phoenix trustee biographies

Alan has been a Phoenix Trustee and its Chair since August 2014. He has 40 years experience of leadership in lifelong learning. He is Professor of Education at the University of Wolverhampton and was Chief Executive of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education for 23 years.

During his career, he has been an advisor and an advocate of adult learning to governments and organisations including the BBC, the EU and UNESCO and was president of the International Council for Adult Education 2011-15.

Alan was recognised with a Knighthood in the 2018 New Years Honours for services to developing lifelong adult learning in the UK and worldwide. He was also awarded the OBE in 1995, has honorary doctorates from 8 universities, and Fellowship of City and Guilds, the College of Teachers and UNESCO’s Institute of Lifelong Learning.

Ali is a highly experienced freelance business coach, project manager and workshop leader, working extensively in the social enterprise sector with organisations such as Voluntary Action Leicestershire and Learning for the Fourth Age. She has been a Phoenix Trustee since 2006 and is also a Trustee of the Attenborough Arts Centre at the University of Leicester

Having originally trained in software and worked on leading edge technological developments with simulation and digital processing, Ali is interested in the combination of art and technology in community engagement.

Favourite place in Leicester
Watching live dance performances at Attenborough Arts and Curve.

Azam is a former Director with Deloitte and currently Partner at M Cubed Chartered Accountants. He has significant national and international business and assurance experience including being on the Advisory Board of Ofcom, 9 years on the Governing Council of the University of Leicester, and 7 years as Chair of Strategy & Finance and Board member of the Curve Theatre.

His experience includes corporate finance and business remodelling, working on business best practice and implementing change management strategies. He is an Economics graduate from Cambridge University and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. Azam joined the Phoenix board in October 2015 where he chairs the Finance Committee.

Favourite place in Leicester
I love to be in the Botanical Gardens.

Ben has been active in the visual arts since the late ’90s. He is passionate about arts education. He studied sculpture at Chelsea College and the Royal College of Art, London, and has a PhD from Manchester Metropolitan University. As a practicing artist, he completed a number of publicly-sited sculptures and was awarded the Jerwood Sculpture Prize in 2001.

Originally from the West Midlands, Ben came to Leicester when he joined De Montfort University in 2013. He worked there for five and a half years, latterly as Associate Professor Fine Art and Associate Head of School of Visual and Performing Arts. In 2019 he joined Nottingham Trent University as Principal Lecturer Fine Art.

Ben is Chair of the Contemporary Visual Arts Network, East Midlands. He and his children are keen patrons of Phoenix. He became a Phoenix Trustee in April 2017.

Favourite place in Leicester
I live near Clarendon Park, and I love the independent shops and bars there. The breakfast at Dos Hermanos is a terrific start to the weekend. I recommend a Virgin Mary and a plate of bubble and squeak.

Bill is a designer by desire and inclination and in 1982 he founded Haley Sharpe Design – a Leicester-based design consultancy specialising in the Cultural and Heritage sector that delivers projects throughout the UK, USA and the Middle East; including Stonehenge, Tower of London, the Smithsonian, and Nelson Mandela’s farm RSA.

Bill has been Leicester-based since 1976 and is heavily involved with film, animation and digital media. His love of film has made him an avid Phoenix visitor for many years.

Favourite place in Leicester
Guildhall Lane and the peregrine falcons on the tower of the the cathedral. Loud, active and always there!

Danny is currently a Leicester city councillor for the Castle Ward – which contains Phoenix – and Assistant City Mayor for Policy Development.

Before being elected to the council in 2017, Danny was a Director at the arts and education charity The Mighty Creatives (2015-17), the Arts Council’s bridge organisation for the East Midlands. Prior to this he was Head of the Policy and Partnerships Team at Leicestershire County Council and a Scrutiny Manager for the Greater London Authority – a role which included a research project into film distribution and audience access in London. Since returning to Leicester in 2008, Danny has also been a Trustee for Soft Touch Arts and Saffron Young People’s Project. He is a passionate advocate for wider inclusion and participation in the arts, especially for young people. Danny joined the Phoenix Board in August 2018.

Favourite place in Leicester
The King Power Stadium or Filbert Street before it. It’s there that I’ve experienced so many highs and lows with many friends and family over so many years. I get the same rush walking into the ground today as I did when I was a kid – the same buzz in fact I get when I go to the cinema – that ‘what next’ thrill that keeps you going week after week, year after year.

