Aardman Appoints Three New Members to Board of Trustees

Multi-award-winning independent animation studio Aardman has announced the appointment of three new members to its board of Trustees. They are: Caroline Norbury OBE, founding chief executive of Creative UK; Deep Sehgal, head of creative diversity at GroupM Motion Entertainment; and Laurence Green, director of effectiveness at the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising.

Aardman has had Trustees since co-founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton transitioned the company into Employee Ownership in November 2018 and Aardman was effectively sold to Aardman itself. Peter and David sold 75% of their shares to a trust set up to hold those shares for the benefit of the Aardman employees.

The role of the Trustees is to ensure Aardman is run in the interests of its employees, in accordance with its guiding principles, and to the standards and values of its employees and Aardman’s founders.

Main duties and responsibilities include supporting the executive board in the long-term strategic planning for the studio, ensuring that Aardman will continue to remain a world-class and award-winning independent studio for many years to come. Trustees are not involved with the operational day-to-day running of Aardman.

Caroline Norbury OBE started her career working in community arts before becoming a film and TV producer then going on to found Creative UK. A not-for-profit organisation that supports the creative industries, Creative UK has leveraged over £100m into creative businesses and projects across the country and uses its extensive membership and networks to advocate for a world where creativity is valued and recognised as a driving force of our future. 

Deep Sehgal has had a long and varied career in documentaries, drama and comedy as a producer, director and executive producer for major global television networks and his films have won awards from BAFTA, Broadcast and the Royal Television Society. He currently serves as the head of creative diversity at GroupM Motion Entertainment, one of the world’s leading media investment companies, where he leads a dedicated fund for under-represented producers in partnership with Channel Four.

Laurence Green is an advertising strategist turned agency founder who has started, grown and sold two highly regarded creative agencies, Fallon and 101, working along the way with some of the world’s best-loved brands: from start-ups and scale-ups such as innocent, Nando’s, Green & Blacks and Ben & Jerry’s through to the BBC, Cadbury’s, Skoda, and Sony. Laurence was strategy columnist for Campaign magazine for many years and advertising columnist at the Sunday Telegraph for three.

Aardman’s existing trustees are independent chair David Pester, Aardman employees Dave Roberts and Carla Shelley, alongside co-founder David Sproxton. Caroline, Deep and Laurence join the board of Trustees, taking over from Jeremy Gadd and Mary Lowance who will be finishing their terms.

Caroline Norbury said, "Aardman's global reputation for creative excellence is renowned, and a real example of the power and quality of the UK's creative industries. I am honoured to be joining this iconic organisation, which has imagination, innovation - and sheer joy - at its heart. Their commitment to supporting emerging diverse talent in the UK is particularly close to my heart, and I'm looking forward to working with the team to help empower the next generation of creatives in Bristol and beyond."

Deep Sehgal said, “Aardman is amongst the most iconic brands in the world, and alongside the company’s astonishing creative output is all the incredible work it does to improve the lives of children here in Bristol and beyond. They are a shining example of how creativity and humour can be harnessed as a force for good and I am truly honoured to be joining them.”

Laurence Green said, “I’m a great believer in the value of creativity in our cultural and commercial lives, and delighted to be part of the studio’s next chapter. Aardman’s characters and stories raise a smile and raise the bar wherever they go.”

Sean Clarke, managing director of Aardman, said, “It is such a pleasure to welcome Caroline, Deep, and Laurence to Aardman and to have their wealth of experience and knowledge at our disposal. Aardman continues to go from strength to strength, with big ambitions for the future. We’re delighted to have such a capable and experienced trio join our Board of Trustees, who will help to support and guide us in delivering on these ambitions.”

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