Arad Goch is proud to announce the appointment of Sara Gibson as the new Chair of the Arad Goch Management Board, succeeding Professor Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, who has stepped down after seven years of dedicated and visionary leadership for the company.
Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones has played a key role in guiding Arad Goch through a transformative period within the business, of artistic growth and cultural outreach, promoting theatre in the Welsh language and expanding the national and international profile of the organisation. Her role is characterized by innovation and a deep commitment to the power of the arts and inspire young people.
After almost fifteen years on the board, we are proud that she will be staying with us to share her wealth of experience.
"We as a company have been so fortunate to have Elin's firm guidance over the last 7 years - a period that has been challenging in terms of Covid, funding, and changes to the company. Elin has guided us firmly through the challenges and has contributed greatly to extending Arad Goch's connections in Wales and across the world. Thank you very much to her for all she has done for the company. We are very excited for this next chapter and to be working with Sara." Nia Wyn Evans, business director of Arad Goch.
Elin is succeeded by Sara Gibson who has a background that encompasses the arts, education and cultural leadership. "It is an honour and a great pleasure for me to be appointed Chair of Arad Goch - a company that has a very special place in my heart. I thank Professor Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones for her special work in chairing the Board over the past 7 years, and I am proud that she will continue to be a key member of the Board. I first came across Arad Goch 28 years ago while working with Morganwg Theatre, and I have followed its journey with admiration ever since, becoming a proud member of the board 11 years ago when we moved as a family to Aberystwyth. The company's commitment to creating high quality imaginative theatre for children and young people - in Welsh and English - is as inspiring as it has ever been. As a mother of three children, I know from first-hand experience how powerful creative experiences are in shaping young minds and opening up the world to them. I'm really looking forward to supporting the next exciting chapter in the journey of this fantastic, bilingual, international company, and to supporting the leadership team as we head towards our big 40th anniversary in 4 years' time.”
Sara chairs her first meeting in January. Elin Gruffydd "thanked all the members of the Board for their dedication once again this year. We are very grateful as a Board to our funders for continuing to invest in this important service. Creative Welsh and bilingual experiences for children and young people are not a luxury for some, but a sign of a free society that supports opportunities for everyone, giving an appropriate place to theater in schools and in communities. In the face of challenges to our democratic values, we long to 'raise the mirror of experience and open the door' imagination”.