Allison grew up in the Northeast and moved to London in her early 20’s where she rose to Artistic Director of a chain of Salons. This experience led her to pursue a successful career as a session stylist in various aspects of media and TV which span globally. As a founder Director, she was involved in the early planning and creation of the social enterprise that would save the Forum from closure. Since start of trading in Jan 2011 and as the CEO, Allison has dedicated her career with passion and drive to ensure the Forum Music Studios is a vibrant and sustainable cultural community hub for Darlington.

Michael works as Senior Accountant at HC One in Darlington. He has previously worked for Darlington Building Society and Wolseley. Michael qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant in 2019. He joined the Forum’s Board of Directors in 2020, to help us achieve our community benefit ambitions. Joining shortly before the Covid pandemic, Michael was quickly involved in assisting Allison in the production of financial assessments aiding grant applications including the Culture Recovery Fund. Outside of work, Michael enjoys attending gigs, cinema visits and days away with his wife. He has previous volunteering experience from a couple of Northern League Football clubs.

Laura has been a qualified lawyer since 1998. She began her career in London with the Crown Prosecution Service working at one point with the Flying Squad and attending the “Old Bailey” (Central Criminal Courts) Over the past 25 years she has practised in criminal law, mental health law and now children’s law and has achieved accredited status from the Law Society in each area. She is currently a partner in Hewitt’s one of the largest firms of solicitors in County Durham. Laura is a classically trained trumpet player and for many years played with brass bands in the County Durham area. In her spare time, she enjoys socialising and pursues her interest in reclamation and interior design.

Jack qualified as a chartered accountant while working as an auditor for Ernst & Young LLP. Following 5 years working with a range of listed PLCs to smaller SME arrangements, Jack moved to work at the global headquarters of Froneri, producing consolidated financial statements, reporting, controls and other group accounting functions. After over 3 years at Froneri, Jack took on the role as Group Financial Controller, at Bremsen Technik group, where he is responsible for the financial reporting and day to day financial controls within the organisation. Outside of work Jack has a keen passion for music, being a grade 8 guitarist himself as well as enjoying football and golf.

Paul is an accomplished communications specialist supporting Northumbrian Water’s £3.6bn capital investment programme. With a career spanning over two decades in media and communications, Paul graduated from Teesside University in 1997 with a BA (Hons) in Journalism. Beginning as a journalist at The Northern Echo, Paul developed expertise in entertainment and sports writing alongside his core responsibilities as a local news reporter. In 2002, Paul transitioned into public relations, spending 13 years at an agency where he managed accounts for a diverse range of clients, including SMEs, listed companies, high-net-worth individuals, and politicians. In 2016, Paul joined Northumbrian Water to further his career in corporate communications. Outside of work, Paul is passionate about live music photography, travel, and enjoys spending time with family and dogs.

Born in Northallerton but brought up in Darlington, Simon joined the Royal Air Force at 17, working on Tornado on front-line squadrons. He left in 2002 after serving for 16 years. After this, he started working on the railways, completing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and then becoming a chartered engineer. Simon is now a director of his own railway consultancy firm, which designs and builds UK railways. Married to Versha, they have one child, Ria, who works at the Forum. His hobbies are varied, but music plays a significant part, either playing his guitar or going to gigs, especially at The Forum. Simon’s other hobbies include restoring and driving classic cars, football, cricket and motor racing. He is also heavily involved in some Forces Charities that help fellow veterans through hard times.

Since 2022, Trish has been the Chief Operating Officer at Bishop Hogarth Education Trust, which has 35 schools across the region, including 5 in Darlington. Before this, she spent a decade in central government, leading teams focused on achieving Net Zero, delivering the Local Government Finance Settlement, and coordinating emergency response and recovery efforts. She has a doctorate in law and practiced in Chicago, specialising in litigation and public sector law. Trish grew up in Newcastle, where she was a regular at the Mayfair and found an early passion for grassroots music as an organiser and trustee of the (much mixed) Newcastle Green Festival. She is delighted to help play her part in ensuring that the Forum’s unique community space continues to thrive.