Board Members
Mrs Denise Jones Hon. D. Lett. FRSA – (Chair)
Denise Jones became Chair of the Foundation in May 2019.
Denise Jones has lived in Cable Street, Wapping, since 1967. She trained as a Graphic Designer at Brighton College of Art. She is also a qualified teacher and taught in junior schools in Tower Hamlets. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of East London in 2008 for services to culture and regeneration in East London and is a Freeman of the City of London 2002.
She owns a small business, Brick Lane Bookshop Ltd that promotes literature through author events in the shop and in schools. Her independent publishing company BLB Press Ltd runs an annual short story prize, promoting new writers work in published short story collections and podcasts.
She served as a Labour Councillor for St Katharine’s and Wapping Ward from 1994 - 2022. She is a former Leader of the Council, Deputy Leader, Lead Member for Culture and Heritage, Adult and Health, and the Civic Mayor and was Chair of Mile End Park Partnership that built the £27m Millennium Park. She led on changing LBTH libraries into Idea Stores. She has been Chair of the Mayor’s Loneliness Taskforce since 2018, working with local partners to find ways to alleviate loneliness for people of all ages in the borough.
Denise is a co-founder and Director of the Rich Mix Cultural Centre that celebrates the diversity of multicultural London through arts and educational programmes, She is a Board Member of Young V&A, Trinity Buoy Wharf, Aldgate & Allhallows Foundation, Create London, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, and a Director of Mulberry Academy Trust.
She has served on the Boards of Tower Hamlets NHS Primary Care Trust, Arts Council London, Museum of London and Docklands, Wilton’s Music Hall Trust, Visit London, Tour East, Whitechapel Art Gallery, CIDA, Eastside Arts, Half Moon YPT, ALG Culture & Tourism, Greenwich & Docklands Festival, Women’s Library Council, Heritage of London Trust, TH Homes, East End Homes, Cultural Industries Development Agency, St Katharine’s and Shadwell Trust. East End Community Foundation and East London Foundation Trust (health).
Robin Hazlewood VPRI NDD FRSA – (Deputy Chair)
Robin Hazlewood is a long-standing trustee of the Foundation.
He is an artist and currently the Vice President of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colour.
Robin has also worked in the charity world and in education. He was Dean of the Sir John Cass Faculty of Arts, then Vice Provost of the City of London Polytechnic and subsequently of London Guildhall University.
He has been an adviser for the Trust for London since the 1996 and trustee or director of a number of charitable institutions. He is currently a trustee of Heatherleys School of Art.
Robin has the freedom of the Goldsmiths’ Company and the City of London.
Anwar Akhtar 
Anwar Akhtar was born and grew up in Moss Side Manchester and as a youth worked on Manchester’s Markets. He is founder and director of The Samosa Media, a UK arts and journalism charity that also works to embed diversity in the curriculum in schools, colleges and universities. Anwar was previously Director of The Rich Mix Centre where he led the development of a new £30 million arts centre in East London. He produced and presented the film Pakistan’s Best Kept Secret: Lahore Museum and was the production consultant on the Moghul History play “Dara,” at National Theatre UK. He was a Senior Officer Culture Team at Greater London Authority and Capital Projects Officer Arts Council England 1997 –2000. He also teaches at several schools, colleges and universities in the UK and Pakistan. Anwar presented the BBC Radio 4 Documentaries, Schools Apart, that explores inclusion, belonging, curriculum diversity in UK schools and Conflict on Campus examining how the Israel-Gaza war is affecting students and communities in the UK.
Mark Davies
Mark Davies has over 20 years’ governance, fundraising, communications and grant management experience in the charity and higher education sectors. He is currently Director of Income Generation at Contact, a national disability charity. Previous roles include Director of Development at the London’s Air Ambulance Charity, Assistant Director at Centre of Cell, a ground-breaking science education centre based at Queen Mary, University of London, Development Manager at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Registrar at the Webber Douglas Academy and Senior Officer at the General Medical Council. Mark is also a Trustee of Box Clever Theatre Company.
Ms Marianne Fredericks
Biography to follow.
Cllr Sirajul Islam
Cllr Sirajul Islam is a resident of Bethnal Green, Tower Hamlets. He was first elected to the Tower Hamlets Council in 2001. Cllr Islam has formerly held the position of Deputy Leader of the Council. He currently holds the position of Leader of the Labour Group and is also a school Governor of John Scurr Primary School.
The Reverend Laura Jørgensen
As Rector of St Botolph without Aldgate, the Reverend Laura Jørgensen is an ex-officio trustee of The Portal Trust. Since ordination in 2000, Laura has been involved with early years, primary and secondary schools, independent schools and higher education both in and out of London. Laura is a Governor of The Aldgate School. Her particular interest is in access to education for kids from the poorest backgrounds.
Mrs Susan Knowles BA (Hons)
Susan Knowles read English at Hull University and then trained as a teacher at the University of Leicester School of Education. In a career of over thirty years she worked in a range of secondary schools in a variety of geographical contexts, latterly as a head of department and then finally as a supply teacher. She has always been interested in fostering young people’s appreciation of the arts by trying to ensure that they have opportunities to take part in activities that develop their creative and critical skills.
Rob Smith
Rob Smith is Director of Ministry of Stories, East London’s creative writing charity championing the writer in every child. With a career in the arts and creative learning, Rob founded Wave – Arts Education Agency in Bournemouth and Poole, and led the transformation of the Education and Learning programme at arts and education charity Bow Arts. Rob is inspired by the ideas and imaginations of children and young people, and the power of their voices to make change in the world.
Judith St. John
Judith St. John has lived and worked in Tower Hamlets for over 35 years. She brings an in-depth knowledge of the borough, gained from working for Tower Hamlets Council and in addition through her work with the voluntary sector, businesses and the NHS. During this time, she developed and managed the borough’s Idea Stores, recognised as an exemplar of good practice for libraries and adult learning locally, nationally and internationally. She retired as Director of Culture and Children’s Commissioning in 2022.
Nick Tindal – Clerk to the Brewers’ Company
The Brewers’ Company, which has its origins in 13th Century London, exists to promote interaction between brewery companies, for the benefit of the industry and its members alike, while supporting its charitable foundations (principally education focused) and the governance of the City of London. Nick Tindal was appointed the Clerk to the Brewers’ Company in November 2021.
Prior to joining the Brewers’ Company Nick Tindal served for 37 years in the Royal Navy. His career ranged from flying helicopters to commanding warships and running a complex airbase. He is a school governor and a trustee of a number of charities.
H .W. Whitbread MA (Cantab) MBA FSI
Billy Whitbread was appointed as a Brewers’ Company nominated Governor in 2005 and was elected Deputy Chairman in 2009. He has an MBA from Harvard (1975), and in 2005/6, he was Master of the Brewers’ Company where he sits on the Dame Alice Owen School Advisory Committee and the Investment Committee. He has been, since 2011, a Foundation Governor of the Skinners’ Academy in Hackney where he serves on the Finance Committee. Billy worked for twenty years for Whitbread PLC where his last job was managing their investment company from 1989 to 1994. He was also a Trustee of the Whitbread Pension Fund, and for seventeen years, a Governor at Aldenham School.
All Governors have received a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate.