Trustees

David Smith

I was appointed as Chair of Full Body and The Voice in 2005 and in the time between then and now I have seen the company go from strength to strength.

I have lived in Huddersfield for almost thirty years and am married with two grown up children. I recently retired from work at the university of Huddersfield where I was dean of the business school. My work at the university and in business has given me a good insight into aspects of leadership, financial management and chairing committees and aided me in my role here at FBATV.

Outside work I enjoy the theatre, visual arts, long walks, travel, photography, reading and being with friends and family.

Our talented actors are being given more and more opportunities to develop their skills in the broader theatre industry and we are able to spread our message about inclusion and challenging prejudice more widely.

Mike Smith, Vice Chair

I became a trustee of Full Body And The Voice in February 2007 through the 'Arts and Business' Board Bank.

I am married to Jennifer and have two grown up children. As a seventh generation Bradfordian, my roots are firmly in Yorkshire. In May 2007, I retired from Yorkshire Water where I was the Director of Human Resources. I am now setting out as an independent management consultant to pursue my passion for coaching and developing people to help them achieve success.

I have had a varied career and been involved with a number of community and voluntary organisations. I believe that my contribution to the trustees and the company is a strong commercial, business background combined with lots of leadership, people management and change management experience.

My interests include friends and family, theatre, travel, dining out, reading, supporting Bradford City FC, playing golf (badly), building walls and planting trees.

This is a company that lives its mission 'to act without prejudice' through exciting and groundbreaking productions, by showcasing the unique talents of its actors and by challenging pre-conceptions about people with learning difficulties.

This is very important work and I am confident that the company will continue to grow and spread the message 'to act without prejudice'.

Simon Spruce

Simon Spruce is an experienced independent solicitor specializing in business advice and commercial dispute resolution,  Simon originally hails from Liverpool but spent most of his childhood growing up in West Yorkshire. He studied Law and business finance at Brunel University before joining his father\'s practice in Keighley where he subsequently became a partner. Simon accepted a position at Levi Solicitors in 2001, and is a consultant for Metis Law which is a dynamic Leeds-based boutique legal practice  

Lesley Jackson

Following a period of study as a mature student my love of theatre and performance eventually led me to career in arts management, including 3 years as Executive Director of West Yorkshire Playhouse. I chose to become a freelance consultant as I missed being close the the 'action' and by working in this way I am able to help, support and nurture smaller arts organisations to enable them to reach their potential.

I first came across FB&TV when I was general Manager at LBT and was immediately struck by the enthusiasm, dedication and uniqueness of this talented company. I became a Trustee in 2004 as I was keen to offer my support and expertise in return for learning more about the company and its work. The last four years has seen an almost complete change of personnel with the company and it has been a very exciting to see the organisation develop its mission and move towards the ambition of becoming a sustainable theatre company offering a variety of opportunities to the talented actors it employs.

Supriya Nagarajan

Most of my life has revolved around music and the Indian culture. I have formally learnt Carnatic music, a classical music style practiced in South India, for over 15 years and studied both the theory and practical aspects in this time. I have been performing since the age of 12 years and worked with all styles of Indian classical and Bollywood music. In the course of exploring music, I have realised that the basis for all music is the same and have applied my musical knowledge to various kinds of music from different parts of the world.

I have performed in stages all over the world. Traveling throughout India and other parts of the world, in the journey of my musical career, has exposed me to the beauty of cultural differences and given me a chance to enhance my knowledge about them.

I have worked in the banking industry, with HSBC, for around 20 years. In 2005, I decided to give up banking and concentrate on rejuvenating my musical ambitions and started to work in the community and schools conducting music workshops.

I set up and run Manasamitra, an arts based non profit organisation.