Sarah Stannard has been Principal and Chief Executive of City College Southampton since the summer of 2013. She was previously a Vice Principal at Chichester College, one of England’s largest and most successful colleges. Her career also includes management consultancy with global businesses and national public sector organisations, and marketing and sales roles for FMCG companies.

Stephen Foster began his career as an artist, teacher and lecturer, and began his curatorial career as the Director of Axiom, an artist-run Gallery space in Cheltenham from 1982 to 1987. Since 1987 he has been the Director of the John Hansard Gallery at the University of Southampton, during which time the Gallery has won a substantial reputation for seminal work with artists and curators. The Gallery was designated ‘world leading’ for its curatorial research in the last Universities’ Research Assessment Exercise and has also pioneered groundbreaking access and audience development work.

Cllr Derek Burke was born in Shirley and has lived in Southampton all his life. Educated at Merryoak School in the city, he has been a stevedore in the city docks throughout his working life and currently works for Solent Stevedores. He was first elected to Southampton City Council in 1990 and in May 1999 was elected Mayor of Southampton and during his mayoral year represented the city on over 1,000 occasions.

Michael Ockwell began his theatre career as an actor before moving into theatre management with Stoll Moss Theatres. Michael was House Manager at the London Palladium and then Theatre Manager of the Gielgud Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue.

Michael became Managing Director of HQ Theatres and looked after HQT’s portfolio of seven regional theatres before joining the Grand Opera House, Belfast in March 2010.

Charlie set up Southampton Festivals as a not-for profit organisation in 2012 to help the city make more of itself - regeneration through events.

Jason is the BBC's Head of Regional and Local Programmes in Southern England. He is responsible for 250 staff working across BBC South Today, BBC Radio Solent, BBC Radio Berkshire and BBC Radio Oxford as well as the weekly current affairs programmes Inside Out South & Sunday Politics South and the four BBC Local websites serving Hampshire, Dorset, Berkshire and Oxford. Jason has spent his career in local and regional broadcasting, joining the BBC in the East of England as a trainee in 1999.'

Lena works in the field of media, PR and communications for a range of businesses and charities including the BBC. Alongside this, she became vice chair of Hampshire Police Authority. Lena is currently a non-executive director of University Hospital Southampton where she has portfolio responsibility for patient safety, international health and equality and diversity. Previously she was chair of Southampton City College.