Fellowship news and events
Summary
Stay in the know with Fellowship: learn about the CEO’s strategy for the RSA moving forward, get updates about the Fellowship Council, be inspired by the art showcase influenced by the RSA’s history, and more.
COMMUNITY
RSA CEO pledges ‘Fellowship First’ strategy
The RSA’s new chief executive has committed to developing a strategy for the organisation that prioritises Fellows, improves communications, hosts ‘unmissable’ events and launches programmes that ‘put the arts back into the heart of our work’.
Speaking at the RSA’s Annual General Meeting on 15 October, David Joseph said that he had spent the summer meeting Fellows, attending RSA events and consulting with Fellowship Council members and network leads. He has also spoken with every member of RSA staff since becoming CEO on 15 September.
His conclusion from these discussions? “Everything we do will be Fellowship First. That’s not a slogan, but a genuine commitment,” he told Fellows in the Great Room at RSA House and watching online.
“We’re putting the spotlight back on you. Fellows’ stories, Fellows’ projects and Fellows’ ideas. Not just to celebrate them – though we will – but to inspire others. Because the most valuable thing about this community isn’t what happens in this building – it’s what you are doing out there in the world.”
Joseph stressed that real change happens through collaboration, something that he has seen personally as chair of the Grenfell Foundation and in championing neurodiversity in the creative industries.
“We’re going to communicate better: opening up our thinking, sharing the best of what is happening across the Fellowship network. Our programmes will spark curiosity and bring the arts back into the heart of our work.”
RSA events and debates will become “unmissable again”, he said. Circle will make connection and collaboration easier. RSA House will continue its transformation into a stronger cultural, intellectual, professional and social hub.
“But – and this matters – we’re not forgetting those of you outside London. We’ll come to you across the UK and internationally, building a truly global organisation.”
Earlier at the AGM, RSA Chair of Trustees Sir Loyd Grossman stressed how closely he has been working with the new CEO. “David and I are determined to bring more clarity, more focus, more energy, more enthusiasm and more inclusiveness to this organisation. We feel that we are at a critical phase when the RSA has never been more needed.”
Grossman also thanked Charlotte Oades, who is stepping down as Deputy Chair of the Trustee Board after serving two full terms. She will be succeeded by Eva Pascoe, who becomes Vice Chair.
Other appointments and reappointments confirmed at the AGM include: Michael Davis and Dame Alison Carnwath appointed as trustees; Dinah Casson RDI confirmed as a co-opted trustee; and David D’Souza, Sandra Boss and Hosein Khajeh-Hosseiny reappointed as trustees.
APPOINTMENTS
A new Fellowship Council begins
After a competitive selection process this summer, the RSA’s new Fellowship Council was officially appointed at October’s AGM – and they are ready to drive change across the UK and beyond.
Up to 25 councillors – two from each area, plus three programmatic councillors – serve three-year terms (renewable once). Their role is to spark, support and lead Fellowship activities that align with RSA programmes, and to respond to local Fellows’ needs and interests. Working alongside community managers and volunteer community leaders, they plan projects that create real social impact.
The Council also acts as a vital bridge, channelling Fellows’ voices to RSA staff and back again.
From next year the Fellowship Council will move to a system of electing annually in thirds, so as to improve continuity and resilience between councils.
RSA Fellowship Council*
| Area | Name |
|---|---|
| Americas | Maria Santiago and Zoe Camper |
| Asia and Oceania | Yan Li and Andy Hsu |
| Central | Julie Samuels and Sheridan Chilvers |
| Europe and Africa | Vanessa Barros and Francesco Carignani |
| Ireland | Dan Khan |
| London | Eva Pascoe and Stephen Oram |
| Scotland and English Borders | Ann Packard and Eric Carlin |
| South East | Ann Longley and Elizabeth Donnelly |
| South West | Helen Gormley and Robin Tatum |
| Wales | Alan Mumby |
| North | Alan Raw |
| Programmes | Kim Judge, Georgina Wells and Lira Luis |
*Second term councillors in bold
Councillor positions in Ireland, Wales and the North are still open.
