We are delighted to announce that we have appointed Dame Heather Rabbatts as Chair of Garden Studios with Vanessa Cowling taking on the role of non-executive director. Rabbatts’ prolific career spans many different sectors including law, sports, film, media and the arts. Heather has a strong association with film and television as a board member of Met Film, founding member of Into Film and Managing Director of production company Cove Pictures. Heather also previously commissioned award-winning content as a senior executive at Channel 4 Television where she initiated a range of talent development schemes.
Diversity and working on shifting representation has been a long-standing commitment to Heather who is also Chair of TIME’S UP UK. Her portfolio of non-executive appointments includes serving on the boards of Grosvenor Estates GBI, Royal Opera House, Football Association (first woman on the board of the English FA in 150 years), Crossrail, the Supervisory Board of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Bank of England and the BBC.
Taking on a non-executive role, Vanessa Cowling has over 15 years of experience in advising entrepreneurs and companies on matters relating to legal and compliance issues. Vanessa is currently Head of Legal at easyJet where she advises the company on corporate, finance, commercial and procurement matters. Prior to joining easyJet, Vanessa worked at VentureFounders, Arts Alliance, Canada Life, Dechert LLP and Clifford Chance LLP.
Founder and CEO, Thomas Hoegh: “We are delighted to welcome Dame Heather and Vanessa to our Garden Studios team. Their wealth of experience will be incredibly beneficial as we head into the summer with many exciting new bookings at the studio”.
Chair, Dame Heather Rabbatts: “I am very much looking forward to joining Garden Studios. The company has a strong focus on diversity and inclusion as well as being a centre for education and talent development. There is a huge demand for filming in the UK and to be joining the studio at this time is very exciting! I can’t wait to get started with the team as the studio continues to develop and grow in the coming months”
Non-Executive Chair, Vanessa Cowling “I am absolutely thrilled to join the forward-thinking team at Garden Studios who are driving creativity, innovation and education in the heart of London”.
Welcome to these two formidable women, we look forward to their contributions on our board.