Tom joined Starburst Foundation in 2024 and is proud to support an organisation that has given so many young people their first experience of performance and the confidence that comes with it.

He oversees the business side of the charity, including budgets, finance and governance, and also supports productions from a technical perspective.

Having built his own career from the technical side of theatre, he believes strongly in the value of the arts as a route into skills, discipline and belonging, and is committed to making sure those opportunities remain open to everyone in the community, whatever their circumstances.

Tom spent over a decade working in professional theatre, starting out as a casual technician and progressing to Technical Manager of a 1,000-seat venue, as well as overseeing external outdoor events for audiences of up to 5,000 people. His career has included arts centres, regional receiving houses and independent school performance spaces, working on in-house production shows, musicals, bands, comedians and festivals. Roles on productions have included technical director, stage manager and lighting designer, and he still works freelance in the sector today.

He is now Director of Operations for a multi-academy trust in Buckinghamshire, sitting on the executive team with responsibility for estates, IT, health and safety, procurement, governance, risk management and compliance. He has previously held senior operations and estates roles in both the state and independent education sectors, and is also a trustee of a multi-academy trust in Berkshire.