MEET OUR BOARD
Our Board has a wealth of experience within the tourism industry:
Chair: Christine Howard
Chris is the President of the Surrey Hills Society – the charity she helped set up in 2008 to support Surrey’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (now called National Landscape). She has served as the Chairman of Visit Surrey since 2015. She is also the Chair of the Surrey Association of Local Councils. She has served as a parish councillor for over 30 years and as a borough councillor for 8 years, as well as working as an Economic Development officer in local government for both Waverley and Guildford boroughs. Having grown up on a farm in Australia, she is passionate about rural issues and the environment. In her spare time she leads walks in the countryside and is author of the Surrey edition of Walks For All Ages (published in 2018). She worked with Mark Carter and Tracy Carroll in 2019 to set up Surrey Day - the annual celebration of the County which includes an annual podcast that she researches. In 2023 she was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant for Surrey.
James Kennell
James is an Associate Professor and the Head of Surrey Hospitality and Tourism Management (SHTM) in the Surrey Business School at University of Surrey. His research explores issues associated with the relationships between the events, tourism and hospitality industries and society, and he has particular interests in the fields of policy and governance, political and protest events, dark tourism and exploration of events connected to conflict and tragedy. He has broad experience of consultancy and business engagement, and also sits on the board of the Organisation for Tourism, Hospitality and Management.
He is a Deputy Editor of the Event Management Journal, and Associate Editor for the Journal of the Geographical Institute ‘Jovan Cvijic’ (SASA), and serves on the boards of publications including the Journal of Heritage Tourism and the International Journal of Tourism Cities and is Chair of the International Association for Events Studies.
Lucy Letley
Lucy is the General Manager at Albury Vineyard, one of England’s leading organic wine producers, and a passionate advocate for Surrey’s thriving wine tourism sector. As a board director of Visit Surrey, Lucy represents Vineyards of the Surrey Hills, working to promote Surrey as a premier destination for wine lovers and visitors seeking unique countryside experiences. With extensive experience in marketing, tourism, and sustainable hospitality, she is dedicated to showcasing the region’s exceptional food, drink, and rural attractions, supporting local businesses, and enhancing Surrey’s reputation as a must-visit location.
Simon Durrant
Simon is currently the General Manager at Kempton Park Racecourse and has been part of the Jockey Club for over 20 years, dividing his time between Kempton Park, Sandown Park and Epsom Downs, the home of the greatest flat race in the world, The Derby.
Marilyn Scott
Marilyn has worked in museums, galleries and heritage attractions for 30 years. She was Director of the award-winning Lightbox in Woking until 2021, and took it from feasibility study through to opening as a renowned arts centre in 2007. She is now Co Chair of the Surrey Cultural Partnership and a DL for Surrey. Marilyn has worked in national museums, at both the V&A and Science Museum and for The National Trust. She is currently a Trustee of Brooklands Museum, Weald and Downland Museum and West Horsley Place Trust and The Sime Gallery. In her professional life she is a consultant specialising in heritage and the arts, particularly fundraising, income generation and sustainability, strategic and business planning and governance.
Tamsin Williams
Tamsin is an accomplished PR professional with experience gained both in-house and in senior consultancy roles, specialising in strategic communications for arts, culture and heritage. She is a Co-Founder of Guildford-based Wigwam PR, and her client experience includes museums, galleries, festivals, artists, designers, designer makers, architects, heritage sites and more. Tamsin is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Museums’ Association. Tamsin is part of Surrey Cultural Partnership, a collective of cultural leaders and stakeholders working to champion Surrey as a vibrant cultural county, and to ensure that everyone in the county has the opportunity to participate in, engage with and contribute to extraordinary cultural activity.
Olivia Parker
Olivia is a freelance arts and heritage marketer who has a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by organisations in this field. She cares about making art and heritage as accessible to the widest audience as possible, and brings over 15 years' experience to her work providing clients with strategy, website design, digital marketing and campaign planning, to help them navigate the ever-changing landscape of arts marketing and stand out from the competition. She is currently Head of Marketing at Watts Gallery - Artists' Village in Surrey, has also worked for Waddesdon (National Trust), Dulwich Picture Gallery and The Burlington Magazine, and is a member of the Arts Marketing Association. Olivia paints landscapes and botanicals in her spare time, loves hiking with her dog and escapes to art galleries and historic houses at any opportunity.
Prof Caroline Scarles
Caroline is Professor of Technology in Society in the Brunel Business School, and also holds invited Visiting Professor positions at Wakayama University (Japan) and the University of Surrey (UK). With 20 years of academic experience, Caroline's research interests include: technology for social good; mixed reality and immersive technologies in arts, culture and heritage; connection to nature for wellbeing; the visual and embodied, multisensorial engagements and interplays. She also has expertise in storytelling and social media, and a passion for creative methodologies and methods, in particular the use of visuals and art-based facilitation. In addition to her role on Visit Surrey's Board, Caroline is a long-term fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, an Invited Member of the Environment Agency Blue Space Forum, Advisory Board Member of Surrey Hills Arts, and Strategic Board Member for Surrey Cultural Partnership. As a year-round, open-water swimmer, she volunteers for Mental Health Swims - a passion which also inspires her work as an exhibiting artist, creating mixed media acrylic and soundscape expressions of community, water, immersion and mental health.
Simon Matthews (co-opted Board Member)
Simon brings to the Board over 25 years experience in both tourism and economic development. Formerly Partnership Director at Tourism South East, Simon has run his own successful consultancy since 2011 with clients from local, regional and national government. Since 2021 he has owned and operated a 5* rated self-catering cottage on the Isle of Wight, is a member of the IoW Tourism BID, saying his cottage is a testbed for practicing what he preaches as a consultant. He is pleased to be co-opted to the Visit Surrey Board at this important stage of its development.
Katherine Mills
Katherine is an experienced cultural heritage, operations and commercial leader. Currently working for the National Trust as General Manager for their latest acquisition, Munstead Wood, she has managed some of the Trust’s most significant and popular sites including Polesden Lacey and Nymans. Prior to this, Katherine worked in retail operations across London and the south east. Having lived in Surrey for most of her life and completing her MSc in Management at University of Surrey, she is passionate about the local area, in particular its museums and gardens.
Amanda Masters
Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, Amanda Masters moved to the South East as a student at University of Sussex and has worked in the region ever since, initially in local press and commercial radio, and subsequently as Business Development Manager for Surrey Chambers of Commerce and, since 2013, as Chief Executive of Experience Guildford, the town's Business Improvement District. Amanda is Chair of Real Change Guildford which strives to combat homelessness across the borough, and in her spare time enjoys learning furniture restoration.