DCD - Dancers' Career Development

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Staff & trustees

Linda Yates – Executive Director
Linda is the Executive Director of Dancers` Career Development in London/Great Britain. She graduated from the Sorbonne in Paris and is a consultant and therapist. She is also a director of the Committee of the Council for Dance Education and Training (CDET) and deputy head of the International Organization for the Transition of Professional Dancers (IOTPD). Linda has many years arts management experience and holds degrees in French language and counselling. Furthermore she worked many years as a volunteer therapist for "Relate", one of the largest organisations for relationship counselling in the UK.

Anja Dobler – Development & Projects Officer
Anja studied at the Freie Universität Berlin whilst working freelance at the Staatsoper Berlin and later the Royal Opera House London. She then completed her MA in Dance Studies at the University of Surrey and gained a Diploma in Arts Management. Following that she took up a full-time position as Communications Officer at Central School of Ballet. Since 2003 she has been working as Development & Projects Officer for Dancers` Career Development in London, where she is responsible for project management, fundraising, outreach and communications. Anja is also a qualified Pilates and Gyrotonic Instructor.

Katherine Akingbade - Administrator
Katherine did a BSc in Clinical Sciences at King’s College London and then did postgraduate study at The University of Oxford. She worked freelance for the BBC Science Unit as a reporter/assistant producer, the WHO in Geneva, and the International Science Journal Nature as a Science Writer. Katherine has always had a passion for the Arts and Sciences and has been involved in various SciArt projects run by the Wellcome Trust. She has worked for the Royal Opera House, Christie’s Auctioneers, and the Royal Academy of Arts as an administrator. In addition to her position with The DCD and a current academic project, Katherine works as a freelance writer.

Carla Zampieri – Administrative Assistant
Graduated in Communication – Advertising and Publicity, Carla started her career as a graphic designer as well as a copywriter. In 2001 she moved into marketing where she assumed the coordination of the marketing department of a textile company in Brazil. In 2005 Carla started her MA in Marketing Management at Westminster School of Business in London at the same time she was working for the press division of The British Museum. Always interested in Arts and Culture, Carla joined the team at Dancers Career Development in May 2008 where she is helping with the running of the office.

Philip Philipose - Accountant
Philip, our accountant joined the charity in 1996 and comes with extensive experience in retail, hotels, construction, transport, marketing and especially in the charities accounting fields.

Trustees

Tony Dyson
Dancers' Career
Development Chairman
Board Member since …
Arts Council England Representative

Senior Associate with Donald Insall Associates, Architects and Planning Consultants. Past projects include the Opening of Somerset House Phase 2, where he was mainly responsible for the restoration of the Courtyard and, (working with Dixon Jones) the Fountain installation; the restoration of the external envelope of Kew Palace; Trafalgar Square Lighting and the settings of 8 different sculptures on sites in conservation areas in central London, the most recent of which will form a 25 metre long monument to the Battle of Britain, on the Victoria Embankment. Chairman of the independent charitable company running the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. Former trustee of the Michael Clark Foundation

Colin Nears CBE, MA Cantab, FRSA
Board Member since 1990, and Vice-Chairman of DCD.
Company representative for the Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Educated at Ipswich School and King’s College, Cambridge. On staff at the BBC 1958-87, as Producer and Director of Television Arts, Music and Dance programmes; and a member of the Arts Council and Chairman of their dance panel, 1982-90. Previously a member of the Board of the Royal Opera House, Chairman of Birmingham Royal Ballet, a governor of the Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet School, and a member of the board for Rambert Dance Company. Currently Vice-Chairman of the Royal Ballet Benevolent Fund. Won a BAFTA award and the Prix Italia music prize. Was made a CBE in 1998.

Russell Milton Brown, FCA, FRGS, Hon. Fellow R.C.A, Chevalier de L’Ordre Nationale de Merite
Board Member since …
Chairman of the DCD Finance Committee.
Independent Trustee

Educated at Stowe School. Finance Officer for Sadler’s Wells Opera, and Clerk to the Governors, 1956-63; Chief Accountant and Production Controller for the Royal Shakespeare Company (Stratford and London), 1963-66 and Royal College of Art Bursar, 1966-86. He is also a Trustee of the Royal Ballet Benevolent Fund.

Felicity Clark
Board Member since 2000.
Represented the Rambert Dance Company, 2000-2003.
Currently an Independent Trustee.

Director of Royal Opera House Trust, 1989-1995; and Acting Director of the Appeal to rebuild the new theatre, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, 1995-6. Governor, Royal Ballet School; Board member, Mariinsky Trust; Trustee, Dancers’ Career Development; Board member, Rambert Dance Company, 1997-2003; and Management Development Committee, Royal College of Music.

Richard Panton Corbett
Board Member since 2002
Independent Trustee.

Attended Eton 1950-55, then a 2nd Lieutenant in the Welsh Guard from 1956-58. Worked for Singer & Friedlander, 1961-1998, becoming Managing Director, 1974-1993.

Chairman, Aim of the London Stock Exchange, 1997-2000; Trustee of the Royal Opera House Trust, 1988-1994; Chairman of the Finance Committee, Royal Academy of Dancing, 1989-2005; Trustee, Royal Ballet Benevolent Fund, 1985-2001; Director of South Staffordshire Water, 1998-Present and of other public companies.

