Lyric life

• Lyric Hammersmith Theatre announces new appointments to the Board of Trustees under Chair Lorraine Heggessey. 
• Joining Artistic Director and CEO Rachel O’Riordan and Executive Director Amy Belson, these appointments to the Board of Trustees will further drive the strategic work and vision of the organisation, following the recent successes of the West End transfer of Accidental Death of an Anarchist, sold-out hit show School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play and a revival of the Olivier and Tony Award-winning play God of Carnage, coming this autumn.
• The four new Trustees joining the Lyric’s Board are:
  • Shivani Jaswal, Management Consultant and specialist in financial technology and innovation, currently working for one of Europe’s fastest-growing financial technology companies.
  • Oliver Mackwood, Commercial Producer and Executive Director of Jamie Wilson Productions. Oliver has produced over 40 productions across the West End, North America, Europe, and Asia with recent productions including Pressure, Singin’ in the Rain, Sister Act, and Mrs Doubtfire.
    
  • Lisa Popham, CEO of Playing Field, a leading theatre investor and producer of acclaimed West Ends shows such as Life of Pi, Back to the Future, The Lehman Trilogy and Dr Semmelweis.
• • Harbinder Singh Birdi, Architect and Creative Director of London based design consultancy, Birdi & Partners, and Principal Architect for the detail design and construction for three of the stations for the Elizabeth Line, including lead designer for Tottenham Court Road station.

The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre is delighted to welcome these four new Trustees to its Board bringing new talent and skills to the existing Board, chaired by Lorraine Heggessey.

Shivani Jaswal, Oliver Mackwood, Lisa Popham, and Harbinder Singh Birdi join current Trustees Cllr Emma Apthorp, Cllr Bora Kwon, Lameya Chaudhury, David Greig, Liz Elston Mayhew, Farah Karim-Cooper, Julie Molloy, David Sharkey, Cllr Nikos Souslous, and Cllr Nicole Trehy.

Lorraine Heggessey, Chair of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre said, “We are delighted to welcome four such high calibre Trustees who bring vital additional expertise to the Board to help us support the creative vision and ambition of the team led by Artistic Director, Rachel O’Riordan and Executive Director Amy Belson.  It is a challenging time for subsidised theatre and the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre plays a valuable role in bringing high quality productions to the communities of West London and beyond at prices they can afford, as well as supporting new and emerging talent. An engaged Board with the relevant experience is crucial to help the team build on their recent successes.” 

Rachel O’Riordan, Artistic Director and CEO, and Amy Belson, Executive Director of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre said, “We are thrilled of the appointment of Shivani Jaswal, Oliver Mackwood, Lisa Popham and Harbinder Singh Birdi to the Lyric’s Board of Trustees. Together they bring a breadth of experience and vast knowledge from across a range of sectors that will further enable the Lyric to produce world-class theatre and serve our West London community. We greatly look forward to collaborating with them.”

Biographies

Shivani Jaswal trained as a Management Consultant at Ernst & Young after completing a degree in Politics & International Relations at the University of Warwick. At EY she supported a number of financial institutions with their digital transformation agendas as well as cost benchmarking, cost reduction, strategy, customer service and target operating model design. After leaving Ernst & Young, Shivani moved into the Fintech industry, working for one of Europe’s fastest-growing Fintechs in the Partnerships function. Shivani will bring a varied skill-set to the role, spanning commercial, marketing, product and strategy as well as strong experience in technology innovation. She also brings a strong passion for the theatre, after experiencing first-hand the transformative effect a grounding in the arts can have on young people. She is greatly looking forward to actively supporting the intersection between the arts industry and the technology industry and providing guidance to support a bright future for the Lyric.

Oliver Mackwood is a commercial Producer and Executive Director working at the forefront of largescale commercial productions in the West End. He has worked at Chichester Festival Theatre, and with The Royal Shakespeare Company, Sadler’s Wells, The National Theatre, English National Opera, and produced over 40 productions across the West End, North America, Europe, and Asia. Recent productions include Pressure, Singin’ in the Rain, Sister Act, and Mrs Doubtfire. Oliver is passionate about access to the arts, and has worked with The Big House, which supports care leavers through participation in theatre, and Silent Opera, an Immersive Opera Company established to develop new audiences. He is a member of the Society of London Theatre, a mentor through Stage One, and an ambassador for Inspiring the Future.

Lisa Popham is CEO of Playing Field. Her career spans strategy, sales, marketing, theatre management, business management, innovation, and consultancy. Previously she worked for Dewynters, The Royal Court Theatre, The Really Useful Group, The Theatre of Comedy Company, The Society of London Theatre, and Capital Radio. At Dewynters, one of the world’s leading entertainment marketing agencies, Lisa’s roles ranged from Head of Marketing to Chief Operating Officer. Lisa holds an MBA from Durham Business School, and a BA (Hons) Business Studies from the University of Westminster. She is an Executive Coach and Mentor and a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management. She was a founding member of the Society of London Theatre’s Industry Marketing Steering Group and a Council Member of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers. She is member of the Society of London Theatre and of the League of Independent Producers, and sits on the Council of Stage One.

Harbinder Singh Birdi is an Architect and Creative Director of Birdi & Partners, a London based design consultancy that advises government bodies, academic institutes, and the private sector. He was the Principal Architect for the detail design and construction for three of the stations for the Elizabeth Line and led the design for Tottenham Court Road station where he integrated the works of five conceptual artists. He was also the Principal Architect for the central section of Thames Tideway Tunnel. He lectures on architecture at Cambridge University and the UCL as well as mentoring and teaching architectural graduates and apprentices. He designed the New Art Exchange gallery in Nottingham and was recently a trustee of the Grade 1 listed Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery, designed by Sir John Soane, where he advised on the construction of a new volunteers building. He is a Fellow of the RIBA, ICE and RSA.

Lorraine Heggessey has been pivotal to success and transformation in a range of high-profile roles in the public, private and charity sectors. She was the first female controller of BBC 1 and introduced a number of flagship shows including Strictly Come Dancing and the new Dr Who; as CEO of talkbackThames she revitalised the programming portfolio and created a new digital division; in 2012 as Founder and Executive Chair of Boom Pictures she built the 7th largest independent production company in the UK. More recently, her charity roles have included CEO of The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. She is Chair of the Grierson Trust and the independent adviser to Channel 4’s Growth Fund.