Charity Governance
Ealing Book Festival Trustees
Our Board of Trustees ensures that Ealing Book Festival meets its charity objectives. This includes setting the charity's strategy, making key decisions, overseeing day-to-day operations, managing risks and operating within financial limits.
Catherine Jaquiss (Chair)
Catherine has lived in Ealing for over 20 years and had a long-term career in human resources. She is one of the founding members of the Ealing Book Festival. Reading for pleasure has always been one of Catherine's passions and she, along with a team of similarly-minded individuals, felt that Ealing deserved its own festival to celebrate the joy of storytelling. Building on the importance of reading to living a full and rewarding life, Catherine established the Ealing branch of Read Easy, a local charity which works with adults who need support to read.
Jeff Highfield (Treasurer)
Jeff is retired accountant and a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute. He has lived in Ealing since the mid 1970s. He spent the majority of his career in occupational pensions and brings to his role as Treasurer his years of experience of accounting practice, the application of accounting standards, financial controls and audit. Jeff has been Treasurer since 2023, and has overseen the development of the charity's accounting policies and financial control processes. Jeff's eclectic reading tastes include biography, philosophy, alternative history, hard sci-fi - stories that open the mind to the power of imagination to make different worlds.
Hazel Flynn (Secretary)
Hazel joined Ealing Book Festival as trustee and secretary to the Board in 2026, bringing over 30 years of senior management experience across a range of sectors including managing Local Authority and Housing Association social housing, and in the charity sector specialising in mental health services, working for Mind and a large learning disability charity, before retiring in 2020. Hazel has a deep understanding and knowledge of governance, Board and Trustee management, regulatory requirements and compliance, and is also a chair of a counselling charity in Waterloo, London. Hazel's love of books and stories started very young, she is particularly keen on historical and contemporary fiction, and really enjoys magical realism and a smattering of science fiction.
Ian Burge
A long-time Ealing resident, Ian brings professional experience in corporate communications to his positions as a Trustee and member of the Ealing Book Festival management team. Involved in the Festival since its launch in 2023, he plays a role in shaping its marketing and communications strategy, helping to raise the Festival's profile and embed it at the heart of the community. Passionate about storytelling and the written word, Ian loves fiction, books about current affairs, history and urban geography, and ghost stories - interests that reflect his belief in the power of stories to help understand and shape the world we live in.
Niro Dahanayake
Niro joined the Ealing Book Festival as a Trustee in 2024, bringing professional legal experience and a passion for volunteering in support of literacy initiatives. She advises the charity on legal compliance, contracts and risk management. Niro is driven by a love of stories, especially the childhood books whose magic has stayed with her ever since. She also enjoys speculative fiction, multicultural narratives, and classic mysteries.
Andrew Harrison
Andrew joined the Ealing Book Festival as a Trustee in 2024. He brings experience of communications and organisational growth and development from his time helping to build and lead a PR consultancy business. Andrew has lived in Ealing for over 20 years, and plays a leading role in the charity's fundraising efforts. Andrew enjoys books on current affairs, fiction and biographies, and is a recent convert to audiobooks as a way to enjoy great stories on the move.
Romana Kafedžić
Romana Kafedžić is a global health professional delivering health system strengthening in low-and-middle income countries, with a deep belief in the power of books to expand opportunity. A former refugee, she understands firsthand how access to education, libraries and ideas can shape life trajectories. She is particularly drawn to non-fiction - especially science and memoirs - valuing rigorous evidence alongside powerful lived experience. She loves to read dystopian fiction and the insights the genre provides into human psychology. Through her role as Trustee, she is committed to supporting Ealing’s diverse communities and ensuring the Festival continues to champion accessible, inclusive and intellectually curious literary programming.
Paul Sowerbutts
Paul Sowerbutts has a 40 year media career spanning advertising, radio, film, television and publishing. He was Publishing Director for BBC Books at Penguin Random House for five years, publishing works such as The Great British Bake Off, Rick Stein, Dr Who, Ottolenghi and David Attenborough. During his film and television career he produced many award winning documentaries including Touching The Void, A Brief History of Time and the global hit series Bear Grylls: Man Vs Wild.
