Our current board, elected by the members of Norden Farm at the 2012 AGM are:
Paul Rutherford - Chair
Paul brings a 30-year track record in business, especially public relations, human resources and financial governance (as Board Director of two companies, with responsibilities for tax, payroll and cash flow.) As a Maidenhead resident, he is passionate about Norden Farm; he particularly enjoys its independent cinema, world and classical music, and exhibition space. Its rich programme ought to be more of a local talking point, and its ability to draw 'star' names should be a source of pride.
Paul's passion for the Arts and his Board experience will make a real contribution to Norden Farm’s continued success.
Susan Flinders - Vice Chair
Susan has worked across a large number of industries and at all levels including board director, giving her an unusual breadth of knowledge, skills and experience including in business and brand development, marketing, events, retail, hospitality and membership bodies. She has an entrepreneurial and innovative mindset and uses this to develop organisations delivering positive results. She engenders enthusiasm and motivation in those she works with. She has lived in Maidenhead for 25 years, has been Chairman of Maidenhead Astronomical Society for 3 years and has been a weekly volunteer at the TVAP Fun Club for over 5 years.
Tony Stock - Board Secretary
Tony is a retired Chartered Engineer with a background in informatics and general management in the private and public sectors. He has experience in developing results orientated cultures in organisations large and small. His voluntary and community activities have included roles as school governor, chairman of Windsor and Maidenhead Voluntary Action, board member of a national housing association and NHS Non-executive Director. He has a broad interest in the arts including theatre, film, music and visual art. He enjoys choral singing, and has recently revived an interest in watercolour painting.
Bob Miles - Honorary Treasurer
As Finance Director of Cancer Research UK Bob has for the last six years been responsible for providing financial management to the UK’s largest fundraising charity. Previous senior financial management roles included six years with one of the UK’s largest property businesses and three years in a pharmaceutical multinational’s Central & Eastern Europe division.
After a degree in languages and a post-graduate certificate in education at Cambridge University, he started his business career with Ernst & Young, where he qualified as a chartered accountant, before spending the next seven years in audit management – first with Ernst & Young in France, then travelling internationally for US multinationals.
John Seymour - Chair of Finance Committee
John has lived in Maidenhead since marriage in 1963. After a degree in History, he did National Service in the RAF, training as a Russian interpreter. He started as a tax inspector in the Inland Revenue, then worked for 15 years in IT. For 15 years he ran various industrial businesses, and then spent 15 years in international marketing and business development, including setting up joint ventures in China and Russia.
Since retirement he has been active in various voluntary roles, including school governor, churchwarden, the CAB, and the Bray Society.
Margaretha Welsford - Chair of Long Barn Catering Ltd
Over 20 years experience in the hospitality industry, specialising in sales & marketing of events. She is currently Director of Sales for a rapidly expanding group of conference venues in London, successfully doubling the group’s revenue over the last 5 years and opening 6 new venues. Margaretha has been a keen member of various amateur dramatics groups both in the UK and her native Sweden and believes a venue has many similarities with a theatre, where success is only achievable if talents both “on stage” and “back of house” are focused towards a common goal.
Norma Herdson - Vice Chair of Long Barn Catering Ltd
Norma worked in education in the Borough for 20 years full-time including Deputy Headship – subsequently staff training in local schools. As a former RBWM Councillor,she worked with and represented residents and was involved in decision-making on various Council committees.
She has been Chair of Maidenhead and District Arts Council for 10 years – an umbrella organisation for 45 local arts groups, working together to support arts in the community. The arts – music, drama and visual arts – take up her spare time, often playing in concerts with friends to raise money for local charities.
Iain Donaldson
Ruth Beckinsale
Ruth has 16 year’s experience in fundraising within the arts / cultural sector in the UK and Ireland. Her speciality is managing major fundraising campaigns and has included the £111m Transformation Campaign at the Royal Festival Hall (Southbank Centre, London), the £65m Darwin Centre campaign at the Natural History Museum as well as setting up a new fundraising department at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.
Her undergraduate degree is in music, and she frequently sings and plas the piano in her spare time. She lives in Maidenhead with her husband and two children and currently works as Associate Director of Campaign & Stewardship at the London Business School.
Cath Hockley
Asmat Nisa
Resident in Maidenhead, Asmat takes an active role on issues affecting the local community. Her leisure interests are wide ranging including painting with a local artists group in Surrey and has exhibited in the UK.
She is passionate about serving the community and have acquired a range of skills useful to the Board. These include the development of business cases for project funding and marketing/project management. She works as Assistant Director of Public Health for Berkshire NHS and previously served in several NHS organisations including multi-agency settings supporting and partnering charities and Local Authorities.