Sir William Russell Alderman was elected Chair of the Barbican Centre Board in May 2024, and previously served as Deputy Chair. He is also a Trustee of the Barbican Centre Trust since May 2022. He served as Lord Mayor of the City of London from 2019 to 2021 and set up and Chaired the Culture & Commerce taskforce during his term. Elected Alderman for the Ward of Bread Street in March 2013. Sir William has over thirty years’ experience in the financial and business City including holding senior positions in the national and international banking sector. He also has several charitable interests: he has served as Chair of the Development Board of the Royal Court Theatre; as a Board Member of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is also on the Council of the Royal Theatrical Support Trust. He is immediate past Chair of Prostate Cancer UK and past Deputy Chair of Place2Be, a children’s mental health charity.
Tobi Ruth Adebekun joined the Barbican Board in March 2021, and became its Deputy Chair in May 2022. She also chairs the Barbican’s People, Culture and Inclusion Committee. She has over a decade of PR and corporate communications experience in the tech and entertainment industries. She currently works as a Senior EMEA Communications Manager at Netflix and was previously an International Communications Manager at Snapchat. She also serves as Co-Chair of non-profit, People Like Us and as an alumni mentor at the University of Nottingham. In 2019 she was recognised in PRWeek’s annual 30 under 30 list which highlights rising stars in the industry.
Tijs was elected Deputy Chair in May 2024, and has been a Board member since September 2020, serving as interim deputy chair of the Board until May 2022. He is also a governor at the Museum of London. Tijs leads government affairs and public policy in the UK and Northwest Europe for HP Inc. Having volunteered as a Special Constable in central London, and as a former trustee of Working Chance – a charity helping women ex-offenders into jobs, Tijs now serves as vice-chair of the City Corporation’s Policy and Resources Committee and Deputy Chair of the City of London’s Police Authority Board. Tijs is a former Chair of the City of London’s Academies Trust, where he supported 10 schools with over 7,800 students across London. He is currently Chair of the Board of Governors at the London Metropolitan University.
Munsur grew up in the City of London and has been a member of the Barbican Board since July 2020. He is a film maker who graduated with honours in Film and TV Production. His film company produced the highly acclaimed film “Shongram” (Struggle), a romantic drama set during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. He is a founder of both the Limelight Film Awards, which identifies emerging film talent, and the London Bengali Film Festival. He was invited to meet HRH Prince of Wales as a successful social entrepreneur and in the same year received a Civic Award from Tower Hamlets Council for his contribution to the arts. He regularly appears on TV and the radio, discussing issues on culture, representation and entrepreneurship.
Mikey has been a member of the Barbican Board since May 2022. He is a London-born producer, composer and DJ, whose 20-year career history is firmly etched in the UK black music industry. In 2001, he co-founded the world-renowned, Olivier Award-winning hip-hop dance company Boy Blue, who are Associate Artists at the Barbican. He is also an Honorary Fellow and Professor of electronic music at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and a Governor at The Place Theatre. As a producer, he has worked with several major label artists and composes for television, film and theatre. Mikey received an MBE for his services to Hip Hop Dance and Music in the 2022 New Year’s Honours.
Stephen joined the Barbican Board in September 2018. He is the co-founder and partner for Path Group, a US based consulting business focused on designing and delivering programmes that explore future working. Stephen is a social entrepreneur, innovator, impact investor and design expert. Hailing from the heart of East London, Stephen now splits his time between the UK and the US. Awarded an OBE in the 2021 New Year’s Queen’s Honours for innovation in charity and social enterprise, the legacy of Stephen’s work spans across some of the biggest and brightest names in social innovation.
