Our Board

Sally is a successful local businesswoman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Married to Michael Cannon, our Founder of the Trust, for 56 years until his sad passing this summer, Sally was Michael’s lifelong business partner. Over the years, Sally has been a dedicated director of several public and private companies, including J A Devenish plc and Inn Leisure plc, and is a Trustee of several charities including the Cannon Foundation and the M R Cannon 1998 Charitable Trust.

Sally and Michael have owned a property near Sherborne for over 30 years. They first visited Sherborne House for a dinner in the 1990s and considered buying it before it was sold to Redcliffe Homes but had reservations about the extent of the restoration work required. The opportunity to rescue the building arose again in 2018 and this time they decided to take the plunge. Michael’s vision was to create a sustainable regional arts centre, hospitality, and events venue for the benefit of the whole town, and Sally is determined to make that vision a reality.

Eva has worked as a senior-level fundraiser and development consultant for key arts organisations in both The Netherlands and in London for over 30 years. These include leading lights in the London portfolio – Sadler’s Wells, the Royal Opera House, the Serpentine Gallery and The Courtauld Gallery.

Eva’s personal passion and commitment to the arts across the board, and most importantly the people at the heart of each art form, not only drives her professional record, but is also reflected in her active engagement as a Trustee on the Boards of Dance Umbrella, the Early Opera Company as well as Strongback Productions.

Eva is delighted to be a part of The Sherborne as an exciting destination of art, culture, social, food and fun in Sherborne and beyond. She believes it will transform the town and county and bring it on the national and international map of forward-thinking cultural destinations with ambition, accessible to all.

Sir Robert Fry completed a full military career, including posts as the Commandant General Royal Marines and Deputy Commanding General of Coalition Forces in Iraq.

On completion of military service, he became a Vice President of Hewlett Packard and currently sits on the board of several companies in the communications and security sectors. He was a visiting professor at Reading University and retains a visiting chair at King’s College, London.

He has written for a variety of print and online publications including the Wall Street Journal and Prospect Magazine. He was a founder trustee of Help for Heroes and is a member of the advisory board of the Royal United Services Institute.

Sir Robert has made Sherborne his home and is very keen to play a part in developing the wonderful opportunity that The Sherborne represents as an arts and commercial hub in the community.

Tim has lived and/or worked in Sherborne for more than 25 years and has a passion for the town’s community. He joins The Sherborne Trustees from a background in accounting, tax, and the financial advisory services. Qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser, Tim was a partner in a Southwest accounting firm before starting his own practice in Sherborne in 2003, and financial advice service firm in 2006.

More recently, Tim has developed residential and managed commercial property. He offers an entrepreneurial outlook and a wealth of expertise in providing financial management and business advice. As both a charity and former school governor over the past 10 years, Tim takes a keen interest in the Sherborne community and is enthused by The Sherborne project, which he sees as being key to the town’s heritage and set to generate wider interest and tourism to the town.

Sheila has a life-long commitment to creativity, diversity, and engagement in the arts.

As Chair of South-West Arts Council UK and a Trustee of its National Council, Sheila contributed significantly to major policy and investment decisions across a range of art forms – from theatre to dance, music to museums as well as to creative collaboration and touring across the globe. In her roles as Chief Executive of local government and as a Director with Central Government, she has led strategic change and improvement programmes working with business, cultural organisations, and local communities.

As a Trustee of Kneehigh Theatre, Sheila promoted a global perspective helping ensure they become an international as well as nationally renowned theatre company. Sheila has also served as a trustee of Bristol Ideas / Bristol Cultural Development Partnership and Chair of the Audience Agency. Playing key roles in the development of the Walsall Art Gallery, the Ikon, and Tate St Ives, Sheila now acts as an independent consultant and advisor for the arts and culture.

Richard moved to Dorset in 2004 with his young family. He has a degree in Agricultural Economics and has had a varied career across many sectors over the years. Time spent globetrotting in the British Army, working with Operation Raleigh in Africa, British Petroleum and on the Asian stock market finally brought him back home where he bought a cabinet making company, Halstock Cabinet Makers. Under Richard’s leadership, the company known for its master British craftmanship developed and grew from circa £900k turnover to combined turnover circa £14m, including the success of its sister business Little Halstock.

Richard met Michael and Sally Cannon first as fellow Dorset inhabitants. As The Sherborne project grew, he became more involved. He very much looks forward to bringing his wealth of experience and a dose of ‘common sense’ to this exciting endeavour.

Chris has a legal background, practising as a lawyer and corporate partner for a law firm in Bristol from 1985 until 1999. He counted Michael as one of his major clients. As Director of the Cannon Family Office, Chris has been a trusted confidant of Michael and Sally Cannon since 2000, managing all their commercial and charitable projects. Over the years, Chris has been appointed Director for many trading companies in the UK, USA, and Spain.

As Trustee for several successful charities, including the Cannon Foundation, the M R Cannon 1998 Charitable Trust and G I Trust (supporting street children in Jinja, Uganda), as well as sixpartswater (online health information) and the Sherborne Arts Trust (the Paddock Project), Chris brings a wealth of experience to the Board. Now semi-retired but keen to see the restoration of Sherborne House completed and the arts programme at The Sherborne thrive. He has been largely responsible for building the business case and structure for The Sherborne as a sustainable arts centre, hospitality, and events venue, accessible to all.

Jonathan is an experienced and respected Chartered Accountant with a strong finance background, boasting a wealth of experience in senior leadership roles across various sectors. Notably, he served as the Managing Director, Finance at Markit Ltd and as the Chief Financial Officer at ClearCourse Partnership Ltd.

Beyond his financial expertise, Jonathan is deeply committed to The Sherborne project, with his involvement in the venture dating back to its inception, through family connections. He is enthusiastic about revitalising the historic building, striving to not only restore it to its former glory but also to surpass its previous splendour.

Jonathan’s vision is to transform The Sherborne into an exceptional cultural and social asset for the town and the entire county, ensuring it becomes a true gem of its community.

Dr Anya Lucas is a historian specialising in British art and architecture of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Following an undergraduate degree at Cambridge, her PhD at the Courtauld Institute (2016) examined the architecture London’s Livery Halls in the age of the Stuarts. She is co-author of The Livery Halls of the City of London (2018).

Until 2019 Anya was Research Curator and part of the advisory panel for the lottery-funded Painted Hall Conservation Project at Greenwich, London where she co-authored a book on the subject: The Painted Hall: Sir James Thornhill’s Masterpiece at Greenwich (2019). She now works as a Conservation Adviser at The Georgian Group which campaigns to protect eighteenth century buildings and landscapes.

Anya has previously worked for English Heritage, has written for both scholarly journals and popular titles such as Country Life, and is a former Visiting Scholar at the Yale Center for British Art. She began her career as a PR Account Director working primarily within arts, culture and heritage.

Anya first encountered Sherborne House while researching Thornhill’s work at Greenwich. She now lives in nearby Somerset and is delighted to have joined the Board of The Sherborne as the building – and its nationally significant mural – begins a new chapter as a cultural destination following extensive conservation work.