Uwe Derksen
Over 25 years of experience in education, developing entrepreneurship programmes for students and adult learners in the community and the creative sector. Former member of the Board of Governors at the University for the Creative Arts and Assistant Director for Research of the University for the Creative Arts. Before then Assistant Director of the Centre for Enterprise and Business Development and Director of e-Novate Consultancy Ltd. Initiator and founding member, Director and Board Director of The Margate School.
Arnold Schwartzman
Arnold Schwartzman OBE RDI, Patron of The Margate School, is an Academy Award® winning filmmaker and noted graphic designer. He grew up in Margate and then moved to Hollywood in 1978 to become the Design Director for Saul Bass and Associates. In 1982, Schwartzman was appointed the Director of Design for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Since 1996, he has designed many of the key elements for the Annual Academy Awards® (“Oscar®”), including commemorative posters, billboards, cinema trailers and printed programs for the Awards ceremony and Governors Ball.
Jacob Calland
Drawing from a tradition of aleatoric sound and the New York school of minimalism to create extended pieces of exploratory, expansive and immersive music. Much of my work centred around soft system interaction with sound sculpture, treating the viewer as the performer and the artist as the luthier. I believe art and music have the power to help heal increasingly fractured societies.
Francesca Renny
Francesca studied Commercial Photography at AUB before working as photographic and production assistant within fashion and advertising. Francesca worked at UCA Canterbury for several years running photographic workshops and supporting students within Lens Based Media on the Foundation Diploma. Since then she has continued work as a creative workshop facilitator and freelance photographer and more recently, Programme Coordination.
Lydia Baker
Lydia studied Photography at Canterbury Christ Church University focusing on analogue techniques. While studying, she worked for The South East Archive of Seaside Photography as an Archivist. She then went on to become an Archivist and Curator for the Margate Museum, driving the rejuvenation of their Archive. Following this, Lydia worked for Polaroid as a Sales and Events Ambassador representing Polaroid at art fairs, trade shows, workshops and events for clients such as Vivienne Westwood, Save The Children, and The Photographers' Gallery.
Rebecca Thomas
Becky is an established graphic designer and illustrator who works with a number of local and national clients. She began her career with a BA(Hons) in Print Media and worked in local government for a number of years, until she became manager of a large design team and brand champion for a London consultancy. She has a Post Graduate Certificate in Visual Communication from the London College of Communication. In 2018 Becky moved to Thanet and set up her own business.
Photo credit: Jasper's Creative
Claudine Derksen
Claudine has experience in the multimedia industry specialising in digital marketing and creative development. Claudine has a proven track record collaborating on simultaneous campaigns at award-winning digital media company, 1854, publishers of the world’s oldest photography title, British Journal of Photography. She graduated from the University of Westminster with a BA Degree in Contemporary Media Practice.
Poppy Phibbs
Poppy is The Margate School's Digital Marketing Apprentice supported by Cambridge Marketing College. Poppy graduated from Leeds Arts University with a degree in Illustration and has since been busy getting involved in collaborative projects and design based commissions. Influenced by the underground comic scene of the 60’s & 70’s, The Chicago Imagists and Anarchist Philosophy, her illustration work is best described as “angst fuelled daydreams.”
Read more on Poppy's the apprenticeship here.
Geoff Orton
Geoff is the Secretary of the Margate Civic Society and a trustee of Monkton Nature Reserve. His earlier career was in book publishing and he spent 30 years of undetected crime at the Ministry of Justice, He worked with the TMS Director on the original Margate Economic Plan for the Coastal Community Fund application and continues to seek out funding possibilities and events as well as providing some stewarding when required. He sees TMS as having enormous potential for de-ghosting the High Street, supporting our growing creative community and contributing to easing community problems - notably in providing skills for employment opportunities.
Ed Gray
Ed studied Computer Science at the University of Kent including a year in industry at Intel in the Engineering Computing department. Following this he returned to Intel as a graduate working in Shannon, Ireland. He has since returned to the UK and is involved in a number of local community projects including supporting IT at The Margate School.
TMS Board
Hugo Fenwick
Hugo Fenwick is the trading director of the Fenwick department store, which is a national department store chain. Hugo was trained as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young London and has extensive experience in capital projects. In 2014/15 Hugo was appointed as High Sheriff of Kent. Hugo sponsored a dinner in Margate in March 2015 to local, regional and French stakeholders in support of TMS.
Martin Ebbs
Martin has 30 years experience in business + economic development consultancy. He holds an MBA from London Business School. His specialist expertise includes setting up programmes to support business growth, new enterprise + innovation; development of growth sectors + business clusters; inward investment promotion; economic growth strategies; + workforce skills programmes. He previously held a series of senior positions with London International Group, a multi-national FMCG company, Economic + Transport Planning Group, Eurotunnel.
Caron Derksen
Caron is a qualified and practicing solicitor for over twenty five years, having specialised in civil law and currently practices company and contract law. Caron has also taught various aspects of law and processes at FE and HE institutions. In 2001 Caron took a break from the legal profession when she set up and managed her own company to project manage high value European Commission work for ten years. The projects mainly centred on e-learning for small medium enterprises. Having lived and worked in Margate and East Kent for the last 35 years, Caron has first hand experience of the town's economic decline and now regeneration with emphasis on the arts. Caron is keen to develop a sustained engagement between liberal arts education and the local community and attract new interest and European links to the town.