{"id":1035328,"date":"2024-05-10T16:11:36","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T15:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/development.theaoi.com\/about\/our-people\/staff-copy\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T17:15:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T17:15:18","slug":"board","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/about\/our-people\/board\/","title":{"rendered":"Board"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fade band no_fade_  color-ffffff \" style=\" background-color:#FFFFFF\">\n\n<div class=\"container\">\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:15%\"><div class=\"block-breadcumbs\">\n\n\n\n<nav class=\"woocommerce-breadcrumb\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/about\/\">About<\/a> >    \t<a href=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/about\/our-people\/\">Our People<\/a> >    Board<\/nav>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-page-list\"><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item\"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link\" href=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/about\/about-the-aoi\/\">About the AOI<\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item\"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link\" href=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/about\/history\/\">Our History<\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item has-child\"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link\" href=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/about\/our-people\/\">Our People<\/a><ul class=\"wp-block-navigation__submenu-container\"><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item \"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link\" href=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/about\/our-people\/staff\/\">Staff<\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item \"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link\" href=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/about\/our-people\/meet-up-hosts\/\">Meet Up Hosts<\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item \"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link\" href=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/about\/our-people\/board\/\">Board<\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item \"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link\" href=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/about\/our-people\/patrons\/\">Patrons<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item\"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link\" href=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/about\/contact-us\/\">Contact Us<\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item\"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link\" href=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/about\/jobs\/\">Jobs<\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item\"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link\" href=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/about\/faqs\/\">FAQs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Comprised of illustrators and experts from different areas within the creative industries, the Board offers a breadth of knowledge and perspectives. Together they help oversee the continued growth and good governance of the AOI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:32px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Our Board<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:2rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"985\" height=\"985\" src=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Josie-Dobrin-bw.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1118064\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nomargin has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-pink-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1ad75089abf9fd29f551f6260ff1a750\">Josie Dobrin OBE<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chair<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">A former communications consultancy Director and press advisor to the Mayor of London, Josie has worked with many of the UK\u2019s leading creative businesses. In 2012 she co-founded&nbsp;Creative Access, now one of the UK\u2019s leading diversity organisations. In 2023 she was awarded an OBE for services to the creative industries in the King\u2019s New Year Honours.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Ciara-Phelan-edited-600x600.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1017257\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nomargin has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-pink-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6d4bb5086d3d57c4b733288775916296\">Ciara Phelan<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Interim Chair<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">With a background in design, Ciara initially built her career as a collage illustrator before co-founding artist agency Grand Matter. Ciara is also one of the founding forces behind Agents for Change.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Montana-Forbes-edited.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1017253\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nomargin has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-pink-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8426d9531ea53b897d7f7db59b8e8647\">Montana Forbes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Fashion, beauty and lifestyle illustrator with 15+ years experience, represented by Illustration Ltd. Montana grew up between Harare, London and Atlanta and studied Visual Communication at The American Intercontinental University in London. Throughout her career, she has been involved in developing, curating and organising exhibitions, talks and conferences.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Dan-Woodger.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1017245\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nomargin has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-pink-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f5072b8c347a1361adceee2028fb3efe\">Dan Woodger<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">London based illustrator and animator with 10+ years experience working in the creative industry. Since graduating from the University of Brighton in 2011, his playful character-based work has seen him collaborate with some of world&#8217;s biggest brands including Apple, Google, Netflix, Samsung and Pepsi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Dan-Morey-600x600.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1017246\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nomargin has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-pink-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-edfc636b57acbd91d1e8ce2d308ad9bc\">Daniel Moorey<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Previously Head of Illustration and Photography at adamandeveDDB, Daniel has worked extensively in animation, live action, CG, projection mapping, matte painting, etc. In previous lives he was Head of Artbuying at DDB London and Artbuyer at AMVBBDO. Daniel currently edits and publishes a web project documenting the UK.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Deirdre-McDermott-edited.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1020461\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nomargin has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-pink-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8c9c433f59d7740956c2ba4fdd4ba48b\">Deirdre McDermott<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Picture Book Publisher and Creative Director at Walker Books. Many of the picture books she has art directed and published have won awards globally. She established the Sebastian Walker Award and is a trustee of Seven Stories. A native of Dublin, Ireland, Deirdre lives in London, England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-10-at-16.55.02.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1017261\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nomargin has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-pink-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d13cf79e3d6cee9421374f723363bfd1\">Gabriella Playford<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Gabriella trained and qualified in-house as Global Legal Counsel at The Mill, a leading VFX and content creation studio, before joining Sheridans law firm in 2019. She is now an Associate and advises various industry bodies in relation to best practices in the animation and VFX production landscapes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Jhinuk-Sarkar-600x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1017251\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nomargin has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-pink-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1fe3798b2f61e0ca85cbd9b28ec3a527\">Jhinuk Sarkar<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Illustrator, educator and consultant advocating inclusivity and accessibility in the arts. Jhinuk studied Illustration at Norwich and Central St Martins and currently works with Ravensbourne and Camberwell universities on their BA Illustration courses, alongside her access work at Turf Projects.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-10-at-16.54.32.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1017263\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nomargin has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-pink-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a93c8822e3719904a9bbed36718046f6\">Rachel Gannon<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Illustrator, educator, researcher and currently Associate Professor and Acting Head of School of Design at Kingston University. Rachel&#8217;s interest in illustration disciplinary research methodologies and their potential for inter- and trans- disciplinary application culminated in the text \u2018Illustration Research Methods\u2019 (2021, Bloomsbury Academic), co-authored with Dr Mireille Fauchon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/RachelHill-ConvertImage-1-600x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1016287\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nomargin has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-pink-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-abdede4bdbc0f8d555da53ab9d01260d\">Rachel Hill<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Current CEO of the AOI, leading the organisation in initiatives such as the mentorship program, the World Illustration Awards and advocacy work around AI. Rachel previously held the position of AOI Membership Director and worked as an Illustration Agent, demonstrating her commitment to supporting individual illustrators to advance their careers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"nomargin has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-pink-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a3f2bfce6caa1733072757e1c81100bd\"><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"nomargin has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-pink-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a3f2bfce6caa1733072757e1c81100bd\"><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:140px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"parent":940982,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1035328","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1035328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1035328"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1035328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1168482,"href":"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1035328\/revisions\/1168482"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/940982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaoi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1035328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}