AMBASSADORS
Our ambassadors play a crucial role in raising awareness, mobilising support, and advocating for the mission and objectives of the Chalke History Festival.
Thank you to those that leverage their influence, networks, and passion to support our goals.
Ambassadors
TOM WRIGHT
Senior Ambassador – Tom Wright has extensive experience in the heritage and tourism sector serving on the Boards of Wessex Archaeology, Leeds Castle, The Imperial War Museum, The National Museums of the Royal Navy, The Land Trust and UK Antarctic Heritage Trust. He was previously Managing Director of Chalke History Festival and CEO of VisitBritain.
DON COCHRANE
Don has previously worked for Ogilvy & Mather, Formula 1, Norwegian EV company Th!nk, Tesla and Aston Martin. Don is currently the president of VistaJet, the world’s largest privately owned jet company. Don is also the Chairmen of Vertex Watches, founded by his great grandfather, Claude Lyons, in 1912, he revived the company in 2016 and started work on his first watch, a commemorative piece in honour of the WWW Cal 59 Nav model made during World War 2, they now have a range of military watches, inspired by Vertex’s historic military timepieces.
PAUL DAVIS
With 20 years in digital communications, design, and innovation, Paul has collaborated with clients like Microsoft, Axa, and Prince’s Trust. He has co-founded Konekt Group, and specialises in refining missions, enhancing communication, and leveraging technology to broaden organisational reach and scale operations.
CARYN MANDABACH
Caryn is a BAFTA and Emmy award-winning television producer and owner of CMP. She produced such hit ground-breaking series as The Cosby Show, Roseanne, Third Rock From the Sun, That 70’s Show, Nurse Jackie and Peaky Blinders.
SIAN HANSEN
Sian Hansen holds a diverse portfolio of consultancy and non-executive board positions in areas such as financial services, policy development and the arts. Until recently, she was the Chief Operating Officer of CT Group, the global political and corporate strategy firm founded by Sir Lynton Crosby. Sian’s current director level and advisory roles include Non-Executive Director of JP Morgan Multi-Asset Growth and Income PLC, Non-Executive Director of Pacific Assets Trust and a Trustee of the Almeida Theatre. She sits on the Advisory Board for Cerno Capital PLC and is a Senior Advisor to the Sanctuary Counsel. From 2013-2016, Sian was Executive Director of the Legatum Institute, a global public policy think tank dedicated to promoting prosperity through individual liberty, free enterprise and entrepreneurship. Previously, she spent seven years as Managing Director of the UK think tank Policy Exchange, an educational charity promoting research and discourse on public policy.
ALICE LOXTON
Alice is a historian, presenter of history documentaries and published author with over two million followers on social media.
RICHARD SUTTON
Richard was Deputy Editor at Classic and Sportscar Magazine and was a Channel 4 motoring presenter before joining the Goodwood Group in 1996. He was Motorsport Director of the Goodwood Road Racing Company for over a decade, responsible for the content and delivery of the then nascent Festival of Speed and Revival events. He went on to found Nous, the brand development agency specialising in the Luxury and Tech sectors.
SIR LAURIE MAGNUS
Sir Laurie Magnus has served as Deputy Chairman of the National Trust between 2005 and 2013, and then in 2013, was appointed Chair of the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England. He was responsible for overseeing the creation of Historic England and the English Heritage Trust, a charity to operate their historic properties. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was appointed to the board of the Culture Recovery Fund. Since 2022 he has also been the Government’s Independent Adviser of Ministers’ Interests.