Colin is a Head of Finance at Leicester City Council and has been the finance link with Phoenix for five years. He became a Council nominee trustee in 2014. Professionally, he is a Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.

Colin was born and bred in the Leicester area. His job brings involvement in a range of venues and projects around the city including De Montfort Hall, city centre improvements, the exciting redevelopment of the former Haymarket Theatre and the ambitious Leicester Cathedral Revealed project. He is a director of the new Leicester Community Sports Arena. He is keen to see Leicester achieve the profile it deserves and for citizens to have wide ranging opportunities to develop their skills and interests.

Favourite place in Leicester
Taking a break at lunchtime to explore the area around Wharf Street, Belgrave Gate and Bedford Street, visualising it before twentieth century redevelopment and imagining the changing way in which people lived and worked there over the years.

Lisa Jones is Head of Corporate Communications at Spottydog Communications, an award-winning agency in Leicester and Birmingham. Lisa is a Chartered PR Practitioner and an elected Council member for the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

With a career that spans media, third sector, e-commerce, retail, leisure, fast-moving consumer goods and technology sectors, Lisa is experienced in developing stakeholder relations and building community engagement. She became a Phoenix Trustee in May 2016.

Favourite place in Leicester
Strolling through Abbey Park with my family and dog – feeding the ducks and climbing the Abbey walls.

Kevin is Headteacher of Barley Croft primary school in Leicester (2007-present). Prior to joining Barley Croft, he was Deputy Head at another Leicester school for 7 years and has been a teacher since 1989.

He is an advocate of creative digital media in education and is actively involved in local schools partnerships.

Favourite place in Leicester
Walking down New Walk in the snow.

Professor Rusi Jaspal is Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Professor of Sexual Health at De Montfort University. Rusi Jaspal was educated at the University of Cambridge, the University of Surrey and Royal Holloway, University of London. He is passionate about the role of research in teaching, enterprise and in our local, national and international engagement.

Rusi Jaspal’s own research cuts across the fields of medicine and psychology, focusing particularly on social psychological approaches to preventing HIV and to enhancing well-being in HIV patients. Additionally, he has conducted extensive research into aspects of psychological well-being among gay men, the management of identities in conflict, prejudice and discrimination, and public understanding of science, technology and medicine. Rusi Jaspal has written four books, almost 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and several reports for the Department of Health.

Favourite place in Leicester
It has to be the diverse and vibrant De Montfort University campus where many languages are spoken, brilliant ideas are created by our students and staff, and lifelong learning happens!

Ruth is an experienced account director working at CWA, an award-winning communications agency in Leicester, specialising in creative services, strategic marketing, digital and live events for clients all over the world. She also brings her experience from her previous role as business development manager for NSC Creative – the computer animation studio at the National Space Centre which produces immersive and animated films for planetariums, theme parks, interactive theatres and virtual reality experiences internationally.

Ruth sits on the International Planetarium Society’s Vision 2020 strategic planning team and also the board of US-based IMERSA, which fosters the growing interest in digital fulldome cinema, immersive entertainment, performance arts and visual experiences through summits and activities. She is a dedicated advocate for large format film and new video entertainment technologies, working to ensure viewers have the most engaging immersive experiences.

Favourite place in Leicester
“I love Diwali, which is always at the start of the Christmas season on the Golden Mile on Melton Road. The spectacular celebration of light brings people together from all over the country, whatever their faith, culture or background.”

Suzanne has considerable leadership experience in education including as Principal of Gateway College (2010-2017) and Vice Principal of City of Westminster College (2002-2010).

Suzanne has a great commitment to lifelong learning and in her early career worked to develop literacy, numeracy and key skills in a number of influential roles in London. She has a particular interest in students’ transition into and out of educational organisations. In her spare time she enjoys visiting art galleries, watching films, dance and drama, and having dinner with family and friends.

Favourite place in Leicester
Bradgate Park. I love it because it reminds me of Richmond Park in London. It is a place where I have enjoyed many hours of walking, talking and sharing food with my family and friends. I get a lot of pleasure from seeing other people making the most of such a beautiful public space and, of course, it is wonderful seeing the deer.