Sainsbury Centre announces new board members
Leading figures from TV, big tech, animation, and brewing bring their diverse skills & experience to our radical museum.
Bringing a broad range of professional and personal insights, award-winning thinking and proven track records of success, the Sainsbury Centre is delighted to announce the appointment of eight new and dynamic board members: Zoe Birchall, Natasha Dickinson, George Dixon, James Elias, Joseph Galliano-Doig, Robyn Orovwuje-Forbes and Dr Andy Wood.
The appointments are a response to the UK government’s £60 million investment into the creative industries, as part of its stated aim to ‘turbocharge growth’ and boost the country’s economy as a result.
Zoë Birchall brings more than 30 years of experience in TV, film, and animation to her new role at the Sainsbury Centre, having worked with numerous independent production companies, BSkyB, BBC, and most recently and significantly Aardman Animations. She led artistic teams on acclaimed projects, including from Curse of the Were-Rabbit and the BBC1 Christmas hit, Vengeance Most Fowl, part of the much-loved Wallace and Gromit franchise.
Currently the Chief Marketing Officer for world-renowned auctioneers Bonhams, Marc Sands also has more than 25 years’ experience with other world-famous firms and brands, including the Tate and Guardian Media Group, where he was responsible for a digital transformation. Most recently, Marc revolutionized Christie’s digital presence, while also creating and implementing the marketing strategies for the historic British auction house’s sales of masterpieces such as Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi.
For over three decades, George Dixon has masterminded content strategies for leading broadcast and digital media organisations. At BBC Television he led the scheduling teams for the corporation’s domestic channels, including the creation of BBC iPlayer. Great Britons, Sherlock, Who Do You Think You Are and Luther are just some of the hit shows launched during his time at the BBC. George was also Controller of Channel Management at Channel 4, at a time when the station showcased groundbreaking coverage of the London 2012 Paralympics, alongside innovative series Black Mirror and Top Boy.
Natasha Dickinson’s highly accomplished CV covers extensive experience in marketing, communications, and strategic brand management with some of the UK’s most impactful charities and NGOs (non-governmental organisations). At Cancer Research UK, Natasha oversaw campaigns that generated over £120 million in annual revenue, while at RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind), she spearheaded a brand transformation that positioned the organisation as one of the UK’s most trusted charities. Now working at Save the Children International, she is currently leading on a global rebrand across 120 countries, delivering enhanced visibility and alignment.
Joseph Galliano-Doig MBE is the co-founder and Director Emeritus of Queer Britain, the UK’s award-winning LGBTQ+ museum. In a peripatetic career, Jospeh has been a book and magazine editor, and was Deputy CEO for OUTstanding, a network for business leaders working to create a more equitable corporate culture. His book series, Dear Me: A Letter to my Sixteen-Year-Old Self, raised awareness – and over £120k, for charities including the Elton John Aids Foundation and Doctors Without Borders (AKA Medecins Sans Frontieres).
Robyn Orowuje-Forbes is an Associate Director with art recruitment consultancy SML | Sophie Macpherson Ltd, where she plays a key role in shaping the firm’s services and refining their engagement strategies, ensuring SML continues to connect top talent with renowned institutions. Dedicated to fostering inclusion and expanding opportunities within the sector, Robyn also leads initiatives to enhance SML’s community impact, working with partners to promote greater accessibility across the art world.
Dr Andy Wood joined Suffolk-based brewers Adnams in 1994 and became its Managing Director in 2006 and Chief Executive in 2010 before stepping down in December 2024. He has a DBA from Cranfield University and Honorary doctorates from Anglia Ruskin University, Cranfield University and the University of East Anglia. He was also awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2013 and between 2014 to 2016 was HRH The Prince of Wales’s Ambassador for Responsible business in the East of England. In 2010 Andy founded and was Chairman of the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, is also a non-executive director of companies operating in the retail and financial services sectors and a Governor of Norwich School.
Since the late 90’s, James Elias has helped to grow technology businesses. Nine of these were at Google where he led marketing in the UK & Ireland and was responsible for launching and building many of its key consumer and business brands. Most recently he ran the marketing division of Abcam, a Cambridge-based global life sciences business.
Announcing the new board members, Jago Cooper, Director of the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts said: “Building on the success of the Living Art relaunch, I am delighted that we have managed to attract a remarkable group of enthusiastic new board members to join our organisation. Reflecting the museum’s plans in creative agency and media production work, this range of talented individuals from across the creative and broadcast worlds signals an exciting future in store for the museum.”
He added: “Hopefully our new board members will be in a position to help us capitalise on the government’s stated intention of investing in creative capital and also support the Centre’s exhibition programme that tackles some of the fundamental questions facing contemporary society today; such as Why Do We Take Drugs?, Can the Seas Survive Us? and Can We Stop Killing Each Other? I hope that together with our new board, we can all help visitors harness the power of art to help people find answers to these fundamental questions.”
