The Glasshouse strengthens its Board with major appointments as it embarks on a bold new chapter
Gateshead’s The Glasshouse International Centre for Music announces the appointment of four new Trustees, bringing a wealth of experience from across the music industry, business, finance and public life.
This is the first of two announcements The Glasshouse will make about its Board as several valued Trustees reach the end of their terms.
Baroness Thangam Debbonaire is a cultural leader, CEO of UK Opera Association, former professional musician and Shadow Culture Secretary. Arit Eminue is an award-winning professional with experience of talent, skills development and leadership in the music industry including for Universal, Sony and the BBC. Philip Keller has extensive charity governance experience, is a former FTSE 100 executive and is currently studying for a PhD in Musicology. Ian Shipley is a senior international consultancy partner at Oliver Wyman specialising in data, AI and business transformation.
All new Trustees share The Glasshouse’s long-term commitment to music, learning and cultural life in the North East and beyond. They also have significant connections to the North East region.
Fraser Anderson, CEO of The Glasshouse, said:
“We have enormous ambitions for The Glasshouse and for what music can achieve in the North East and beyond. We’re building on two remarkable decades of achievement but also looking ahead to a period of significant creative growth, new opportunities for young people, and the biggest investment in our iconic building since opening.
I’m hugely grateful to everyone who has served on The Glasshouse Board to date – it’s an extraordinary act of service to dedicate time and commitment to the flourishing of a cultural organisation. Our four new Trustees will share their collective experience across music, business, and public life, and I’m delighted they are joining us at such a pivotal time.”
These appointments will support The Glasshouse’s next chapter realising its international creative ambitions, nurturing talent and widening opportunity in music, and driving growth and renewal within a culturally ambitious region.
A recent report by the UK’s preeminent planning and development agency Litchfields found The Glasshouse has contributed over £1b in economic and social value to the economy, welcomed over 8m visitors and provided 2.8m music lessons.
Andy Haldane, Chair of the Board said:
“Culture helps places thrive. We know that it sparks ideas, brings people together and gives communities pride in where they live, and more confidence in the future. Those are foundations on which a successful economy is built. The North East has enormous creative potential, and it’s a pleasure to welcome our new trustees at a time when The Glasshouse is at the forefront of unlocking that potential: by nurturing talent, connecting people and giving the region a stage on which to show the world what it can do. As a Board, our job is to bring energetic support to that ambition and ensure more people have the chance to be part of it.”
With expertise from all sectors including cultural leadership and creative skills, philanthropy, financial and commercial business development, the new Trustees will contribute to a strong and inspiring Board supporting The Glasshouse in this next chapter.
What links all trustees together is a firm belief in the power of music and culture to make positive change happen.
Arit Eminue said:
“I’ve spent my career helping people see what they’re capable of, often before they can see it themselves. The Glasshouse does that for visitors every year, from toddlers in their first music class to artists building careers. Joining the board as it heads into its third decade is a real privilege, and I’m looking forward to asking good questions, backing the people who make this place what it is, and doing the work.”
Thangam Debbonaire said:
“I had the great pleasure of watching The Glasshouse being built two decades ago and followed it closely ever since. I have been thrilled to see how it contributes to the musical and civic life of Gateshead and the nation. It’s an honour and a pleasure to be asked to contribute my skills as well as my love of the institution and what it’s doing.”
Thangam Debbonaire
Thangam Debbonaire is Chief Executive of UK Opera Association, a former professional cellist (now happy amateur), speaker, media performer and a strategic advisor to arts and culture organisations and businesses. She’s on the board of Sadler’s Wells and co-chairs the Parthenon Project board. As MP for Bristol West, Thangam served in Keir Starmer’s Shadow Cabinets from April 2020, including as Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport until the general election, leading the Creative Sector Plan. Since September 2024 she has been chair of Labour Women’s Network. Thangam is a backbench Labour Member of the House of Lords. Before entering Parliament, she combined music with a national role in domestic violence prevention for 25 years.
Arit Eminue MBE
Arit Eminue is an award-winning talent, culture and leadership specialist who helps organisations build the kind of workplaces people actually want to stay in. She’s worked with global brands and cultural institutions including Universal Music Group, Sony Music, Warner Music Group, Sony Pictures, the BBC, CNN, the BRIT Awards and LinkedIn, delivering facilitated leadership programmes, executive coaching and future talent programmes, alongside strategic advisory work for senior teams. She founded DiVA Apprenticeships to build talent pathways into the Music, Film and TV industries, chairs the UK Music Diversity Taskforce, driving progress and accountability on diversity, equity and inclusion, and is a founding member of the BPI’s Equity Justice Advisory Group.
Philip Keller
Philip Keller had a long career as a senior finance executive until his retirement in 2019. He was Chief Finance and Operating Officer at ICG Plc, a FTSE100 investment company, for 13 years. He was also CFO of a global environmental consultancy and held senior positions at GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson. His breadth of expertise in finance is matched only by his lifelong passion for music. He is an amateur conductor, is studying for a PhD in Musicology at Durham University and has held several trustee positions in music-related charities including Northern Ballet, Music Masters and the National Children’s Orchestra. Philip is also currently a Trustee of Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Gabrieli.
Ian Shipley
Ian Shipley is partner at global management consultancy firm Oliver Wyman, where he leads their global quantitative analytics group. Using data, AI and risk analysis, he supports businesses solve problems, innovate and creatively transform their ways of working. He is a firm advocate and spokesperson for investment in the North East, championing the creativity and collaborative opportunities across the region. He is also a founder of the tech consultancy Neptune North and on the Board of the Gentoo group.