We’re very pleased to announce that five new trustees have joined the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust (CHGT) board, bringing a wealth of unique perspectives, skills and insights to the team responsible for overseeing our work.

All five new trustees are joining the board at an especially exciting time for CHGT, as we prepare to dramatically expand our place at the heart of the Hounslow community with a new creative and community campus. Across the next two years, underused ‘back of house’ areas are set to be transformed into a volunteer hub, affordable artists’ studios and communal fruit garden, boosting the impact of the Trust’s existing community and volunteer programmes and allowing new artistic and cultural activity to flourish on site.

Reflecting the ambition and scope of these plans, the new trustees bring a breadth of experience to the board – as well as vital connections to the local community, and a passion for protecting these beautiful, historically-significant 350-year-old House and Gardens, keeping them open and accessible to all.

The new trustees

Heather Clark Charrington has over 25 years experience in marketing and communications and is currently the Director of Audiences at Southbank Centre, the UK’s largest multi-arts centre, where she leads the marketing, digital, design, communications, visitor experience and ticketing teams.

Kauser Fadal is a solicitor specialising in family law with a particular interest in Child Protection and Safeguarding. As a former Chiswick Community School student and longtime Brentford resident, Kauser is familiar with the local area, having spent a considerable amount of time in her youth in and around the gardens.

Clare Hebbes is an experienced property professional, whose experience across the past 25years has focused on large scale regeneration delivering employment, homes and public spaces for local and wider communities.

Nazir Hussain is a Chiswick based bank treasurer with experience across a range of financial institutions in London and abroad, who currently works for an international bank in the city advising on financial governance matters.

Taz Virdee is the Chief Executive of the charity C-Change West London and the Director of Elevate Community Productions, both legacies of the Heston West Big Local programme. With over 15 years of experience, he is an experienced community leader involved in the non-profit, environmental, housing, and education sectors across West London.

The new trustees will be joining the existing board members, led by Chair Sian Alexander, taking CHGT’s total current number of Trustees to 15.

Working together, the Trustees oversee the management and monitor the performance of CHGT, ensuring we can continue our important work in advancing education via the preservation, restoration, maintenance, repair and enhancement of Chiswick House and its Gardens, looking after them all year round, and allowing them to thrive and remain open for the enjoyment of all.

Xanthe Arvanitakis, Director of Chiswick House & Gardens, said:

We’re delighted to welcome Heather, Kauser, Clare, Nazir and Taz to our board of Trustees, and deeply value the significant experience and important new insights they’ll be bringing to our work as we embark on an exciting new era for Chiswick House and Gardens Trust.

The time and dedication of all our Trustees is something both myself and everyone at Chiswick House is greatly appreciative of. Their guidance and hard work ensures we can continue to do our best for our supporters, our visitors, and our local community.