ENO announces changes to Board of Trustees

12th December 2019 in Press

English National Opera (ENO) is pleased to announce that Adiba Ighodaro is joining the ENO Board of Trustees with immediate effect.

Adiba is a Partner and Senior Adviser on global strategic relationships at international private equity firm Actis, where she has spent close to 30 years as both an investor and fundraiser. Her career started as a lawyer and she is a former Non Executive Director of Old Mutula Plc, and a current member of the EMPEA Africa Council.

Recognised by Private Equity Africa as one of the top female deal makers and fundraisers in the industry, as well as for the impact her leadership has had on women, Adiba has demonstrated an ability to raise funds consistently through up and down cycles, and in establishing enduring institutional investor partnerships globally.

In addition to her deep love of music, Adiba brings to the board her financial, strategic and legal expertise together with her passion for and commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Commenting on the appointment, ENO Chair, Dr Harry Brunjes says, “We are really pleased to welcome Adiba to the ENO Board. She brings with her a level of experience that we are sure will prove invaluable.”

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Notes to Editors

About English National Opera

English National Opera is the national opera company dedicated to one simple aim: making opera for everyone. We sing in English to be as accessible to the widest possible audience, as well as offering tickets for as little as ten pounds and we create opera that feels different, more theatrical and creatively daring. We’ve been doing this to an internationally recognised standard since being founded in 1931 as Sadler’s Wells Opera.

We are determined to open up the genre: nearly half of our audiences in 2018/19 were first-time bookers. Our learning and participation programme ENO Baylis last year touched the lives of more than 15,000 school children and community groups, and our talent development programme nurtures the careers of singers (the ENO Harewood Artist programme) and conductors (the Charles Mackerras Fellowship). We also give free tickets to Under 18s in our balcony for opening nights, Friday and Saturday performances.

Last year, the percentage of audience members under 44 increased by 13% year-on-year and the proportion of our audience with a black or minority ethnic background increased from 4% to 10%. In January of this year, we announced that we would be recruiting four new members of our Chorus from a BAME background, as well as four BAME Director Observerships.

Our ongoing support and development of British talent meant 80% of the cast in the 2017-18 season were British or British trained. That’s important to us and is fundamental to our ethos of giving new talent their break.

ENO is about opera for everyone.