Janet (Mop) Eager, MBE
Board Member since 1997
Company Representative for the Richard Alston Dance Company.

Administrator, Contemporary Ballet Trust (Dance Studio| Group), 1966-68; A Founder of The Place in 1969. Executive Director, London Contemporary Dance Theatre, 1969-1994, and Richard Alston Dance Company 1994-1997. Currently a Trustee of the Robin Howard Foundation; a Governor of The Contemporary Dance Trust, The Place (London Contemporary Dance School, Robin Howard Dance Theatre & Richard Alston Dance Company). A practicing complementary health practitioner.

Caryl Griffith
Board Member since
Equity Representative
Full biography to appear shortly

Hilary Hadley
Board Member since 2001
Equity Representative

Senior organiser in Equity’s Theatre and Variety department. Responsible for dance companies and dancers, ensuring that their interests are safeguarded both within the workplace and with external agencies.

Juliet Jowitt
Board member since 2005
Company Representative for Northern Ballet Theatre.

Associate Shopping Editor, House & Garden and Vogue, 1966-9; Proprietor, Wood House Design (Interior design – formerly ‘Colour Go Round’), 1971-2002; Director YTV Holdings PLC, 1988-92; Director, Yorkshire Television, 1987-94 and a member of the Independent Broadcasting Authority, 1981-86. Director of Northern Ballet Theatre since 2000.

Roula Konzotis, FRSA, MIoD
Board Member since 2006
Company Representative for English National Ballet.

Director of Communications at the Royal Institute of British Architects since 1999. Launched the Institute’s cultural arm, the RIBA Trust. Recently completed a secondment to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. First career was as a drama teacher. Worked for over sixteen years in the arts sector, including working as an arts consultant. Worked at Rambert Dance Company and as Director of Marketing and Press for English National Ballet in the 80s. Organised the Healthier Dance conferences for Dance UK in 1991 and 1993, leading to the creation of the Healthier Dancer Programme. Previously on the Board of NODM (now Dance UK) and Arc Dance Company. Currently on the Board of the ENB, a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Institute of Directors.

Ken Marchant
Board Member since 2005
Company Representative for Scottish Ballet.

Born and raised in London. Moved to Yorkshire after his marriage to Ann, where they raised three sons and spent almost thirty years, before moving to Scotland. Introduced to ballet at fifteen, with a visit to Covent Garden and a passionate follower of ballet ever since. Career has been focused in the IT/Business sector. Currently Customer Services Director for Maxima Information Systems, based in Glasgow.

Ken regards his contribution to DCD as a chance to give something back to a profession that has given him so much pleasure.

Marguerite Porter
Board Member since 2007
Company Representative for The Royal Ballet
Full biography to appear shortly

Gillian Raine
Board Member since …
Equity Representative
Independent Trustee.

Trained at RADA, working both in theatre and television. Her most recent theatre appearance was in ‘Hedda Gabler’ at The Almeida and Duke of York Theatres. Gillian is also a trustee for the Equity Trust Fund.

Harriet Sebag-Montefiore, BA, MSW, CSW
Board Member since …
Independent Trustee.

Born and educated in the USA, Harriet married Harold Sebag-Montefiore in 1968 and moved to the UK. Worked as a psychiatric social worker/counsellor at the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Clinic at Guy’s Hospital for over thirty years.

Gerry Weiss, B Com, FCA, FIPA
DCD Founder Member.
Independent Trustee.

Qualified as a chartered accountant, specialising in dealing with businesses etc, in financial trouble. This led to the rescue of a major Ballet Company, and an involvement in Ballet ever since.

Founder member and past president of the British and the European insolvency practitioner organisations; founder trustee of the Dancers Pension Scheme; Trustee of Royal Ballet Benevolent Fund 1982 - 2007; Chairman London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet) 1974-1983; founder board member of Northern Ballet Theatre; Trustee of Pension Scheme for Technical and Administrative Staff in the Arts.

NN
Siobhan Davies Dance Company

Russell Broadbent
Board Member since 2007
Phoenix Dance Theatre
Full biography to appear shortly

Development Committee

  • Victoria Mather - Chairman Development Committee
  • Colin Nears CBE Deputy Chairman Development Committee
  • Russell Brown
  • Tony Dyson
  • Angela Rippon OBE
  • Anthony van Laast MBE
  • Gillian Raine
  • Hilary Hadley
  • Jan Francis
  • Cherry Gillespie
  • Jennie Walton
  • Una Stubbs
  • Robert Noble
  • Wayne Sleep
  • Ken Marchant

Finance Committee

  • Russell Brown Chairman Finance
  • Tony Dyson
  • Colin Nears CBE
  • Gerry Weiss
  • Panton Corbett
  • Ken Marchant

Patrons

  • Dame Ninette de Valois OM, CH, DBE – Founder Patron
  • Dame Beryl Grey
  • Leslie Caron
  • Gillian Lynne CBE
  • Wendy Toye CBE
  • Sir Peter Wright CBE

Funders

  • Peter Williams OBE - Founder