Aaron joined the Barbican Board in April 2025. He is a Manager / Chief of Staff at American Express, supporting the International Chief Customer Officer. He was previously a consultant in the media, entertainment and sports and financial services sectors. Aaron has also been a Common Councillor for the Ward of Tower in the City of London since 2022. Aaron holds a BA from Queen Mary, University of London and MBA from Judge Business School, University of Cambridge
Zulum joined the Barbican Board in July 2020. He is Managing Director of TC & Friends, an international design agency based in London, UK specialising in branding and visual communications. Zulum was previously Special Advisor at Freuds Communications working with clients such as Comic Relief, Dior, Premier League and Vogue on their communications strategies and public presentation. A passionate advocate for the Arts and high quality education for all, Zulum is also on the Board of the Fair Education Alliance, England’s largest coalition of organisations united to end educational inequality. Zulum was President and Chairman of the London School of Economics Students’ Union from 2018 to 2020, making him the first Black man to hold the position in the LSE’s 125-year history.
Jaspreet joined the Barbican Board in June 2024. She is a wine, spirits, and on-trade hospitality professional specialising in central London restaurants, bars, and private members' clubs. Jaspreet has lived in the City of London for a number of years and in 2022 she was elected as Common Councillor for the Ward of Vintry. She is a Church Warden of St James Garlickhythe, a Liveryman of the Vintners and Distillers livery companies. Additionally, Jaspreet is a governor of the City of London School for Girls.
Nicholas has been a member of the Barbican Board since April 2024. He has worked in the City of London for over 40 years, in insurance and finance on the boards of a number of companies, most recently as Chairman of the Board of Directors at Phoenix Group, and an Non-Executive Director of Convex Group Limited. He held the position of The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of London from November 2022 to November 2023. He sits on the Education Board and the Epping Forest and Commons Committee at the City of London Corporation and is President of the Tower Ward Club. A member of the Leadership Council of the International Business and Diplomatic Exchange and the Advisory Board of The City UK. Nicholas is a Trustee of the St. Paul’s Cathedral Choristers’ Trust and is a Patron of the Temple Bar Trust, a Patron of Music Masters and the Chairman-elect of the East Anglia Art Fund. He is a Court Assistant both at the Merchant Taylors’ Company and at the Bakers’ Company and is a Liveryman of both the Insurers’ and the Educators’ Companies. He is a Lieutenant of the City of London.
Mark has been a member of the Barbican Board since March 2021. He is a UK-born businessman who currently works in Berlin as co-founder and CFO of green energy start-up HH2E. He grew up in Newcastle and studied at Cambridge and Stanford Universities, before spending over 20 years as a management consultant, most recently as Managing Partner of A.T. Kearney’s UK & Ireland business. He worked extensively for multinational clients often at the intersection of public policy, investment finance and commercial strategy. He has been a leader in EDI, establishing initiatives in his numerous business roles.
Anett was elected to the Barbican Centre Board in May 2024. She is a member of the Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee and a governor of City of London School for Girls. She also chairs the Board of Governors of City Junior School. Anett is a finance and procurement professional and has been working for the Francis Crick Institute, a biomedical research lab since 2016. She has also worked in management consultancy, the London 2012 Olympics, financial services industry as well as the Chamberlain’s Department of the City Corporation. She was educated at Budapest Business School and the University of Birmingham. As a resident living in the Barbican, she takes a keen interest in the arts and is committed to the success of the Barbican Renewal Programme.
Jens has been a member of the Barbican Board since March 2021. He has built his career in design and technology, championing participatory design for over 20 years, including for iconic products such as Google Maps. He is currently a Senior Director at Google and a member of its global Design Leadership Council. He has worked with Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and held a guest professorship at the University of the Arts Berlin. He also served as Deputy Chair of the Elsevier editorial board for IJHCS. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from University College London. A Londoner of 25 years, Jens was drawn towards the Barbican admiring its brutalist design as well as its international, inclusive, and daring programming.
Jane’s involvement in the Barbican Board started in March 2021. Jane is an experienced executive across arts, creative industries and education. Previously Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Greenwich and previously Pro-Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Creative Industries and Education at the University of West England. She has held a number of senior roles in the global screen industries including CEO and Director of the London Film School; Head of International Content at SBS Australia and Network Programmer SBS Channels. She started her career in academia holding teaching and research roles at Waikato University, Griffith University, and the Australian Film Television and Radio School.
