Creative writing charity for young people

Staff and trustees

Hover over each profile to find out more about members of our team and board.

Antonia has over 30 years’ experience in the cultural sector, from leading policy for the literature sector at Arts Council England, to heading arts organisations such as English PEN and the Cheltenham Literature Festival. Creating new ways people enjoy reading and writing is at the heart of all her work. She’s also an experienced trustee, currently of the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education.

Antonia Byatt

Chief Executive

Deborah leads on fundraising, working closely with the CEO. She has worked for non-profits, including as a consultant, for most of her career. With experience across large and small charities, her expertise spans fundraising, business development and communications.

Deborah Benson

Head of Fundraising & Communications

Bethan leads the delivery and development of First Story programmes. She has a background in leadership and management in non-profit organisations. A former English teacher with a love of literature and writing, she is driven by a career long focus on creating equality of opportunity for young people. 

Bethan Goddard

HEAD OF PROGRAMMES

Lusungu is responsible for managing our finances, as well as overseeing operations and office management.

Lusungu Chikamata

Finance & Operations ManAGER

Melissa supports the First Story team with school and writer administration and communications. She is passionate about books and the elevation of new writing and aspires to continue promoting young people’s voices through working at First Story. 

Melissa Rutnagur

Operations Assistant

Emma supports our programmes across the London Region. After a long career in retail, in 2015 Emma moved into the charitable sector. Passionate about young people having the opportunity to thrive and enjoy life, she has worked for Coram Beanstalk and The National School Breakfast Programme before joining First Story in 2020.

Emma Leahy

Programme & Partnerships Manager
(London)

Andy supports our programmes across the North with a current focus in West Yorkshire. Over the past 15 years he has come to specialise in arts and cultural engagement across the education sector. His passion lies in finding ways to remove barriers and build community spaces where young people can thrive; he has found creative writing to be one of the best ways to achieve this.

Andy Hill

Programme & Partnerships Manager
(West Yorkshire)

Jess is responsible for our work across East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. Based in Hull, she liaises with schools and writers in the region to ensure our residencies run smoothly. Passionate about developing new writing talent, Jess hosts creative writing events across the region. A former English teacher, she also oversees First Story’s resources for schools and national writing competitions.

Jess Fear

Programme & Partnerships Manager (East Yorkshire)

Pippa supports our programmes in the East Midlands, with a focus on writer development. Formerly in IT, in 2008 she discovered a passion for writing which she enthusiastically shares with everyone around her. She is determined to give as many young people as possible the opportunity to write, having seen the difference it makes to their confidence, prospects and enjoyment of life. 

Pippa Hennessy

Programme & Partnerships Manager
(East Midlands)

Claire joined First Story in 2022 to develop our work in the North West. She has worked across arts, culture and education to widen access to creative opportunities, developing and delivering initiatives across the region with a wide range of partners, as well as conducting research and evaluation examining the role of creativity and culture in an inclusive public sphere. Her role will bring the Young Writers Programme to schools and support students’ exploration of the region’s diverse literary opportunities. 

Claire Sharples

Programme and Partnerships Manager (North West)

Ed is our Chair of Trustees and has provided pro bono legal advice to us since we started.  Ed is a partner at Simkins LLP, focussing on entertainment, and a published author of legal works.  Ed has a lifelong interest in creativity, before becoming a solicitor, he was a music producer, winning a MOBO award and producing several platinum records.

Ed Baden-Powell

CHAIR

Jamie received his financial qualifications while at PwC, specialising in media and technology, and is now the CFO of Coniq, a SaaS technology company serving the retail and real estate industry.

Jaime Waldegrave

Treasurer

Sarah has spent her career as a consultant for McKinsey and Company and then in asset management as an analyst specialising in consumer and retail equities.  She is also a founder trustee and Chair of Finance of the Wandle Learning Trust, a newly formed growing Multi Academy Trust in South London containing both primary and secondary schools.  

Sarah Marshall

Trustee

Aziz has extensive experience in the financial services industry in Asia and the UK. Aziz currently works as a consultant in Regulator Affairs and Audit in the financial sector. Aziz has interests in improving access to education in the developing world and assist underprivileged pupils in the UK.

Aziz Bawany

Trustee

Bobby is Programme Manager at Spread the Word, London’s writer development agency. He has been working in the literature sector for over 15 years, as a publisher, writer and creative practitioner. He is passionate about diversifying the pool of writers who become published authors and advocating for change in the publishing industry.

Bobby Nayyar

Trustee

Ella has senior-level experience of marketing, media, editorial, digital platform development, events, brand and corporate communications. She has spent her career in a range of roles across the not-for-profit sector, including nearly ten years at Arts Council. She is currently Director of Communications for Nesta, the UK’s innovation agency for social good.

Ella White

Trustee

Sue’s commitment to young people and creative writing began early in her career as an English teacher and continued through to her last post as Director of Curriculum for England. The power of words to change lives inspires her longstanding commitment to First Story. Sue is also on the board of Coventry University and a charity in Rwanda.

Sue Horner

Trustee

Sophie is the Literacy Coordinator at George Green’s School in London where she has taught English for 14 years.  She has seen first-hand the impact of the programme on students as a teacher-writer, and as Head of Faculty. Prior to becoming a teacher, Sophie worked at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and taught in Hungary and Japan.   

Sophie Harrison

Trustee

Aslan is UK Sales Director at Ebury Publishing, part of Penguin Random House.  He has worked in Publishing for the last 25 years and worked in 3 of the 4 major publishing groups in the UK. Aslan is part of the Inclusion Working Group at Penguin and is passionate about the place that reading and writing has in society.     

Aslan Byrne

Trustee