Trustees

Chair of Trustees

Ben Weston-Conway is a chartered marketer. He is Group Director of Marketing and Communications for the Thomas Franks Group, a large family-owned catering partner and runs a small advisory practice, Influx Communications. Ben studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and Durham University where he made lifelong friends through music. He lives between Manchester and Buckinghamshire, where he is a governor of a special school and the proud chair of Soundabout.

Trustee, Treasurer

Mike is a Chartered Accountant who held senior finance positions in not for profit and private sector businesses. He has an MBA from Ashridge and has served as a Board member for a Further Education College. Mike’s interests include travelling, golf, tennis volunteering and of course music. He is kept on his toes by three grand children and loves to be active. 

Trustee, Secretary

Emily is a Disabled musician who is currently undertaking a Speech and Language Therapy degree at the University of Reading. Most recently, Emily work in development at Open Up Music. She studied Music at Newcastle University and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Rostock, Germany. She has worked in events; supporting operational teams and stewards at music festivals across the UK, including Glastonbury festival. Emily worked as a Teacher in SEN schools for a number of years, before her passion for music and inclusion led her to where she is today. Emily is very happy to have joined the Soundabout team!

Trustee

Bradley is the Head of Learning & Participation at English Touring Opera, leading and curating their work with and for communities around the country. Including commissioning, directing and writing new operas for children; devising and leading workshops.  In lockdown he made two series of online workshops for Learning Disabled children called Squawky’s Musical Makaton.  Bradley has loved music and drama from a young age, and having studied at the Royal College of Music (RCM), he is also an opera singer and director and has performed major roles for several UK companies.

Trustee

Upon graduating from the Royal Welsh College of Music, Jamie spent several years teaching violin in the Berkshire area. This is where he first discovered Soundabout, co-leading music sessions for children in special schools across Berkshire. Jamie spent some time managing and leading the inclusion and partnership work for the Berkshire Music Trust, before moving to the Royal College of Music in London. Jamie works within the learning and participation team and enjoys nurturing and supporting the next generation of musicians and educators. Jamie still enjoys teaching in his spare time and has a real passion for inclusive music making. 

Trustee

Trustee

Rob Ewels is Managing Director of Waterfit Ltd, a manufacturer of specialist fittings for the water utility industry. An engineer by background, he has worked across the automotive, construction and industrial sectors in the Far East and Australasia. Rob served as a governor and chair of the curriculum committee at a special primary school, a role that meant a great deal to him.

Rob is an enthusiastic amateur musician, currently singing Bass in a choral society and having played a variety of instruments over the years. His connection to Soundabout comes through his family’s experience of the charity’s choir in the West Midlands and Worcestershire, which has had a profound and lasting impact on their lives.

Rob is delighted to join the Soundabout board and to support the charity that has given so much to his family.

Mark Ross has spent more than two decades creating and producing music across television, advertising and the music industry. His work has featured in campaigns for global brands including Nike, Audi, BMW, Adidas and British Airways, and he has collaborated with a wide range of artists through his long-standing partnership with DJ Yoda. Mark is a passionate advocate for the transformative power of music and believes it can bring people together, promote healing and shine a light in challenging times. As a member of a barbershop harmony choir and a lifelong music-maker, he is delighted to support Soundabout’s mission of improving the lives of people with learning disabilities through music.