Spitalfields Music is delighted to share six new appointments to our board of trustees who have joined us this summer. Read on to find out more about the individuals who will join us to shape the future of our organisation.
Ellie Wilson
We’re delighted that Ellie Wilson joins our board, bringing more than 25 years of experience in the music industry. Until recently, Ellie was Creative Director of previous Spitalfields Music collaborators, NMC Recordings, where she was responsible for artistic strategy, marketing and management of the record label. She now works as a music consultant and composer-violinist.
Susie Blankfield
A former graduate of our Trainee Trustee Scheme, Susie Blankfield is an arts policy advisor at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which she combines with a career as a freelance cellist.
Susie brings an incredible range of experience in the world of music – she previously worked on music education policy at the Department for Education, and before that taught music in schools and Early Years centres across Tower Hamlets, as well as volunteering with a variety of arts charities.
Jonathan Bowen
Jonathan Bowen has held senior positions across a number of investment banks and subsequently ran his own business which he sold to a listed investment group. We’re excited to draw on Jonathan’s expertise in finance, leadership and strategic development. Now retired, Jonathan is focused on mentoring, education and philanthropy. Spitalfields Music is his first Trustee role and he is looking forward to commencing a post-graduate course in Art History and Renaissance Culture.
Natalie Farrow
Another graduate of our Trainee Trustee Scheme, Natalie Farrow is a Chartered Marketer with nearly a decade of experience across higher education. She’s worked with UCL, Queen Mary University of London, the Royal College of Music, and the University of Sheffield. A music graduate with a deep interest in community music, she is passionate about widening access to the arts and is delighted to be joining our board.
Richard Alexander
Richard Alexander is a chartered accountant and a partner at EY where he is a tax adviser to large multinational financial services organisations. We are delighted to be able to draw on his years of experience combining his professional career with a love of music and the arts. He has previously been trustee and treasurer of the Joyful Company of Singers and Regents Opera.
Sally Alexander MBE
Executive Headteacher of the Kimichi Schools in Birmingham and Worcester, Sally Alexander was appointed MBE for services to Education. She is founder and Orchestral Manager of the Kimichi Symphony Orchestra, which performs large-scale concerts and has toured to the Lake District, Prague and Krakow. Sally founded and ran the Antigua and Barbuda Youth Orchestra in the early 2000s, and in September 2026 opens Kimichi’s boarding house, one of only two boarding provisions in Birmingham. We are excited to draw on Sally’s experience while continuing our work with music provision in local schools in Tower Hamlets.
