Our Board of Trustees

Chair of the Board of Trustees

John studied history at Oxford University, subsequently qualifying as a lawyer before becoming an entrepreneur and investor in public and private companies specialising in consumer businesses, retail and hospitality.

He has a longstanding interest in the arts and an established relationship with Pallant House Gallery; as a Patron and having launched the first Development Board in 2007. John was Chair of the Cass Sculpture Foundation until 2018 and subsequently co-founder of The Sculpture Partnership, which holds an important 20th century British sculpture collection. He has extensive experience of fundraising, for business development and in the not-for-profit sector, including the London 2012 Olympics and Royal Court Theatre. John has lived near Chichester for over 25 years.

John is Chair of the Gallery’s Capital Projects Committee and a member of the Finance Audit & Risk Committee, the Nominations Committee (ex officio) and the Development Advisory Group.

Deputy Chair

Charles is a lawyer and was the Senior Partner of Macfarlanes LLP between 2008 and 2020, specialising in international mergers and acquisitions. Today he is a Senior Advisor to Rothschild & Co, the Paris law firm Darrois Villey and a private equity sponsor. He is a trustee of the 29 May 1961 Trust, Outside In, The Lilly Fenichel Foundation and The Visitors Art Foundation.

Charles is Chair of the Gallery’s Nominations Committee (ex officio) and a member of the Capital Project Committee and the Development Advisory Group.

Company Secretary

Elizabeth is a non-practising solicitor, with a broad range of experience in the corporate, charities and not-for-profit sectors. She was formerly a Partner at Blake Morgan LLP and Head of their Charities Team.

Elizabeth is a member of the Gallery’s Finance Audit & Risk Committee and the Nominations Committee (ex officio).

Aki is an ex investment banker of almost 20 years. After leaving Morgan Stanley, he has set up an art company (www.hope93.com) that focuses on providing a platform for artists with an extra focus on diversity. A keen sports enthusiast, he has represented England in both Athletics and Rugby at junior level. Aki is a graduate of Cambridge University, where he read History, and joins Pallant House as the youngest member of the Board, bringing experience as an avid collector and member of one of Tate’s Acquisition Committees.

Aki is a member of the Gallery’s Collections & Exhibitions Advisory Group.

Clare is a long-standing City and District Councillor. She was Mayor of Chichester in 1996/97 and for the last eight years she chaired the Scrutiny Committee on the District Council. In May 2019, she became Deputy Chair of Chichester District Council and is Chair of Community Affairs on the City Council. In addition to her political career, Clare worked for 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry.

Clare is a member of the Gallery’s Finance Audit & Risk Committee.

Jo is a senior lecturer in Primary Education at the University of Chichester where she teaches Religious Education, English and Professional Studies to undergraduate and postgraduate trainee primary teachers. Prior to working at the university, Jo taught for nearly 20 years in mainstream primary schools with senior leadership responsibilities for Key Stage One and Early Years Foundation Stage, as well as leading on a number of curriculum subjects. Jo’s interests are in making links between the arts and teaching and learning in primary schools. She is passionate about utilising the arts in primary education and has developed modules on visual literacy in primary classrooms and exploring the arts in education and society.

Jo is Chair of the Gallery’s Learning & Public Programmes Advisory Group.

Chair of the Gallery’s Commercial & Communications Advisory Group

Laura Ford studied at Bath Academy of Art between 1978-82 including a period at the Cooper Union School of Art, New York. She is President of the Royal Society of Sculptors and represented Wales in the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005. Laura has had notable solo shows at the Camden Arts Centre, the Arnolfini, Bristol, Pallant House and the Royal Scottish Academy and her sculpture Bird Boy is currently part of the public project ‘The Line’, London’s first dedicated modern and contemporary art walk.

Laura is a member of the Gallery’s Collections & Exhibitions Advisory Group.

Elsebeth studied Geography at St Hugh’s College Oxford, before joining the BBC as a producer in Radio 4. Subsequently she worked in commercial television production, starting her own company for the production of commercial films in the field of investor relations. After a break to bring up her young children, Elsebeth re-trained as a garden designer at Capel Manor Horticultural College and the Inchbald School of Garden Design. She worked as a designer for many years before going back to Oxford University for three years to study History of Art. Her interest in art ranges from Medieval through to Dutch and Danish Golden age art as well as Modern British. Elsebeth lives near Chichester and has been involved in PHG for many years, particularly in fund raising.

Elsebeth is Chair of the Gallery’s Development Advisory Group

Patrick has a keen interest in modern and contemporary art; he is a trustee of Modern Art Oxford and active supporter of other visual arts charities including Aspex Gallery in Portsmouth, where he lives, and Koestler Trust. After a career in law specialising in property development and construction projects he has committed himself to the charity sector, in particular working with charities with property interests or capital development plans. He is deputy chief executive of Portsmouth Historic Quarter Trust, the charity responsible for Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and Priddy’s Hard in Gosport.

Patrick is a member of the Gallery’s Capital Projects Committee.

Tamara is a development professional with two decades of experience across the arts, heritage, and education sectors. She began her career in Edinburgh as an auctioneer before moving into fundraising, working for the National Galleries for Scotland, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the National Trust for Scotland. Currently, Tamara is a fundraiser at Winchester College, securing support for bursaries and capital projects.

Tamara is a member of the Gallery’s Development Advisory Group.

Andrew has been Chairman of the Competition and Markets Authority since June 2018. He was MP for Chichester from 1997 to 2017. He is a former Chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, and was Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards.

Andrew is a member of the Gallery’s Finance Audit & Risk Committee.

Robin Vousden studied at St Bartholomew’s Grammar School, Newbury. He read Art History, followed by Art Gallery and Museum studies, at the University of Manchester, between 1970 and 1975.

Robin worked as a curator at the Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester from 1975 to 1984. He joined Anthony d’Offay Gallery, London, as a Director in 1984, working there till the gallery closed in 2001. After two years in Paris and New York as Partner at Marian Goodman Gallery, Robin returned to London, to join Gagosian as a Director in 2004. He retired from Gagosian upon turning 70 in 2022.

Robin is Chair of the Gallery’s Collections & Exhibitions Advisory Group.

Mark is a qualified chartered accountant and Group CEO of Sovereign Network Group, which has over 82,000 homes with over 210,000 customers across London, Hertfordshire, and the south of England.

He is a Trustee of Leadership 2025, which aims to increase the number of people from ethnic minorities in the housing sector, and he has served on the Boards of the South London Gallery, Stonewall and Citizens Advice where he chaired their Audit & Risk Committee.

Mark is Chair of the Gallery’s Finance Audit & Risk Committee and a member of the Capital Projects Committee.