The Queen’s Hall is delighted to announce the appointment of a new Chair of their Board of Trustees: Rosamund West, Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director of respected media organisation Radge Media, publisher of the independent cultural magazine, The Skinny.
Rosamund was officially voted on to the Board at the AGM on 16 December 2022 and takes over from former MP for South Edinburgh and Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, Nigel Griffiths who chaired the Board from 2013.
Rosamund brings a wealth of knowledge of Scotland’s cultural landscape to the role and shares The Queen’s Hall’s aim to reflect the diverse audiences it serves. This marks an exciting time in the history of the 43-year-old venue, which re-opened post pandemic with a reconfigured foyer space, giving birth to the award-winning AMPLIFI series of gigs, curated by We Are Here Scotland to showcase the sounds of modern Scotland and give a platform for Black artists and musicians of colour.
Rosamund led the team that successfully steered Radge Media through the pandemic, retaining all staff despite successive lockdowns and publishing the magazine’s 200th issue in September 2022. The Skinny is one of Scotland’s most highly regarded cultural barometers offering informed, entertaining coverage and constantly seeking out new developments ahead of the crowds.
As Editor-in-Chief, Rosamund has been involved in special projects with Intercultural Youth Scotland, Alchemy Arts and Film, Edinburgh International Festival, and Scotland + Venice. In 2018 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh for services to cultural journalism and holds a first class Fine Art MA in Sculpture and History of Art from the Edinburgh College of Art. With a love of all genres of music, but a background and special interest in classical, Rosamund is the ideal person to help guide the future of one of Edinburgh’s most established venues.
Rosamund says, "It's an honour to step into the role of Queen's Hall Chair, and an exciting time to join the team. The challenges of recent years have tested organisations across the cultural sector, and the way the board and management team have steered the Hall through is a testament to them both as an organisation and as individuals. Nigel leaves behind an impressive legacy, with an organisation ready to build on recent successes with exciting new programming and projects. I'm looking forward to working with Evan and the rest of the team to help build on this legacy going forwards."
Evan Henderson, Chief Executive of The Queen’s Hall says, “I’m looking forward to working with Rosamund on the next chapter of The Queen’s Hall. This is an exciting time in our history, with world-class artists having the chance to once again perform to live audiences, and the opportunity for us to curate new strands and give opportunities to Scottish artists. I’d also like to thank our outgoing Chair, Nigel Griffiths, and outgoing Board member Fiona Salzen, both of whose commitment and invaluable support helped us to successfully steer through the challenge of the pandemic and beyond.”
A press release can be downloaded below. For further information or hi-res images, please contact Emma Mortimore, Marketing & Development Manager: emmam@queenshalledinburgh.org.