Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA) is delighted to announce the appointment of five new Board Members: (left to right) Laura Harvey, Shazia Mustafa, Constance Oak, James Preston and Deborah Sawyerr.

Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA) is delighted to announce the appointment of five new Board Members: (left to right) Laura Harvey, Shazia Mustafa, Constance Oak, James Preston and Deborah Sawyerr.

All of the five new PiPA Trustees come from diverse backgrounds and bring a wealth of experience and expertise, not just as parents and carers, but as respected industry professionals from across a broad cross-section of the performing arts and media sector.

Chair of the PiPA Board Sarah Jackson OBE said: "I am very pleased to welcome our new trustees, who bring a wide range of industry experience, new perspectives and lived experience to the PiPA board that will prove invaluable as we look to grow our reach and capacity and work with more organisations to support parents and carers in an industry facing huge challenges. Even before the pandemic, the performing arts was a challenging industry for parents and carers; the impact of the past year and a half has been brutal, and has driven many to give up their careers. Our commitment is to support and inspire the industry as it re-opens, championing more inclusive and family friendly ways of working in Dance, Music and theatre. We are all looking forward to working with Laura, Shazia, Constance, James and Deborah as we take up this post-Covid challenge."

Laura Harvey is Head of Creative Programmes at English National Ballet, responsible for the management of a range of high-quality, artistic, engagement programmes including ENB"s Dance for Health strand. She has previously worked with a number of world-class dance organisations including Rambert, Ballet Boyz, Richard Alston Dance Company and Sadler"s Wells. Before taking on the role of Head of Creative Programmes, Laura was Creative Associate for many English National Ballet flagship programmes including Swanning Around at the Royal Albert Hall and Shanghai Expo. Outside of ENB, Laura works as a freelance dance artist teaching on the Dance Mama programme working with parents at risk of postnatal conditions and teaching for ENB on their dance for dementia programme.

Laura said: "As a parent working in dance, I am dedicated to championing organisations that strive for industry-wide change. I am honoured to be joining PiPA"s Board in helping them amplify the voices of parents and carers across all performing arts. PiPA"s work is vital in establishing a more flexible and open-minded approach to how the industry works with parents and carers, and in turn protects the talent of our incredible workforce."

Shazia Mustafa is the founder of the world's first coworking and flexible nursery, Third Door. She had the idea in 2008 when the conversations around coworking, flexible working and flexible childcare were still very new to the working landscape. Shazia is also a Board member for the Mayor of London's Workspaces Advisory Board, a Trustee for the charity Pregnant then Screwed and a Director of Activate Collective. Shazia is a mum of three young people and passionate about flexible working and equality for working parents.

Shazia said: "I am delighted to be a trustee on the PIPA board for many reasons. I believe being part of an organisation is a two-way relationship, how you can help move it towards its mission and also what you can learn from the role you are in. I am looking forward to sharing my experience towards PiPA's mission and in turn, I cannot wait to learn from PIPA and my amazing fellow trustees. What a truly wonderful and inclusive team to be part of."

Constance Oak is a Freelance Stage Manager and Facilitator and has worked for a number of major venues including The Royal Court, National Theatre and the Young Vic. During the Covid-19 lockdown, Constance facilitated a number of online projects.

Constance said: "I have loved my career working backstage, being a part of some truly amazing shows. I feared that becoming a parent would mean I would have to choose between the two. That is why I"m excited to be a part of the PIPA family, exploring change for all stage managers, performers and backstage workers, ensuring they do not have to choose between a career or a family. This change will create a better work life balance for all."

James Preston is Executive Director of Rosie Kay Dance Company and will be joining the PiPA Board as Treasurer. James began his career as a theatre producer, but has worked in dance since 2006 in roles including Communications and Development Director at Dance Base (Edinburgh), Communications Manager at Dance City (Newcastle), Board Member of Indepen-dance (Glasgow) and National Project Manager for the Get Scotland Dancing initiative (part of the Culture 2014 programme in Glasgow"s 2014 Commonwealth Games). James joined the board of Rosie Kay Dance Company in 2011, becoming Executive Director in 2016. James lives in Edinburgh with his broadcaster husband and primary school age son.

James said: "I"m delighted to be joining PiPA as Treasurer. PiPA is an important, dynamic and inclusive organisation that has already made great progress in its campaign for parents and carers in our industry. I look forward to helping to widen its reach over the coming years to promote the value of parents and carers in the arts to even more people."

Deborah Sawyerr is the Deputy Executive Director at The Mercury Theatre, Colchester. Her previous roles include Executive Director at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, General Manager at the Bush Theatre and Executive Director at Talawa Theatre Company. Deborah is also a Talent Planning and Resourcing Consultant, providing a bespoke recruitment experience for clients and candidates; an Associate Member of Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and co-Chair of Theatre Company Tiata Fahodzi.

