• Swindon & Wiltshire Appointments
• Friday January 5 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Bristol Beacon CEO to step down in July

The CEO of concert venue Bristol Beacon has announced she is stepping down in July.

Louise Mitchell CBE (pictured centre), who led the organisation through the once-in-a-generation transformation, will leave the organisation in 2024.

The venue has also announced that long-term chairman of the board Simon Chapman (pictured left), who supported Louise and the team throughout the five-year transformation, has come to the end of his tenure.

He will be replaced by the renowned broadcaster, writer and historian Jonathan Dimbleby (pictured right).

Louise has been at the helm since the music charity, Bristol Music Trust, was established by Bristol City Council in May 2011 to run the concert venue.

She led the £132 million redevelopment of the venue, which saw the building closed from 2018 until the end of November last year.

Louise said: “It’s been a highlight of my career leading and working with the team at Bristol Music Trust.

“We’ve been faced with some incredible hurdles and challenges along the way, but we have also grown an amazing organisation and created hugely impactful artistic, education and outreach programmes that are nationally recognised.

“We now start the next chapter of our building’s 155-year history with a glorious new building that ensures our position as one of the best and most accessible venues anywhere in Europe.

“My successor can come in and lead on the exciting next phase with the brilliant team here.

“I’m also incredibly thankful to the board and in particular our chair, Simon, for his unfailing support and calm, level-headed guidance over the past few years.

“He will be deeply missed, but we are thrilled that Jonathan Dimbleby has agreed to take on the role as new chair – his experience and ideas will be of enormous benefit as we focus on our future.”

Current chair, Simon Chapman, said: “We are so grateful to Louise for everything she has done over the past 12 years and will be extremely sad to see her go.

“She has been a truly inspirational leader who has built the organisation up from nothing, created a formidable and talented team around her, and established a fantastic reputation for the Trust’s work.

“The once-in-a-generation transformation has been more challenging than anyone could have anticipated at the beginning but has resulted in a world-class concert venue for the city, and Louise’s determination and vision have been crucial in ensuring its successful delivery.

“Sadly, my role as chair has come to an end too, but it’s been a journey that I will never forget and I’m proud to be part of such a forward-looking and brilliant organisation.

“I have no doubt that Jonathan will be a fantastic chair and will be able to bring fresh ideas and energy to the role. I wish him and the rest of the team all the best.”

Jonathan Dimbleby said: “As a citizen of Bristol, it is a great privilege to be asked to chair Bristol Music Trust. I am fortunate to inherit the role at a point where – thanks in large measure to the outstanding leadership of Simon and Louise – the Beacon can now become a great cultural hub in the heart of this great city.

“At the start of this new era, I hope that everyone in Bristol will come to regard the Beacon as their musical ‘home’, a place that is open to all and at the service of all.

“With a wonderful new concert hall and a range of facilities that rival any in Britain – or indeed Europe – our task is to ensure that we offer a feast of musical delights for all ages, all cultures, and all tastes.

“I want the new Beacon to shine a light across the city and far beyond. I know that it can and that it will – which is why I am honoured to play my part in helping to meet this challenge.”

Joining Jonathan as vice chairs are strong local leaders Sandra Meadows, independent business and EDI consultant, facilitator, coach and director of The Centre for Mentoring & Coaching, and Sonia Mills, who spent her career in the NHS which included several CEO-level posts with NHS Oxfordshire, Swindon Marlborough NHS Trust and latterly CEO for North Bristol NHS Trust, responsible for the development of the new Southmead Hospital.

Image courtesy of Jon Craig