team
We’re a small but mighty team, with some core staff based at our London HQ, whilst our programme staff live and work in the communities we serve.
Antonia Byatt
CEO
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.
Bethan Goddard
Head of Programmes (Maternity Leave)
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.
Claire Boulton
Head of Programmes (Maternity Cover)
Claire has over 20 years’ experience in the cultural sector leading high-performing teams and overseeing the successful delivery of large-scale participatory programmes. She spent ten years at Arts Council England managing a portfolio of funded organisations and spearheading influential research on inclusion and representation in children’s literature. Passionate about equality and diversity, Claire currently Chairs The Children’s Bookshow.
Ruth O’Malley
Head of Development
Anithra Wagiswara
Operations Assistant
Anithra joined First Story in 2022 to support First Story’s operations. After studying costume and theatre, she graduated with a Masters in Publishing. Passionate about creative writing, she hopes to see more underrepresented artists, writers and communities at the forefront of publishing.
Annette Brook
Communications & Marketing Manager
Annette joined First Story in 2023 from Theatre Peckham. She has also worked for the Royal Society of Literature and the writer development charity Spread the Word. Annette is on the Advisory Board of Words of Colour and is a playwright.
Rachael Bamber
Programme & Partnerships Manager (North West)
Emma Leahy
Programme & Partnerships Manager (London)
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.
Alice Frecknall
Programme & Partnerships Manager (London)
Alice supports our programmes in London. She joined First Story in 2023 with a background in arts marketing and administration. She is also a writer and fine artist.
Ali Johnson
Programme & Partnerships Manager (Yorkshire)
Ali supports our programmes in the Yorkshire region. Before joining First Story in 2023, Ali has worked at the University of Manchester and as a Centre Leader at IntoUniversity. He is passionate about ensuring that all young people have access to a rich creative education.
Pippa Hennessy
Programme & Partnerships Manager (East Midlands)
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.
Medhat Gindi
Finance and Operations Manager
Medhat joined First Story in 2024, driven by his passion for empowering children and young people from diverse backgrounds to express themselves through literature. Before this, he held key roles at a non-profit children’s literature agency and a charity focused on delivering healthcare support to deprived areas in the Middle East. His experiences living, studying, and working across various countries have deepened his understanding of how diversity and inclusion are essential to shaping educational and career success.
trustees
Edward Baden-Powell
Chair
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.
Susan Horner
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.
Sarah Marshall
Trustee
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.
Bobby Nayyar
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.
Gerry Robinson
Trustee
Gerry is Executive Headteacher of Haringey Learning Partnership (HLP), a network of alternative provision schools. Prior to moving into alternative provision, Gerry was headteacher of a local mainstream secondary school. Gerry is an activist who is committed to tackling social injustice through inclusive education. Gerry is a Collective Ed Fellow, member of the LGBTEd Advisory Board, a regular contributor to Schools Week and part of the Alternative Provision Research Network Steering Board.
Carey Scott
Treasurer
Carey Scott works in structured finance and has spent her career in the finance sector in a variety of roles from finance to treasury to trading, and is a qualified chartered accountant.
A strong believer in diversity, equity and inclusion, Carey is passionate about First Story’s vision to help young people reach their full potential, and is proud to contribute her financial acumen to help others access and enjoy literature
Hannah Brown
Trustee