Meet Crafts Council's new trustees

Our trustees are drawn from all walks of life and include a minimum of four makers. The board meets four times a year and has responsibility for overseeing the strategic direction and performance of the Crafts Council. We are committed to ensuring that our trustees have a range of skills and experience, and that the group is geographically and culturally diverse, so they can best support the needs of the organisation.

In March 2023 we welcomed four new members; Anant Sharma, Ian Jindal, Melanie Eddy and Yasmin Jones-Henry, bringing the total membership to 11 trustees.

'These trustees bring dynamism, energy and passion for championing crafts’ increasingly vital role in all our lives. Their knowledge spans sustainability, innovation, education, retail, e-commerce, placemaking, brand experience and making around the globe,' says Natalie Melton, the Crafts Council's acting executive director. 'I am delighted to welcome them to the board and have no doubt that their expertise will have a positive impact on our work and the wider sector.'

Since October 2022, the board has been co-chaired by Andy Marshall and Helen Hyde. Our new trustees will join Ed Matthews-Gentle, Professor Geoffrey Crossick, Lady Kitt, Majeda Clarke, and Yinka Ilori MBE.

Each trustee can serve a maximum of two terms of four years each and up to 14 trustees can serve on the board at one time. In addition we aim to ensure that at least 4 trustees are professional makers, and at least one trustee is under the age of 35.

Anant Sharma has spent the last 14 years leading Matter of Form — a brand and experience design consultancy. A futurist, innovation enthusiast and advocate for developing meritocratic cultures that promote ideas and learning, Anant is also a dedicated teacher and student of behavioural design, exploring what drives us to do the things we do.

'In a time where so much has become rapidly disposable, the preservation and promotion of craft — a skill requiring long-term learning and continuous refinement— are critical to safeguarding our creative future, across both digital and analogue,' Anant says. 'I’m delighted to join the board of trustees, to help guide the organisation in how to hire, communicate and structure for the future. And provide a pair of ears for its brilliant leadership team.'

Ian Jindal is a consultant, researcher and advisor in e-commerce and multichannel retail performance. He founded InternetRetailing.net and RetailX.net to serve Europe’s multichannel retailers with research, insight and analysis, including the Top500 performance rankings. Ian was General Director of The Photographers’ Gallery and Treasurer of Engage.org.

'Craft’s multidisciplinary combination of applied expertise, innovation and creation enriches the maker, audience and consumer,' Ian says. 'I’m excited to contribute to the Crafts Council’s work to broaden engagement, participation and access, especially as the "maker mindset" gains in importance in business, education and leisure.”

Melanie Eddy joins as a maker trustee. A renowned sculptural jeweller, with pieces held in public and private collections, Melanie is a director of The Association for Contemporary Jewellery, and serves in an advisory capacity for a number of industry organisations both in the UK and abroad.

Yasmin Jones-Henry is a writer for the Financial Times and co-founder and curator of The Lab E20. She works in the space where fashion meets finance and culture meets commerce. Through her work as a writer with specialisms in sustainability, design and investment, she has established a career championing the role culture and creative enterprise can play as a catalyst to inclusive regeneration.

The board's co-chair Helen Hyde says: 'The skillset of these trustees provide an invaluable addition to the Crafts Council’s leadership and governance, and their commitment to supporting the craft sector is welcome. As co-chairs, Andy and I are looking forward to engaging them fully in the work of this great organisation.'

Later in the year we will recruit and welcome further trustees; an alumni member of the Equity Advisory Council, a young trustee recruited from our Young Craft Citizens advisory group, and additional trustees recruited from an open recruitment process. These roles will be advertised on our website and through our monthly newsletter.

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