Irem joined the Barbican Board in April 2022. She is a Partner at ERM: Environmental Resources Management, the largest global sustainability consultancy, advising global companies on how to manage their climate-related risks and opportunities to transition to low carbon economy. Irem is involved in City of London Corporation’s Climate Action Strategy, implementation of it at Ward level and raising awareness within the Livery companies. Irem was awarded ‘Freedom of the City of London’ in 2018 as part of 100 Women initiative, a recognition of promoting excellence within the City. She is an advocate for EDI and a mentor, passionate about inspiring people through arts and culture.
Robert has been a Trustee of the Barbican Centre Trust since January 2021 and is Vice President, Head of International Public Affairs at American Express. He also serves as Vice President at Save the Children, Trustee of Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Founding Chair of the Adult Literacy Trust, and Trustee of Open For Business. He is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics and has held various positions in corporate communications and public health. His previous non-executive roles include as Trustee of the Victoria & Albert Museum and Chair of the Terrence Higgins Trust. He was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday New Year Honours 2018 for services to charity.
Ann joined the Barbican Centre Trust in 2022 after her role as first female ‘Master’/CEO of local 17th century charity, the Charterhouse. During her tenure, she transformed the institution into a modern progressive charity welcoming female residents ('Brothers') for the first time and turning round the charity's finances, for which she received the Freedom of the City of London in 2021. Ann has over forty years of experience in senior roles at IBM, as Secretary General of policy forum, the Franco-British Council and as Chair of the London Cycling Campaign, She was awarded an OBE and France’s Ordre Nationale de Mérite for her bilateral innovative work, and a Southwark Civic award for her book and local work promoting environmental transport. In 2023 she launched a new venture 'End of Life Matters' supporting individuals of all ages to create their unique end of life plan.
Abigail joined the Barbican Centre as CEO in January. She is a Board Member of ECHO and was Chief Executive Officer at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music from May 2015 to October 2025, joining from Spitalfields Music, a charity based in east London with an international reputation for its quality, reach, and innovation. She has also held roles at English National Opera, Music Theatre Wales and SPNM. In 2007/8, she was a Fellow on the Clore Leadership Programme. She combines a commitment to developing artists and supporting them to create great work with a passion for ensuring that the arts are accessible to as many people as possible.
Sir William Russell Alderman has been Deputy Chair of the Barbican Centre Board and a Trustee of the Barbican Centre Trust since May 2022. He served as Lord Mayor of the City of London from 2019 to 2021 and set up and Chaired the Culture & Commerce taskforce during his term. Elected Alderman for the Ward of Bread Street in March 2013. Sir William has over thirty years’ experience in the financial and business City including holding senior positions in the national and international banking sector. He also has several charitable interests: he has served as Chair of the Development Board of the Royal Court Theatre; as a Board Member of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and is also on the Council of the Royal Theatrical Support Trust. He is immediate past Chair of Prostate Cancer UK and past Deputy Chair of Place2Be, a children’s mental health charity.
Sian has been a Trustee of the Barbican Centre Trust since August 2022. She is a Senior Adviser at Rothschild & Co in the Global Advisory Division, Chair of Strathberry Holdings Limited and a Non-Executive Director of Fenwick Limited and of ASC Regenity Limited. She is a Non-Executive Director of the British Fashion Council and was President of the BFC’s Business and Investment Pillar and Co-chair of the BFC Fashion Trust from 2016 to 2020. She was a Trustee of the Royal Academy of Arts from 2013 to 2023 and is a member of the Development Committee of the Elton John AIDS Foundation. She has had several other roles in the arts including being on the Advocates Board of the Royal Court Theatre and serving two full terms on the Board of English National Ballet and Chairing their Development Committee.
