02.05.2025
The Board of Trustees is delighted to announce the appointment of four new Trustees. They were selected for their expertise in leadership and experience across a range of sectors including Finance, Legal and Secondary Education.
“They all have a passion for the performing arts and I have no doubt that they will make excellent additions to our board.”
Claire Blunt, Chair of Trustees
Sarah Hopwood is an experienced business leader and CFO; a qualified Chartered Accountant, with extensive experience in financial services, media and entertainment, family businesses, education, and the arts. Sarah has been involved in the management of the international opera charity, Glyndebourne, for nearly 30 years as Trustee, Managing Director and previously CFO. Sarah now has a portfolio of non-executive and Trustee roles in organisations ranging from Ed-Tech to the Arts. She lives in East Sussex and is very committed to local community engagement, particularly in ensuring access to the Arts for everyone.
Laura McGaughey is a senior finance and operational executive who has spent her career in UK and international media organisations. She qualified as a Chartered Accountant at Ernst & Young and has since worked largely in TV and Film, starting at the BBC/BBC Studios, where she played a key role in the transformation of BBC Studios production to a commercial operation. She is currently Chief Financial and Operating Officer at Anton Studios, a European independent studio. Throughout her career she has supported boards in delivering growth and organisational change, as well as chairing gender and diversity boards, including setting up and supported mentoring and women’s finance networks. Laura holds non-executive roles on BAFTA’s Audit and Risk Committee, as well as at Knowledge Schools Trust, a multi-academy Trust, where she sits on the Board of Governors and chairs their Finance and Operations Committee.
A musician by training, Richard Nicholson was a chorister at Southwell Minster and subsequently organ scholar at Lichfield Cathedral before being elected Organ Scholar at Pembroke College, Oxford. Richard began his teaching career in west London and was Director of Music in two schools before moving into school leadership. He is currently Foundation Principal of Warwick Schools Foundation, one of the largest educational charities in the U.K. He is passionate about the place of the arts as part of every child’s educational entitlement and actively supports instrumental and choral projects to bring that to fruition in the town of Warwick and the wider region.
Matt is Chief Legal Officer at Fremantle, which is a global content producer of over 12,000 hours of original programming every year across drama, entertainment, documentaries, and film. He joined Fremantle in August 2021 and sits on the global board. Prior to Fremantle, Matt was based in Amsterdam as General Counsel for EMEA & APAC for Uber, leading a diverse, international team who helped Uber Rides to scale, launch Uber Eats and JUMP bikes (now Lime) and stabilise and grow the business across over 50 countries, culminating in a successful listing on the NYSE in 2019. Matt started his career with four years at Baker & McKenzie, followed by an overall six-year stint in senior roles for global telco Telefónica with a spell at Arsenal Football Club in the middle. Matt studied Economics and Politics and is a practicing Solicitor (England and Wales).
We are thrilled to welcome Sarah, Laura, Richard and Matthew to ArtsEd.
