Trustees

Lynn Blades is the inspirational founder of Legacy Leadership, an executive coaching consultancy committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive 21st-century workforce. Lynn empowers organisations to build cultures where diverse talent thrives. With two decades of experience, Lynn has guided an extraordinary range of leaders across industries such as finance, law, tech, media and marketing. Her client roster includes globally recognised giants like Nike, KPMG, British Airways, alongside influential names in media, such as Sony Music and BBC to Universal Music. Lynn’s impact doesn’t stop at coaching. She champions the next generation of female leaders through regular three-day leadership summits, and retreats inspiring confidence and capability. She has also worked with top international networks, including CBS, CNN, CNBC, BBC, ITV, Viacom and Showtime Networks. Dedicated to shaping the future of leadership beyond her consultancy, Lynn serves on boards that amplify diverse talent. In addition to being the Chair of the Board of Trustees for New Curators, she is also a trusted advisor to Creative Access.

Louise is an artist who has been working in collaboration with her twin sister, Jane Wilson, since 1989. Currently the Wilsons are joint Professors of Fine Art at Newcastle University. Their early works centred on abandoned buildings, often imbued with the presence and ideology of the original occupants. Through carefully choreographed film installations, sound works and photography they have explored some of Europe’s least accessible sites, including a former Stasi Prison, the British Houses of Parliament and the huge Star City complex in Moscow, a key site of the Russian Space Programme. In 1999 they were nominated for the Turner Prize and in 2018 were appointed Royal Academicians. In 2020, they were the coordinators of the 252nd Royal Academy Summer/Winter Exhibition. Louise was a former trustee at BALTIC and is currently R.A. Council Member and Chair of the R.A. Schools Committee. 

Tara is a practising solicitor with over 20 years’ experience gained in private practice and in-house in the museums and charities sector. Tara is currently in-house Commercial Legal Counsel at Wellcome Trust supporting on commercial and charitable operations including the Wellcome Collection.  Tara previously served as Head of Legal at Tate Gallery, leading on wide-ranging legal advice across Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool, Tate St Ives, and Tate Enterprises Ltd as well as acting as company secretary to Tate Foundation.  After training in commercial law and civil litigation and qualifying at DAC Beachcroft, she joined DLA Piper LLP. Before working in the museums and charities sector,  their keen interest in non-Western art history led to her taking a pause from legal practice to embark on a MA in History of Art for which she was awarded with distinction from SOAS. Tara read law at Cambridge University (Corpus Christi College) and holds both a BA and MA in Law. Tara also holds a Diploma in Art Profession Law and Ethics from the Institute of Art and Law and Certificate in Cultural/Creative Industries and IP Law from City University.

Sam is a cultural communications consultant based in London, working internationally with many leading public and commercial galleries, museums, art fairs, festivals, private foundations, artists and curators. His clients include Sadie Coles HQ, Maureen Paley, Modern Art, Camden Art Centre, Dia Art Foundation, Goldsmiths CCA, Fitzwilliam Museum, Spike Island, British Council and Artangel. Sam works with a small team to offer services including strategic media planning, media and VIP relations, cultural advocacy, events management and crisis communications. Sam is on the Tate Liverpool Advisory Council and a member of the Freelands Foundation Advisory Group.

Aindrea Emelife is a Nigerian-British curator and art historian specialising in modern and contemporary art, with a focus on colonial and decolonial histories in Africa, transnationalism and the politics of representation. Emelife has been the inaugural Curator of MOWAA (Museum of West African Art) in Benin City, Nigeria since 2023. Notably, she was also the Curator of 'Nigeria Imaginary', the Nigeria Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia in 2024 which tours to MOWAA in November, 2025. Emelife studied at The Courtauld Institute of Art before embarking on her multifaceted career, producing highly acclaimed exhibitions for museum, galleries and private collections internationally. Emelife’s first book, A Brief History of Protest Art was released by Tate in March 2022.

Fabienne is the head of D&PS Finance and Portfolio Governance within the Corporate and Investment Bank of JPMorgan Chase & Co. She leads a global team of 250+ across Finance, Investment Governance and Vendor Management. Her focus is on business and finance process transformation to improve transparency across a $7bn expense base. Prior to joining the Finance organization, Fabienne led the EMEA CIB Strategy team, providing thought leadership and fact-based analysis to frame key strategic decisions of the firm. Born and raised in Belgium, Fabienne worked for many years in New York before relocating to London in 2013.

Oba is a Nigerian-born, London-based lawyer. When he took silk in the UK in 2002, he became the first Nigerian practising abroad to be promoted to Queen’s (now King’s) Counsel. He spent 7 years as a member of the Judicial Studies Board, England & Wales, responsible for the training of Judges and Recorders. In 2005, he was promoted to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria and elected a Bencher of Gray’s Inn. In 2006 he was elected a participant of the Royal Society of Arts. For the past 15 years, he has headed Pump Court Chambers in London. He is a Visiting Professor of Law to City University, and a Senior participant of the Nigerian Leadership Initiative (“NLI”). Oba was recently elected Chair of the Africa Centre and is a Trustee of the Yinka Shonibare Foundation.