Royal Opera House appoints five new trustees

The Royal Opera House has announced five new appointments to its board.

The appointments come three months after Sir Lloyd Dorfman became chair of the Royal Opera House, "committing to ensuring its future by sustaining future funding, extending access through growing learning and participation programmes".

The appointments include:

Vanessa Kingori MBE, chief business officer of Conde Nast Britain, is an award-winning businesswoman with 20-years' experience in media publishing. She has overseen revenue transformation at British Vogue amongst others, with an emphasis on diversity, social responsibility and female empowerment.

Janis Susskind OBE is managing director of leading classical music publishers, Boosey & Hawkes and brings deep expertise in the world of classical music, across both the publicly funded and commercial sectors. She also serves on the Board of the London Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia and Britten Pears Arts.

Lisa Burger CBE is former executive director and joint chief executive of the National Theatre, and former chair of the Lyric Hammersmith, brings an "extraordinary" track record in the performing arts, leading change and extending access to a broad public. She is also a trustee of Historic Royal Palaces and co-founder of Renew Culture, the sustainability organisation behind the Theatre Green Book.

Michael Ward brings more than 30 years' experience in UK retail, not least in his current roles as managing director of Harrods and chair of the Walpole Group. He is a "leading voice" in the luxury goods industry and brings a fresh commercial perspective as the Royal Opera House looks to diversify its revenue streams.

Sir Alex Younger is the former chief of the Secret Intelligence Services. He has a "keen interest" in music and brings decades of experience in public service advising Government at the highest level as the longest serving head of MI6 in 50 years.

The appointment process was conducted by the board nominations committee, chaired by Dorfman and including board members Caroline Britton, Tim Bunting, Sue Hoyle OBE, Danny Wyler, and Dame Vivien Duffield, chair of the Royal Opera House Endowment Fund.

The roles were advertised publicly and supported by a search conducted by Nurole.

Dorfman, chair of the Royal Opera House, said: "I am thrilled to see these new trustees join the Board, all of whom bring a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective as we meet the many challenges and opportunities ahead. I very much look forward to working with them all as we drive forward a robust agenda to ensure that future generations enjoy the very best of ballet and opera from the Royal Opera House for many years to come."

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