Board

Jemilla Olufeko grew up in Sydenham and lives nearby in the Lewisham borough. She has been a trustee since 2020. Jemilla is passionate about the arts especially fashion, design, antiques, theatre and dance. She also loves exploring South East London's rich arts, culture and food and thinks diversity and inclusion is crucial to enriching the creative arts.

Jemilla is a qualified solicitor with a decade’s experience advising global companies on legal and commercial matters across the arts, media and technology spaces, including roles at global media company WPP, BBC Studios, international law firm Taylor Wessing, music tech start-up ROLI.

Jemilla was a Senior Leadership Team Advisor during her time at the BBC, helping to provide diversity of thought to management and has been a guest speaker on the 'Brands and Creativity module ​' at the London Business School’s Senior Executive Programme.

Stephanie moved to Sydenham in 2022 and loves exploring the rich arts, culture and heritage in the area.  She has worked in local government cultural services for over 15 years in London and the North West and currently leads the Culture, Leisure and Libraries services for Croydon Council. Stephanie is passionate about widening access and inclusion to the arts and building a creative sector more representative of London's diverse communities at every level. She is particularly excited by theatre, literature, visual arts, museums and artistic practice which explores lesser known stories and lesser heard perspectives.

Rachel has lived in Sydenham for 7 years and loves exploring culture and the arts. She is particularly passionate about theatre, literature and spoken word. Rachel is the Director of Marketing for The Stage Media Company with a particular interest in digital strategy. She was one of the creators of the Future of Theatre Conference, The Stage Debut Awards, and Get Into Theatre - a website aimed at helping young people of all backgrounds find routes into fulfilling careers in theatre. She joined Sydenham Arts in 2020.

Based in Athens, Greece, as a film reviewer, journalist, and editor Ioanna collaborated with various magazines, newspapers, online platforms, and special editions, while globe-trotting, attending all the major Film Festivals and numerous other press junkets and events, meeting wonderfully talented and diverse people, for more than 20 years. Upon her move to London, she worked as a post-production assistant to a documentary filmmaker and volunteered first as a consultant, then as a programmer to Sydenham Arts Film (formerly Sydenham Film Club). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication/Advertising and a Master’s in Art Criticism. She is currently employed in the Financial Services sector, but via Sydenham Arts continues to feed, express and share her passion for the arts and culture.

Helen has lived in the area for over 20 years and is a firm believer in arts and creativity being fundamental to people’s wellbeing and an essential part of a thriving community.

A qualified chartered accountant with 25 years TV and film production experience, now a Chief Financial Officer for a social enterprise Coin Street on the South Bank, having moved into the not for profit sector full time in 2018; she is also an experienced Trustee and school Governor in Lewisham, well used to the challenges of constrained resources of a charity and fundraising.

She is excited to be on the Board of Sydenham Arts as it makes such a positive impact on the lives of the local community using such a range of creative mediums and she means to support the organisation to flourish and remain financially sustainable, drawing on experience from her commercial career as well as more sector specific charity finance experience.

Simon has lived in Sydenham for seventeen years. He was Dean of Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL, from 2011-2017, and from 2017–2020 was Dean of Performance for Camberwell Chelsea Wimbledon Colleges. In this role he led the development of an academic vision for a new UAL School of Performance based at Wimbledon College of Arts. At the heart of this vision was the belief in inclusion, diversity, and the arts as a force for change.

Over the years he established many links and opportunities for students, and staff, with Theatres and Universities around the globe. These links allowed students from very diverse cultures and backgrounds to collaborate, share their stories and develop new forms of practice.

Now retired, he is focussing full time on his drawing practice. While at UAL his drawing research led him to collaborate with choreographers, dancers, scientists and surgeons.

He is excited to have joined Sydenham Arts Board and sees this as a great opportunity, with the local community, to support access and aspiration in the arts.

Nitesh has been a Sydenham resident and artist for the last six years. Always looking for the reward and impact that his art can have on people, he is keen on learning how to become more instrumental in communicating initiatives in Arts that are accessible and inclusive for the local Community.

Felicity  has lived in the local area for over 20 years. She is the Membership Director at The London Library where she has worked since 2017. This includes overseeing all of their marketing and comms and programming. Felicity loves getting involved with community arts initiatives and is passionate about improving access to the arts for everyone. Her particular interests are books and theatre.

Will has experience as both a freelance creative and within commercial and subsidised arts organisations. Having been a professional session musician for a number of years, he now works as a Senior Business Development Manager at Battersea Arts Centre, focusing on expanding access to the centre for local groups and organisations, leading the Communities strategy and growing new revenue for the organisation.

Will is passionate about the arts, believes firmly in the power and importance of community organisations, and is dedicated to ensuring that arts organisations serve their local communities as well as artists. He also understands the careful balance between the need for arts organisations to be self-sustainable and remain true to their values.

Will loves music, festivals, dancing, colour, theatre, film, food, coffee and Portsmouth FC. All the good stuff.

Colleen has lived in Sydenham for over 20 years and joined Sydenham Arts as a volunteer two winters ago. She has previously served as a trustee with Beckenham Theatre Centre, is currently a trustee with Bromley Little Theatre, and has directed plays at both venues.  She is a member of Lewisham Choral Society, which performs in venues across Lewisham and in large halls such as The Royal Festival Hall and St John’s Smith Square (Sinfonia Smith Square) . Her background is in university administration and reporting, and hopes to use that experience, as well as her artistic endeavours to enable Sydenham Arts best serve it’s community.