Meet The Board
Heather
Maclaurin
Heather sits as the Chair of the Board for Autin Dance Theatre, Heather started her career in Dance and Arts Management over 10 years ago.
Since then, her career has taken a few twists and turns and she now works for the global consulting firm, Capgemini, as a Senior Marketing professional.
Her role with Autin Dance Theatre is to apply her scale-up / start-up business experience to help shape the structure, processes and goals of the wider company at a strategic level rather than day to day. Heather makes sure we are doing things by the book, but also helps shape Johnny’s artistic vision into something manageable, scalable and impactful.
Matthew
Peters
For 30 years, Matthew Peters has been leaving his mark, both as a performer and manager, in some of the most prestigious concert halls and performing arts centers across North America and Europe.
After receiving his degree in Cello Performance from Northwestern University (USA), he started his career by becoming the youngest producer of the Chicago Symphony radio broadcasts in their history. Other notable positions in classical music include Midwest & West Coast booking agent for Columbia Artists Management, General Manager of the English Symphony Orchestra, and managing several artists through his own company, ABMC Productions.
Using the name Mad EP, Matthew is also a highly-acclaimed composer, producer, and DJ. His debut single (“When I’m 6”) was chosen for legendary Radio 1 DJ John Peel’s final, posthumous broadcast, he has composed for experimental theatre productions and dance ensembles in the USA and UK, and his genre-bending show “Tasty Cyanide Radio” ran on Sub.FM for 6 years.
As a dedicated educator he has taught cello and conducted youth string ensembles for 16 years, previously held the position of Head of Strings at the Elgar School of Music, and recently accepted a role as Lecturer and Curriculum Developer at the Academy of Contemporary Music.
Dharmesh Rajput
Having worked at the BBC for 14 years working across TV, radio, online, live events, Dharmesh now works as an academic leading the BA Media Production at Birmingham City University and is involved in a number of arts and cultural events and runs the Birmingham Indian Film Festival. He has a range of transferable skills with experience including accomplished leadership, strategy writing, digital content creation, project management, change management and diversity.
As head of Birmingham Indian Film Festival, Dharmesh brings a host of talent and independent films from the South Asian diaspora to the city every summer as well as community screenings throughout the year. Arts projects have included Stage Manager for Mandala; a strikingly bold production that pushed South Asian performing arts into new territory, as the result of a collaboration between Sampad and leading arts and technology company, seeper, which was performed in Birmingham and Nottingham as part of the finale to the London 2012 Festival. Dharmesh has also performed comedy and storytelling for The Big Difference Company’s ‘Let’s Be Clear’ comedy project raising awareness of signs and symptoms of cancer and ‘Taxi Tours’ for Sampad’s My Route project. This project has evolved into the Migration Stories: Stratford Road Walking Tour that Dharmesh continues to lead.
Donna Makins
Jack
Miles
Jack is a medical doctor who has spent most of the last decade splitting his time between delivering primary care in the UK and emergency and humanitarian care in the developing world and was recognised in the 2020 honours list for his work with an MBE.
Jack has an interest in efficient workplace systems and enjoys applying lessons learned from operating in austere environments to the workplace.
Jack has a passion for uncoupling traditional ways of working and using technology to improve accessibility and diversity and remove barriers to the workforce. It was such extremes of work and interest that drove the initial concept for GIANT.
Jack believes in a future of decentralised education and employment and hopes such movements will resolve inequalities in opportunity on a global scale.
Jack is a husband and father to 2 kids and currently lives in Hereford, UK. Cycling and crossfit are a way he relaxes but he enjoys good food and wine more!
Clare
Lee Davis
Clare Lee Davis is an independent executive producer and fundraising consultant with a portfolio across dance and film.
Clare studied Theatre Arts at Birmingham University, following which she worked as a make-up designer and supervisor for stage and live events, alongside a parallel career in fundraising, commercial bid writing and pitch design.
With a view that executive production is all about providing the highest level of support for an artist’s vision, Clare supports a variety of clients and collaborators, including Oscar, Emmy and BAFTA winners and nominees and early career creators, to develop partnerships, cultivate investments, seek sponsorship opportunities and build sustainable revenue streams.
Clare was Fundraising Manager at Dancers’ Career Development from 2017 to 2021 and remains passionate about supporting development of dance artists in their post-performance careers.
Devon
Nelson
Devon is a movement artist and educator from Wolverhampton. As a professional dancer, he has worked freelance for various companies and organisations in and around the West Midlands. Devon is also a fully qualified yoga teacher, having graduated from his 200hr RYT during lockdown. Devon trained at Birmingham Ormiston Academy During his time at BOA, Devon participated in a wide variety of performance opportunities both in house and externally. Devon has also worked with the renowned international touring company ACE Dance and Music. He has a passion for teaching, outreach and participation and aims to deliver quality learning experiences to students, by drawing from his own vocational experience and his growing knowledge of the body and movement
Amelia Clarke
Amelia graduated from University of Warwick with a First-Class Bachelor of Arts in English and Theatre Studies. She is now an arts programmer specialising in children and young people’s programmes.
In 2023 Amelia was selected to take part in Birmingham Arts School’s Young People on Arts Boards training programme. Since then, she has joined Autin Dance Theatre as an ex officio member of the board.
Amelia’s earlier dance experience involves training on Trinity Laban’s Centre For Advanced Training programme and being a member of National Youth Dance Company where she worked alongside choreographer Russell Maliphant. Consequently, Amelia is passionate about youth involvement in dance and the performing arts and believes they should be an accessible place for all.