The Achates Team

• The Achates Team
  

  The Achates Team
• Caroline McCormick
  

  Caroline McCormick

  Director

  Caroline leads on major campaigns and organisational strategy. She has developed and delivered campaigns and processes of organisational change, in all art forms and scales of organisation across the country and internationally.

  Caroline developed Achates’ audience informed approach which seeks to ensure arts organisations balance the interests of diverse audience groups with the priorities of art to enable resilience with integrity.

  In 2005, having completed the £70 million capital campaign to create the Darwin Centre at the Natural History Museum, Caroline became the first Director of PEN International, heading up 145 Centres in 105 countries and acting as the Literature representative at UNESCO. Taking up the role four days a week also allowed her to start working with her first consultancy client, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Professor Wangari Maathai.

  Caroline is Chair of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation and, in 2015, founded the national campaign for support for the arts, the Achates Philanthropy Prize. She is a Trustee of the National Centre for Writing and in 2022 she co-founded The London Ticket Bank and was included in The Stage’s 2023 list of the 100 most influential people in theatre.

• Deborah Larwood
  

  Deborah Larwood

  Director of Income Generation

  Deborah leads on Achates’ income generation consultancy across the cultural sector. Her work spans capital and revenue fundraising strategy, feasibility study development, mentoring and workshop delivery, major strategic bids and acting as Interim Director of Development. Current clients include Factory International, Barbican, Science Museum Group and previous work includes fundraising feasibility, strategy development and major gifts support for Roundhouse, Royal Albert Hall, National Museums Ireland, RADA and Northern Ballet.

  With more than fifteen years’ experience in leading Development teams in the cultural sector, Deborah has held senior positions in venue-based and touring cultural organisations as well as in the HE/FE sector, in both London and Yorkshire.

  Previous roles include Head of Development for Opera North where she oversaw the £18m Music Works capital campaign, Director of Development at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and Fundraising Manager at Sheffield Theatres.

  Deborah is a passionate advocate of peer networking and continuing professional development and has acted as Mentor and Regional Associate for Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy, as well as serving on the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s RAISE Steering Committee.

  Deborah held the role of Chair of Harrogate Theatre Trust in North Yorkshire, where she has served for six years and is currently a Trustee of Harrogate International Festivals.

• Vicki Grace
  

  Vicki Grace

  Director of Recruitment and Organisational Change

  Vicki is Achates’ Director of Recruitment and Organisational change and leads on our distinctive approach to executive appointment, leadership training and development, and organisational change management for a range of organisations across the sector.

  Vicki leads all of our recruitment and organisational change work and has developed Achates’ distinctive approach to Executive Appointment, Recruitment and Organisational Change.

  Prior to joining Achates, Vicki was Executive Director at award-winning theatre company Improbable, responsible for the business function of the organisation. Prior to that she was Development Director at the Royal Court Theatre and Deputy Development Director at the Donmar Warehouse specialising in income generation growth and managing complex stakeholder relationships.

  She has held other fundraising roles at Shakespeare’s Globe and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Vicki is also Chief Operating Officer of the Institute for Constitutional and Democratic Research and has held Board positions with Magic Me, Pleasance Theatre Trust and Theatre Uncut.

• Naomi Chapman
  

  Naomi Chapman

  Deputy Director of Strategy

  Naomi Chapman leads strategy projects for organisations and partnerships, having worked with charities, funders and businesses across the cultural sector and beyond to develop strategies that maximise impact, and to put in place the processes for delivery and ongoing decision making. A skilled facilitator, Naomi also brings methodological expertise in complementary areas such as systems change, user involvement and theory of change. As a critical friend, she supports senior leaders to interrogate the big questions facing their organisation and wider context.

  Naomi’s previous experience includes as Principal Consultant for Strategy at NPC, where she led strategy development and implementation projects for organisations including Tommy’s, Sainsburys, and the Ethos Foundation, and as Development Manager at Cause4, where she supported income generation, business development and governance for organisations across the arts, culture and heritage sectors.

• Ruth Davey
  

  Ruth Davey

  Deputy Director of Income Generation

  Before joining the team at Achates Ruth spent over 12 years working in arts Development teams. She spent 18 months at Headlong Theatre as Development Director and, before that, nearly four years heading up both the Development and Marketing teams at the Bush Theatre. During her career Ruth has worked in a variety of other arts organisations including the Almeida Theatre, Rose Theatre Kingston, Ministry of Stories and RADA.

  Ruth had a career in exhibition and conference management before gaining a Masters degree (MA) in Arts Policy & Management and moving into theatre. She started as a Corporate Development specialist and has experience with corporate partners of all sizes. Since becoming a generalist she’s had success with some of the best known Trusts & Foundations as well as building strong relationships with major donors. Ruth has been successful at driving income and hitting targets in the most challenging times and in difficult fundraising environments.

  Her varied experience in all fundraising income streams, and in strategic senior leadership, has given her a great understanding of the theatre industry and she’s passionate about using that experience and knowledge to benefit other organisations as part of Achates.

   

• Phoebe Walker
  

  Phoebe Walker

  Senior Consultant

  Phoebe works across our Recruitment and Development divisions. She is an expert prospect researcher, and her skills also span fundraising feasibility scoping, strategy development, major grants, corporate partnerships and capital campaigns. Phoebe has extensive experience of working across the breadth of the arts sector in a range of disciplines, as well as working with organisations focused on social justice and arts for social change.

