright, charity law, financing, creative team agreements and contractual issues, advising organisations in both the subsidised and commercial sectors. Sean has served as a trustee of a number of arts organisations over the years.

Sean's website is now live and can be found at www.seaneganconsultants.com.

Lilli Geissendorfer is Director of Jerwood Arts (www.jerwoodarts.org), an independent grant-making foundation and charity dedicated to imaginative and responsible funding and development of artists and the arts. She has a background as a theatre producer with an interest in creating definitive new work with outstanding artists. Previous roles include Producer at Almeida Theatre under Rupert Goold, and Relationship Manager for Theatre at Arts Council England where she managed an NPO portfolio and developed national environmental sustainability policies. Lilli also co-produced the first HighTide Festival in 2007, ran the film and theatre producing company Strawberry Vale Productions 2006-2011, co-founded Londoners on Bikes, a pop-up cycle safety campaign for the London 2012 Mayoral election and volunteers for The Breastfeeding Network. She studied social and political sciences at Goldsmiths and Cambridge University.

Joe previously worked at the RSA as Director of the Creative Learning and Development team, focussing on policy research and practical innovations to the close the creativity gap in learning. He also helped grow the RSA’s presence and impact around the world as RSA Global Interim Director, through a range of exciting partnerships.

Joe taught in urban primary schools for five years, before moving into policy analysis and programme leadership – first for IPPR, then as Learning Director for Creative Partnerships. Joe has also worked as a consultant to the Department of Education’s Innovation Unit, the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, and London 2012. Joe has written and presented on many education issues, including on creativity, curriculum, teacher quality, and school admissions.

Akiyawerikumo Henry is a talented stage and screen actress. She has numerous film and television credits, including on BBC's Casualty and Little Britain. Akiya recently starred at Lady Macbeth in Kit Monkman's film adaptation of Macbeth.

PREVIOUS WORK
- Clare Barron's Dirty Crusty at The Yard Theatre
- The Dark at Ovalhouse
- Emma Rice's The Little Matchgirl and Twelfth Night for Shakespeare's Globe

Akiya is a regular collaborator with the National Theatre, RSC and Young Vic. Akiya was also in the original cast of Swallows and Amazons (West End and Tour), starred as Hermia in the smash-hit international touring production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and as dual roles of Medea and Maddy in the all-female cast of Medea, all produced by Bristol Old Vic.

Akiya voices the role of Amma in the emmy-winning CBeebies series BING, Adaline in the award-winning Netflix series HILDA, Lil' Sue in THE RUBBISH WORLD OF DAVE SPUD, and she is currently voicing the role of Snork Maiden in the animated series of MOOMINVALLEY.

Sue Hoyle works independently as a consultant, adviser and researcher, specialising in performing arts, cultural leadership and interdisciplinary projects. She is a Cultural Fellow of King’s College London, a Trustee of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, a member of the core group for the What Next? movement and Chair of the Funding Committee for the Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellowships.

Leadership roles have included Director of the Clore Leadership Programme, Programme Adviser to the Advanced Cultural Leadership Programme at Hong Kong University, Executive Director of The Place, Head of Arts for the British Council in France and Deputy chief executive of Arts Council England. As a non-executive, she has been on the Boards of the British Council, DV8 Physical Theatre, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Shobana Jeyasingh Dance.

Martin is the Artistic Director of Perth International Arts Festival. Previously, Martin was Head of Performance and Dance at Southbank Centre, where her achievements include creating the acclaimed disability arts festival Unlimited. Martin joined Sydney Opera House in 2000 and in 2006 was appointed Head of Theatre and Dance.

Dr. Magda Osman is Head of Research at the Centre for Science and Policy, University of Cambridge. She is also head of the Dynamic Learning and Decision-making Laboratory (magdaosmanresearch.com/), and a Fellow of the Turing Institute. The ethos of Dr Osman's work has been to take a critical eye to well accepted views and challenge the status quo.

She has authored over 100 publications, and two books. Her publications span work on psychology, cognitive science, management, philosophy and economics. She is currently in charge of ongoing scholarly projects on assessing evidence-based policy making, decision-making under uncertainty/risk, dynamic social interactions, moral judgment, agency and control, unconscious choice behaviour, and conceptualizing violence. She has made significant contributions in the domain of behavioural change by critically examining the frameworks, and evaluating interventions in many domains (e.g., health, sustainable consumption, energy efficiency, organ donation). She has published over 20 articles in this area.

Sealey has been Graeae’s Artistic Director/ CEO since 1997. Her directing career began with Interplay Theatre, co-directing Sea Changes, then directing Stepping Stones and Mad Meg. Directing credits for Graeae include: This Is Not For You, Reasons to be Cheerful, The House of Bernarda Alba, The Threepenny Opera. International credits include Blood Wedding (Setagaya Public Theatre, Tokyo); Romeo and Juliet (Saitama Arts Theatre, Tokyo). Jenny co-directed the London 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony alongside Bradley Hemmings (GDIF). She also won the Liberty Human Rights Arts Award and was on the h.Club 100 list of the most influential people in the creative industries

Shail leads the Northern European hub of McKinsey’s Pharmaceuticals & Medical Products Practice. He also coleads the European Organization Practice and the firm’s cross-sector work on enterprise agility.

Since joining McKinsey, Shail has worked with organisations around the globe on driving innovation, productivity, and growth; supporting major postmerger integrations, carve outs, and asset transfers; leading important performance transformations and restructurings; launching numerous medical devices and pharmaceutical products; and bringing about commercial and product-development excellence.

Prior to joining McKinsey, Shail gained experience in research science, business development, and project finance.