David Olusoga and Nick Butler appointed to the Hay Festival Foundation's board of trustees

Historian, writer and broadcaster David Olusoga is one of seven new members appointed to the Hay Festival Foundation’s board of trustees. 

Following an open recruitment process, Caroline Michel, the chair of the Hay Festival Foundation, has announced that farmer, ceramicist and film producer Corisande Albert has been appointed to the board, alongside economist Nick Butler. Arts leader and digital specialist Tony Followell and tech investor Suhair Khan have also joined the board, alongside business leader Ed Shedd and digital content specialist Shakia Stewart.

Each new trustee will serve a fixed term, supporting the charity’s "refreshed" mission and ongoing new audience development strategy. They join established board members like Michel, international lawyer Victoria Bejarano and journalist Baroness Rosie Boycott, as well as business leader Geraint Davies, accountant Mair Gwynant, and writer and lawyer Philippe Sands. 

Retiring trustees at the end of their fixed term of duty include Lord Terry Burns, Jonathan Godfrey, Nik Gowing and Dylan Jones, who have supported the board with their expertise over the years. Godfrey, Gowing and Jones will now transition to the Hay Festival Foundation’s advisory council – a body of ambassadors that supports the festival year-round – while Burns will continue as an advisor to the charity’s finance and audit committee.

Based in Hay-on-Wye in Wales, Hay Festival runs events and projects that widen access to culture in eight countries, across three continents.

Michel said: “I am delighted to welcome these seven exceptional individuals to the Hay Festival Foundation Ltd board. Each new member brings extensive expertise and experience at a crucial moment for our charity.

“At the same time, we offer our warmest thanks to our outgoing trustees – Lord Terry Burns, Jonathan Godfrey, Nik Gowing and Dylan Jones. Each has served our charity with dedication and passion through a period that saw us rise to the challenges of a global pandemic and transition to full charitable status while reaching more audiences globally than ever before.”

Hay Festival c.e.o. Julie Finch added: “It is thrilling to begin 2024 with a raft of new board appointments to aid our continued transformation. Closely aligned with our charitable objectives, each board member brings both specialist expertise and a passion for our mission to inspire audiences, new and established.”

The new trustee announcement comes on the back of recent Hay Festival expansion, with new forum editions in Panama City, Panama, and Seville, Spain, as well the launch of year-round "after hours" events in cities across the UK, supported by a new multi-year funding agreement with the Unwin Charitable Trust. This year has also seen a revived Hay Festival Book Club, while the core charity has received national funding investments.

At the end of last year, Hay Festival also announced 30 "earlybird" events for its next UK edition, held from 23rd May to 2nd June 2024, with confirmed speakers including novelists Colm Tóibín, Marlon James, Jeanette Winterson and Andrey Kurkov, as well as Rory Stewart and Miriam Margolyes, among others.