  Phoebe is an alumnus of the Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy Fellowship Programme and has previously held roles in the Development teams of The Bush Theatre and Toynbee Hall as well as in the Education team at The Poetry Society. Her recent and current clients include RADA, New Art Exchange, PalMusic, Freedom Studios, Bradford City of Culture, East London Waterworks Park, and Newcastle Lit & Phil. Phoebe is also a published poet and novelist.

• Jacoba Bruneel
  

  Jacoba Bruneel

  Consultant

  With a decade of experience in development roles, Jacoba has managed a wide variety of income strands. She has a comprehensive understanding of the motivations of different supporters and the importance of an organisation-wide, integrated approach to income generation. Jacoba loves working closely with teams to create strategies that boost both contributed and earned income, ensuring long-term sustainability.

  As Consultant at Achates, Jacoba works with clients across the breadth of the cultural sector to review their fundraising strategies, conduct prospect research across individuals, corporates and trusts and foundations, and support the cultivation of donors. As a bid writer, she has secured grants from a wide range of funders, including Art Fund Reimagine Grants, Baring Foundation, Fenton Arts Trust, Garfield Weston, Hugo Burge Foundation, Linbury Trust, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Rix-Thompson-Rothenberg Foundation, and Wolfson Foundation. Recent clients include Birmingham Museums Trust, Black Lives in Music, Dance United Yorkshire, Grand Union, Protein Dance, Royal Armouries, and Tramshed.

  Jacoba’s previous roles include Development Manager at The Hepworth Wakefield and the Contemporary Art Society. Throughout her career, she has been driven by an ambition to celebrate the impact culture can drive for audiences across the UK, while supporting the production of new work and nurturing creatives at all stages in their careers.

• Cara Sutherland
  

  Cara Sutherland

  Consultant

  Cara has over 15 years of experience in a wide variety of roles within arts, culture and heritage organisations. After almost a decade of leading on strategy and development roles within the sector, Cara has most recently worked as a freelance fundraising & evaluation consultant. She has a wealth of experience working with organisations and communities to secure funding for ambitious and meaningful projects, as well as supporting them to embed evaluative practices into what they do.

  Cara’s passion for working collaboratively with organisations and communities has led her to work with inspirational people across the UK. From co-designing and establishing the Mental Health Museum with NHS Trust service users and staff, to overseeing grant applications and implementing evaluation frameworks with organisations such as Sheffield Theatres, Greentop Community Circus Centre, and the Royal College of Nursing, she has rooted her expertise in her diverse experience within the sector.

  Having joined Achates in June 2024, Cara has brought her enthusiasm for cultivating curiosity and joy within her work. She is driven to provide expertise with utility, helping organisations to identify their needs, increase their income generation, and better understand their impact.

• Victoria Hibbs
  

  Victoria Hibbs

  Chief Operating Officer

  Victoria is Achates’ Chief Operating Officer. She brings over 25 years of arts sector experience to the role both from an administrative and producing perspective and has first-hand insight to the challenges and complexities of fundraising and strategic planning, particularly within the theatre and events industries.

  Having trained as a stage manager at Bretton Hall College in Yorkshire, she then spent 12 years working nationally and internationally in a variety of stage management roles ranging in scale from community touring companies to international circus acts (De La Guarda at the Roundhouse, Camden and the Rio, Las Vegas), large-scale events such as the Millennium Dome and the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002. She was awarded Stage Manager of the Year in 2003.

  In 2004 Victoria diversified into producing, administration and finance, spending several years in a variety of consulting, administrative, finance and development roles.

  Victoria is also Executive Director and CEO for Attic, a small-scale arts organisation based in LB Merton which tours nationally with both an urban and rural touring model and has a substantial participatory arts programme.

• Katie Mullen
  

  Katie Mullen

  Communications & Administration Officer

  Katie is Achates’ Communications & Administration Officer, delivering Achates’ communications and supporting the team with administrative duties, as well as supporting the Achates Community digital membership platform.

  Prior to Achates, Katie worked as the Membership Officer for Rape Crisis England & Wales and has held varied roles across the charity sector. Katie brings experience in membership engagement, inclusive communications, event management, and providing administrative support, with a strong commitment to equity and accessibility in her work.

• Dagmar Walz
  

  Dagmar Walz

  Acting Director of Strategy

  Dagmar Walz leads the development of strategic projects, whether for organisations or at local or regional level. She has been a member of the Achates team from the very beginning and has led projects across the bandwidth of Achates’ services, in strategic planning, business modelling, organisational development, income generation and international projects. Projects include establishment of the delivery and legacy organisation for London Borough of Culture Brent, Metroland Culture, vision and programme development for Symphony Hall Birmingham, The Roundhouse’s Next Generation Campaign and a number of ACE NPO applications.

  Dagmar has worked in senior roles for some of the UK’s leading performing arts organisations – RSC, National Theatre, English National Opera and The Old Vic, in learning, audience development, project and general management. From 2011 to 2014 she was Executive Director of innovative youth arts charity IdeasTap. During this time, the organisation established itself as the leading national resource for emerging creative talent, with 150,000 members, 43 cultural partner organisations and 20,000 participants per year. Annual contributed income tripled. She subsequently set up an international cultural consultancy with clients in Belgium, China, France and Germany. She was a founding Trustee of the Cultural Philanthropy Foundation.