Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival announces new Chair and four new Trustees

Chair Martin Hudson, Luis Almonacid, Shaheen Baig, Taio Lawson and Julia Walter

Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival (BDBF) has appointed Martin Hudson as its new Chair with Luis Almonacid, Shaheen Baig, Taio Lawson and Julia Walter as Trustees from the fields of business, heritage, creative digital, theatre and TV & film to its Board.

Martin Hudson takes over from Danny Homan, who has served as a Trustee for ten years and Chair for six years. Martin has worked in the specialty insurance industry throughout his career and continues to serve on boards in London and overseas. He has lived in West Sussex for over 30 years and has been a keen supporter of music and performing arts. He was previously the Chair of Surrey Young Enterprise.

Luis Almonacid joins as a young trustee. Brighton born, raised and living in the city, Luis is an alumni of Create Music and is embarking on a career in the creative industries currently working at Somerset House.

Shaheen Baig is one of the UK’s most celebrated casting directors. Working across film and television, Shaheen has cast award-winning work across a broad range of TV & Film including Adolescence, Peaky Blinders and Black Mirror. Shaheen is a trustee for Open Door, a non-profit organisation that helps young people access drama schools and co-founder of the Casting Assistant Certificate with the National Film & Television School. Awards include an RTS ‘Baird Medal’ for outstanding contribution to TV and most recently an Emmy for Adolescence. Shaheen is a member of BAFTA.

Taio Lawson is a theatre director, writer and the Artistic Director and co-CEO of the Bush Theatre, London. Taio has been Associate Director of the Young Vic and Kiln Theatre, and Resident Director at the Almeida Theatre and Sheffield Theatres. Taio also serves on the Board for Parents and Carers in the Performing Arts (PiPA). Taio is a long-standing resident in Brighton & Hove.

Julia Walter is Head of Digital and Broadcast at the Royal Shakespeare Company, with 25 years’ experience in commercial production, strategy and delivering digital projects at scale for major arts organisations. She was Creative Digital Producer at Chichester Festival Theatre, leading award winning initiatives. Based in Worthing, Julia continues to foster creative collaboration across the arts.

Lucy Davies, Chief Executive, Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival commented:

“The process of recruiting a new Chair and Board members has been truly enriching and inspiring. We had a fantastic response and met a wide range of people committed to culture in this city with Brighton Dome, Brighton Festival and Create Music at its heart. I am thrilled that the Board has appointed such a skilled, generous and rigorous Chair in Martin and that we will benefit from the brilliant minds of Taio, Shaheen, Julia and Luis. A Board of Trustees is the critical community that sustains, drives and supports the ambition and culture of an organisation and it is a privilege to work alongside such a strong, dynamic and visionary Board. I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to Danny Homan for being the most visionary Chair these past 6 years”.

Martin Hudson added:

“It’s an honour to take over as Chair from Danny Homan at Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival and I am delighted to be joining such a cultural, forward thinking and exciting institution. I look forward to working with new and existing trustees, the executive and wider team to further the reach and impact of this very special organisation.

BDBF adopted an inclusive approach to appointing candidates by undertaking open recruitment and working with independent recruitment advisors Nurole for the role of Chair, and by a call-out via the BDBF’s extensive networks for the Board trustee positions.

BDBF Board from October 2025:

Martin Hudson (chair)

Luis Almonacid (new)

Taio Lawson (new)

Julia Walter (new)

Shaheen Baig (new)

Sue Baxter

Nicola Briggs

Ross James

Melanie Lewis

Marina Norris

Peter McCusker