Deborah said: "I am delighted to be a trustee of PiPA as I am also passionate about ensuring parents in the arts are able to continue to build and maintain their careers in the sector."


All of the five new PiPA Trustees come from diverse backgrounds and bring a wealth of experience and expertise, not just as parents and carers, but as respected industry professionals from across a broad cross-section of the performing arts and media sector.

Chair of the PiPA Board Sarah Jackson OBE said: "I am very pleased to welcome our new trustees, who bring a wide range of industry experience, new perspectives and lived experience to the PiPA board that will prove invaluable as we look to grow our reach and capacity and work with more organisations to support parents and carers in an industry facing huge challenges. Even before the pandemic, the performing arts was a challenging industry for parents and carers; the impact of the past year and a half has been brutal, and has driven many to give up their careers. Our commitment is to support and inspire the industry as it re-opens, championing more inclusive and family friendly ways of working in Dance, Music and theatre. We are all looking forward to working with Laura, Shazia, Constance, James and Deborah as we take up this post-Covid challenge."

Laura Harvey is Head of Creative Programmes at English National Ballet, responsible for the management of a range of high-quality, artistic, engagement programmes including ENB"s Dance for Health strand. She has previously worked with a number of world-class dance organisations including Rambert, Ballet Boyz, Richard Alston Dance Company and Sadler"s Wells. Before taking on the role of Head of Creative Programmes, Laura was Creative Associate for many English National Ballet flagship programmes including Swanning Around at the Royal Albert Hall and Shanghai Expo. Outside of ENB, Laura works as a freelance dance artist teaching on the Dance Mama programme working with parents at risk of postnatal conditions and teaching for ENB on their dance for dementia programme.

Laura said: "As a parent working in dance, I am dedicated to championing organisations that strive for industry-wide change. I am honoured to be joining PiPA"s Board in helping them amplify the voices of parents and carers across all performing arts. PiPA"s work is vital in establishing a more flexible and open-minded approach to how the industry works with parents and carers, and in turn protects the talent of our incredible workforce."

Shazia Mustafa is the founder of the world's first coworking and flexible nursery, Third Door. She had the idea in 2008 when the conversations around coworking, flexible working and flexible childcare were still very new to the working landscape. Shazia is also a Board member for the Mayor of London's Workspaces Advisory Board, a Trustee for the charity Pregnant then Screwed and a Director of Activate Collective. Shazia is a mum of three young people and passionate about flexible working and equality for working parents.

Shazia said: "I am delighted to be a trustee on the PIPA board for many reasons. I believe being part of an organisation is a two-way relationship, how you can help move it towards its mission and also what you can learn from the role you are in. I am looking forward to sharing my experience towards PiPA's mission and in turn, I cannot wait to learn from PIPA and my amazing fellow trustees. What a truly wonderful and inclusive team to be part of."

Constance Oak is a Freelance Stage Manager and Facilitator and has worked for a number of major venues including The Royal Court, National Theatre and the Young Vic. During the Covid-19 lockdown, Constance facilitated a number of online projects.

Constance said: "I have loved my career working backstage, being a part of some truly amazing shows. I feared that becoming a parent would mean I would have to choose between the two. That is why I"m excited to be a part of the PIPA family, exploring change for all stage managers, performers and backstage workers, ensuring they do not have to choose between a career or a family. This change will create a better work life balance for all."

James Preston is Executive Director of Rosie Kay Dance Company and will be joining the PiPA Board as Treasurer. James began his career as a theatre producer, but has worked in dance since 2006 in roles including Communications and Development Director at Dance Base (Edinburgh), Communications Manager at Dance City (Newcastle), Board Member of Indepen-dance (Glasgow) and National Project Manager for the Get Scotland Dancing initiative (part of the Culture 2014 programme in Glasgow"s 2014 Commonwealth Games). James joined the board of Rosie Kay Dance Company in 2011, becoming Executive Director in 2016. James lives in Edinburgh with his broadcaster husband and primary school age son.

James said: "I"m delighted to be joining PiPA as Treasurer. PiPA is an important, dynamic and inclusive organisation that has already made great progress in its campaign for parents and carers in our industry. I look forward to helping to widen its reach over the coming years to promote the value of parents and carers in the arts to even more people."

Deborah Sawyerr is the Deputy Executive Director at The Mercury Theatre, Colchester. Her previous roles include Executive Director at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, General Manager at the Bush Theatre and Executive Director at Talawa Theatre Company. Deborah is also a Talent Planning and Resourcing Consultant, providing a bespoke recruitment experience for clients and candidates; an Associate Member of Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and co-Chair of Theatre Company Tiata Fahodzi.

Deborah said: "I am delighted to be a trustee of PiPA as I am also passionate about ensuring parents in the arts are able to continue to build and maintain their careers in the sector."