Management Team
Patrick Towell, Joint Chief Executive LinkedIn
Patrick is a strategy consultant turned service designer and media executive. He brings a practical and commercial approach to complex challenges that span business and public policy. He has been the architect behind the launch of three national digital services – from local heritage information and digital learning content to directories of services for parents. He combines an ability to envision future products with a detailed understanding of content distribution, business affairs and technology.
He founded the new media agency, Simulacra Media, which delivered award-winning projects including the £500mn Curriculum Online programme and the National Theatre’s Stagework and worked with the BBC, Channel 4, Microsoft, Capita and multiple national cultural organisations.
Formerly he chaired the Information Society Working Group for UK’s National Commission for UNESCO, was vice chair of the British Standards Institute’s committee for learning technologies and lead strategy and marketing for the equivalent International Standards body.
Mandy Berry, Joint Chief Executive LinkedIn
Mandy has wide experience of the creative and cultural industries and a track record of initiating, developing and leading innovative projects exploring new thinking in digital media. Spotting opportunities, developing a vision and getting people to buy in, Mandy can persuade and enthuse people across different sectors, from cabinet ministers and business executives to artists and community leaders. She builds partnerships that deliver new creative enterprises.
Prior to Golant, Mandy founded 01zero-one in London’s digital heart, Soho, creating a space for collaboration between the converging sectors of the audiovisual and interactive digital media industries. There she established the InSync network for the digital media sector, featuring leading UK, US and European players; exploring and imagining the future direction of commercial and creative practice in the 21st Century. This is where she gained her experience of helping individuals as well as small and large creative companies interested in new and emerging technologies and cross-platform content to adopt new ways of working, distribution and business models.
Mandy co-led the UK National Commission for UNESCO’s work on digital media literacy from 2009 to 2011.
Non-Executive Directors
Jeremy Silver, Chairman LinkedIn
Jeremy Silver is an entrepreneur, investor and advisor in digital media. He is Chairman of Golant Media Ventures and a number of other companies. He also advises on creative industries at the UK Technology Strategy Board. He is a Non-Executive Director at the Bridgeman Art Library. He was CEO of Sibelius Software, a music notation software company he led for six years and sold to Avid Technology.
During the first internet bubble, Silver was worldwide Vice President of New Media for EMI Music Group in London and then in Los Angeles. He went on to run the playlist-sharing music service, Uplister Inc, in San Francisco, backed by August Capital. Earlier, at the Virgin Music Group, he worked with Genesis, Brian Eno and Massive Attack. He has a PhD in English Literature. His blog sometimes appears at www.mediaclarity.com
Wendy Boast, Transformation Director LinkedIn
Wendy Boast spent 30 years in the IT industry with more than 15 years at CEO/MD level in large organisations. She has subsequently also successfully launched and run a consultancy business specialising in mission-critical change management, and she now operates a portfolio of directorships, advisory roles and entrepreneurial ventures. She is a fellow of the RSA.
Advisory Board
Frances Anderson, Partner, Cobbetts LinkedIn
Frances is a specialist in technology and media law. Her focus is on law for creative business and she has a strong track record of advising on the arts, music, television, film, new media and information technology. Frances is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Chris Yapp, Technology Futures Strategist LinkedIn
From a background of 30 years in ICTs with many roles, Chris is now a freelance specialising in Innovation, Scenario Planning and Public Policy. He works extensively across public and private sectors. A Fellow of both the RSA and BCS (The Chartered Institute for IT), he blogs for BCS on Technology Futures.
Associate Network
For each project or partnership we put together an expert team drawn from our wide associate network. Amongst our team are:
- senior executives with experience of the TV, new media, design, PR and advertising industries
- developers of creative content and experts in multi-platform exploitation and next generation spin-offs
- producers of high-impact creative communication strategies and media interventions
- directors of award-winning international marketing campaigns across public, private and third sector brands
- lawyers specialising in intellectual property, information technology and media
- thought leaders in innovation and futurology, with senior executive experience in the technology industries in the UK and internationally
- academics with specialist knowledge of the international landscape, and bridging between the media and wider business sectors