Meet our Senior Team

Fiona has worked in positions of both artistic and executive leadership, with previous employers including Curve Theatre, Wales Millennium Centre, Sydney Film Festival, and Sydney Opera House. Fiona was appointed Artistic Director & Chief Executive of Birmingham Hippodrome in October 2015 and since then has taken the organisation on a journey of transformation, more than doubling the number of people reached each year.

She is currently President of UK Theatre, Chair of the Midlands Regional Tourism Board, a Director of Women of the Year, West Midlands Growth Company, Stage One and a member of the ACE Midlands Regional Council, Creative Industries Federation Council and Midlands Engine Business Council. In October 2018, Fiona was presented with the inaugural Women of the Year ‘Woman with Edge’ award and the following year the ‘Outstanding Business Woman of the Year’ Award by the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce. In April 2021, she was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the West Midlands

Graham is Director of Festivals at Birmingham Hippodrome, leading on all of our in-house produced festival work that includes B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival, Summer in Southside, Bullring Cultural Programme and Chinese New Year. Graham has been the Executive Producer and Festival Director for the bi-annual Birmingham Weekender and was Creative Producer for the 2018 Commonwealth Games Handover Ceremony.

Prior to joining the Hippodrome, Graham worked in Local Government and management consultancy settings.  Graham is also a serving Board Member for Sense, Culture Central and Southside BID, and co-chairs the Birmingham Festivals Group.

Chilina has worked in arts marketing for 20 years, joining Birmingham Hippodrome in 2007. In the last two years she has taken on the role of Director of Marketing and Sales, overseeing the brand, audience and sales strategies for the organisation; she is also Co-Chair of the venue’s Inclusion and Anti-Racism Working Group.

Chilina is a Trustee at Oxford Playhouse where she Chairs the Equality, Diversity and HR Committee and enjoys the opportunity to tread the boards with her local amateur operatic society whenever she gets the chance between work and raising two magnificent children.

Tim is the Finance and Planning Director and Company Secretary, looking after the Finance, HR and Executive Office teams and responsible for managing our financial performance, all regulatory reporting and overseeing our risk management processes.

Prior to joining Birmingham Hippodrome in 2017, Tim worked for a large single-family office and in the consumer goods sector after qualifying as a chartered accountant with PwC. Tim is also a serving board member for the WMCA Cultural Leadership Board and Southside BID.

Chris joined Birmingham Hippodrome in 2017. He leads on programming for both our stages, our produced work, Hippodrome Associates and artist development activity; and oversees accessible performances, Learning & Participation.

Previously, Chris was Executive Director of The Old Rep, and the first Creative Director of The Core at Corby Cube: opening and establishing a venue with young people and communities at its heart, developing new work and partnerships nationally and internationally.

Prior to that, he was a freelance director and producer and led a national young people’s leadership programme for Arts Council England. Chris is a Board Member of Wriggle Dance Theatre, an informal adviser to Beatfreeks, and a member of the More Than a Moment  working group, championing a more equitable arts and culture sector in the West Midlands and beyond.

Mike Bradford is Director of Operations at Birmingham Hippodrome. With a background in electrical engineering, Mike has had over twenty years of working and developing within the theatrical and entertainment industry. Mike currently has responsibility for I.T., Technical Production, Facilities, Visitor Services, Health and Safety and Capital Projects, alongside his consultancy work for other venues. Mike is extremely passionate about ongoing innovative development within his teams and is continually striving to be leading within the industry. In particular, he has a passion for bringing technology and its advancements to the forefront of everyday use.

Prior to joining Birmingham Hippodrome in 2001, Mike was Technical Manager within the Tussauds Group working in the entertainment areas across a number of theme parks within the UK.