Meet the Team

Alison has been involved with books all her working life, first in publishing and then as a Children’s Librarian. She now works for a specialist Children’s bookshop.  Alison spent 25 years living and working around the world and returned to South London 8 years ago and was extremely happy to discover that Polka Theatre was still thriving, as she remembers many happy visits with her children in the 1990s.  Alison is a keen theatregoer and a passionate believer that children need theatre.

Arif is a Senior Investment Strategist at Kempen responsible for designing, executing and managing multi-asset solutions for institutional clients. He began his career as an investment consultant at Mercer, and then spent 8 years at Legal & General Investment Management.

Arif has always enjoyed varied experiences having grown up in Wiltshire and Qatar in the Middle East. He has a passion for driving diversity and inclusion and equality of opportunity, particularly for the next generation. He has two young children who love spending time at Polka.

Fiona is an experienced lawyer with over 25 years’ experience with FTSE 100 companies, combining this with roles as professional disciplinary panel member, chair of governors and charity trustee, reflecting her interest in education, open justice, and commitment to public service.

Fiona worked as Director of Legal for Sky UK for 17 years, focusing primarily on employment issues, but latterly was responsible for the delivery of legal advice across a range of areas from news and ad sales to property and construction, all contributing to the broadcasting and creation of content. Her love of theatre began at a young age with visits from touring companies to her local theatre and she is delighted that visits to Polka created the same lifelong interest in her son.

Helen spent 10 years establishing, growing and managing Love Wimbledon Business Improvement District. Prior to this she worked at Merton Chamber of Commerce delivering publicly funded business support projects across South London.

She believes building and nurturing strong contacts and relationships makes for a well connected and joined up community that we can all be proud of and want to be a part of. Helen is now a Non-Executive Director for The Walk and Talk Movement, Chair for Wimbledon Community Choir and works strategically with a number of businesses and not for profit organisations.

Katy is a freelance marketing consultant with over 25 years’ experience in the performing arts sector. She began her career in festivals before being awarded an Arts Council bursary in marketing, specialising in touring.

Katy has worked with most large and medium sized theatres around the country, as well as a number of dance or theatre companies, both national and international. She has held positions in several major regional repertory theatres, been a consultant to a range of organisations devising audience development and communications strategies and delivered training courses around the country.

She was most recently Head of Marketing at Dance Umbrella and works regularly delivering research and marketing plans. She lives in west London and has two sons who were regular Polka visitors when younger.

Kellie is a solicitor of over 20 years’ experience in trusts and probate dispute resolution. She has represented and advised Charites, corporations, and individuals on the legal duties of trustees and personal representatives, and in relation to claims within the sector.

Kellie is currently a partner at Morr & Co Solicitors LLP, having previously trained and worked at a firm based in The City. Kellie has built a significant network in the business community in and around the South West London and Surrey area. Originally from Manchester, but living locally to Polka Theatre, she has a young son, and both have been enjoying theatre at Polka for many years.

A keen and long-time supporter, Kellie is passionate about the work Polka undertakes and the enjoyment that theatre brings to children. Kellie is extremely pleased to be able to serve Polka and its users in this position.

Mark has worked in media and broadcasting for over 20 years and for the BBC, he has produced content, worked on projects and initiatives, and led teams across radio, TV and digital – in Audiences, Children’s, Learning, Drama, Partnerships and Archives. He is currently Lead Curator for BBC Archives, working across teams to showcase the BBC’s wonderful history and back catalogue in its many forms.

In 2022 he was shortlisted for a BBC Outstanding Contribution Award, recognised for ‘truly exceptional work and demonstrating the BBC Values in all that they do’. He was previously Vice Chair of Trustees at Half Moon Young People’s Theatre and is particularly passionate about supporting the work of Polka for its audiences and community.

He moved to Wimbledon a couple of years ago and is loving exploring all that the area has to offer. His external passions are voraciously reading, scuba diving, attending and performing theatre and a large scale project to renovate a house!

Mic is a London born, Texas raised Theatre Maker, MC, recording artist, Teacher, Lecturer and Community Advocate. Since 1993 his Hip hop Freestyle Performance Company Ghetto Gramma has toured extensively across the nation devising theatre in marginalised communities.

He’s directed over 100 plays and musicals with his most recent theatre work including Jaberwocky at New Wimbledon Studio and Evita at Epsom Playhouse. Mic is the former Head of Drama at Ursuline High School, Wimbledon. In 2007 he was the recipient of South London Press Hero Teacher Award. Since 2018 he has been the Head Coach at Five ASide Theatre CIC a community theatre training company. He’s also the founder and Artistic Director of The Peoples Writes, a community theatre devising company.

Mic is a Governor at Ursuline High School working on the Sub Committee on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. He’s a Trustee at Apples and Snakes Poetry and Sutton African Caribbean Cultural Organisation. Mic has chaired Polka’s Community Working Group since 2021.

Michael is Head Teacher at Merton Abbey Primary School in South Wimbledon. He trained to teach in East London, specialising in working in multicultural communities and in teaching children who speak English as an additional language.  Most of his career has been spent in schools with high numbers of disadvantaged pupils.

Michael wants all children – whatever their family background – to benefit from London’s artistic and creative opportunities.  He and his partner are foster carers and live with a very naughty small dog.

Victoria is a Creative Learning Producer, Project Manager and General Manager with over 20 years’ experience working in the arts and education sectors. Currently Victoria works for Eastside Educational Trust as their General Manager. She has responsibility for leading and developing Eastside’s diverse portfolio of in-school and film and digital creative learning programmes.

Prior to this, Victoria worked at the Royal Opera House (ROH) for 6 years and was responsible for launching a new daytime events programme as part of the ROH’s capital redevelopment and managing its Insights programme, producing live and broadcast learning events. Before this, Victoria worked for 6 years at Society of London Theatre in several audience engagement and partnership roles. Victoria is a qualified secondary school teacher and trained as an actor whilst living in Sydney.

A passionate theatregoer, Victoria started visiting Polka with her mum as a child in 1984 and is delighted her 2 daughters are now following in that tradition.

Vince is a Chartered Accountant and lives in Wimbledon where his three grown-up children were regular Polka attendees. He qualified with Coopers and Lybrand (now PWC), before becoming a director of a private equity firm, Montagu, where he spent 24 years, originally as Finance Director. In 2005/6 he served as Chairman of the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA).

His past experience as a trustee includes eight years with a major children’s charity, and two years with a public arts organisation dedicated to illustration. He retired in 2016 and now works as a Non-Executive Director and board advisor. His posts have included serving as Senior NED for a listed asset management group specialising in the sustainable economy, chairing a private equity fundraising business, and chairing the investment committee of a business specialising in impact investing.

His interests include the arts, music of all kinds, and keeping fit through walking, running and golf.