Interested? Contact David.Jones@rsa.org.uk
FELLOWSHIP CONNECT
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Email the Fellowship Services team at fellowship@rsa.org.uk
or call +44 (0)207 451 6939
Central region: fresh energy meets experience
The Central region exemplifies what’s possible when continuity meets innovation. Julie Samuels returns for her second term, bringing her background in academic research, community development and cross-sector partnerships. Joining her is first-timer Sheridan Chilvers, whose expertise in social enterprise and grassroots organising adds new momentum.
Both were already active within the RSA before their election.
Sheridan has been a fixture at Nottingham’s Hub Pub Club meetups, championed the Inclusive Growth Commission work with the East Midlands Combined County Authority and connected the RSA with emerging social enterprise networks.
Julie has built the Lincolnshire Fellowship network from the ground up and secured RSA involvement in the Lincolnshire Great Exhibition, showcasing our role as chief instigators of the original 1851 Great Exhibition. This created Fellowship recruitment and partnership opportunities.
Together with Fellowship Engagement Manager Luke Dorian, they are developing an ambitious programme to strengthen networks and create meaningful opportunities for Fellows to drive projects for social good across the West and East Midlands.
David Jones is RSA Head of Fellowship Engagement, and Luke Dorian is RSA Fellowship Engagement manager (Central).
CIRCLE OF FELLOWSHIP
Join Circle today and get your conversation started:
To activate your Circle account, log in through My RSA via the RSA website.
Your global community awaits.
FREE CO-WORKING SPACES
There are 12 co-working locations available across the UK where non-London-based Fellows can work for free – and we regularly add new venues.
ANGUS MILLAR LECTURE
“Connection lifts us higher”: Jo Salter delivers inspirational lecture
This year’s Angus Millar Lecture was given by Jo Salter, the first female fighter jet pilot in the Royal Air Force, in the presence of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and RSA Chair Sir Loyd Grossman.
In an inspirational and witty speech at the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh on 22 October, Salter discussed the power of connection. Salter attended a comprehensive school in Croydon, with dreams of becoming a hairdresser, joined the RAF aged 18, and ultimately became a flight lieutenant. She almost got blown up, endured an SAS-style interrogation – and hosted Tom Cruise.
The power of connection – to ourselves, to each other and to our purpose – was crucial, she said. It makes us steadier, braver and kinder.
“In this fragmented, fast-paced world that we’re living in, we need to be connected to each other, because it lifts us higher.
“It’s how together we build something which is better than where we are today. That is what connectedness and connection is going to bring, and what we must focus on – every single one of us.”
After leaving the RAF, Salter has held a variety of leadership roles, including Director of Global Transformative Leadership and Global Advisory Lead for GenAI at PwC.
The Angus Millar Lecture has been held annually in Scotland since 1999. Many notable figures have been involved over the years, including Andrew O’Hagan, Lord Bilimoria, Lord Skidelsky, Professor Joseph Stiglitz and Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore.
We want to give our thanks to the Millar family for funding the event through the legacy of Angus Millar FRSA.
Amy McPherson is RSA Fellowship Engagement Manager for Scotland and the English Borders.
RSA NORTH
Northern heights: making the most of monthly meetups
In the past few months, RSA North has started regular meetings to bring together the women and men of the Northern Fellowship with the ideals of the RSA. At these monthly meetings – in Hull, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and York – Fellows have given generously of their experience and expertise to co-create the future of the RSA in their communities.
In Liverpool, Ian Kendrick’s thinking on emergence theory combined with Alistair Rutherford’s desire for the RSA to bring together a variety of local organisations. In Leeds, Stuart Morris highlighted the value of intelligent and unexpected conversations at meetings, while Olivia Stross focused on the need for the RSA to generate plans to improve communities and then follow through with them.
At the York meeting, Thomas Mason developed a pathway to link the RSA community with local universities to better engage young people. Charlotte Davies made sure that the focus expanded beyond the University of York.
These are just tastes of the conversations that took place, but they illustrate the possibilities that emerge when Fellows come together. That’s why all our Activity Hubs run monthly informal meetups.
By running these events, we build the RSA’s capacity for great conversation and significant social impact in our hub cities. So if you haven’t been to a Fellowship event in a while, or ever before, take a look at the RSA website and consider coming along to the next meetup in your area.
Jason Charewicz is Fellowship Engagement Manager for the North, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
RSA JAPAN
Building harmony in a fractured world: reflections from Japan
October marked a special moment for the RSA in Japan – a week of connection, collaboration and creativity that showcased the very best of what our Fellowship can do.
It began on 1 October in Tokyo, where Fellows gathered to explore a potential new venue space over dinner and conversation. Two days later, we co-hosted an event with the University of Birmingham and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy on regional growth for Japan’s cities and prefectures.
Leaders from government, academia and civil society joined to explore how governance and funding can enable vibrant regional development – an exchange that bridged ideas between the UK and Japan.
From 3 to 5 October, the RSA Pavilion in Osaka brought that same spirit to life through talks, dance and music performances, and workshops exploring how can we live more harmoniously in a fractured world.
More than 80 people joined across three days, diving deeply into creative and thoughtful discussions. On Saturday evening, Fellows and guests shared food prepared by Osugi-san (The Doghouse Inn) – complete with art-inspired cocktails – capturing the warmth and connection that defined the event.
None of this would have been possible without Tania Coke FRSA and the team at Flying Carpet Factory, whose dedication turned vision into reality.
The week concluded at the World Expo, where the RSA facilitated the final talk of our series at the UK Pavilion on the Future of the SDGs – a fitting close to a week that reminded us that progress happens when we bridge worlds, listen deeply and act together.
Jess Robson is RSA Global Community Manager.
AWARDS
A record-breaking year for the Journal
RSA Journal and its publishing partner, Wardour, have won three more awards at two prestigious ceremonies, bringing the Journal’s awards’ tally this year to 14.
In October, the Journal won Silver at the 2025 Digital Impact Awards for best use of digital by a charity, NGO or not-for-profit. This followed double Silver success at the 2025 Summit Creative Awards in the social media campaign category and in the public awareness and advocacy (non-profit and charity communications) category.
This latest success comes on top of 11 award wins for theJournal earlier this year (four at the Astrid Awards in April, six at the Corporate Content Awards in June and one at the Internal Communications and Engagement Awards in June).
The Journal has also been shortlisted in the membership publication of the year category at the Professional Publishers Association Independent Publishers Awards 2025. Winners were due to be announced as this issue of the Journal went to press.
NEWS
RSA Oceania update
In September 2025 the RSA and RSA Oceania concluded their affiliate agreement. Stakeholder and partnership work will continue across the region, with ongoing support for our engaged community of Fellows in Oceania.
We are deeply grateful for the commitment and hard work of the Oceania Board over many years, and we look forward to strengthening ties across Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, and to continuing to grow our Fellowship through collaboration and collective action.
For further information, contact Jess Robson, Global Community Manager at jessica.robson@rsa.org.uk
ART
Florence Reekie at RSA House
Figurative oil painter Florence Reekie will be showcasing her new show, The Pleasure of your Company, in RSA House’s Queen Elizabeth II Room from December 2025 to February 2026.
Reekie created these works influenced by the RSA’s history and architecture, and drawing inspiration from Antonio Zucchi’s Pan Celebrating the Feast of Bacchus, an ornate ceiling piece that can currently be found in the Prince Philip Room at the House.
Reekie places fabric at the centre of her works, skilfully painting silk, suede and velvet on used materials – here, on re-purposed curtains. She uses fabric as a narrative tool to explore tensions around consumerism and sustainability in an increasingly moralistic culture.
Reekie also plays with the idea of ‘Vanitas’, a Dutch-style genre of memento mori (‘remember you will die’). She reminds us of the inevitable path of desire and excess with her beautiful depiction of figures in luxurious clothing dancing amid the discarded napkins of a bacchanalian feast. This unwinding afterparty invites onlookers to carefully consider what matters most in the face of decadence.
The exhibition will be open to the public depending on room availability. Please email laure.barthelemy@rsa.org.uk to book a visit.
Laure Barthelemy is RSA House Curation Officer.
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