The Trustees of Borough Market have today, 24 August ‘22, announced the appointment of Michelle Lam to the Board of Trustees.
Michelle is a qualified finance professional at Peabody Housing, with over 15 years’ experience working in the highly regulated social housing and education sectors. She will work with the Board of Trustees, staff and traders to shape and oversee the future direction of the Market.
Michelle’s new role with Borough Market has come about following the Market’s participation in a bespoke pilot programme, Black on Board, with Southwark Council and social enterprise, Olmec. The pilot was developed to address the lack of racial and ethnic diversity on arts boards in the borough and to meet the needs of aspiring trustees from under-represented communities.
In line with Borough Market’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, members of the Board of Trustees and Senior Management team signed up to a series of sessions over a period of six months, as part of the Black on Board programme, to explore opportunities to understand and improve representation of people of colour at board level.
Michelle Lam, newly appointed Trustee at Borough Market said: “I came to Black on Board wanting to push myself to become a board member in a role that I am passionate about. I am honoured and energised by the chance to support the Borough Market family and to join a board of such wide-ranging talents. Having worked in the local area for some time, I’ve always been in awe of London’s vibrancy and diversity and I am a big believer that food has the power to combine cultures and create communities. I look forward to working alongside the other Trustees, staff and traders at London’s oldest and most influential food market.”
Owned by a charitable trust, Borough Market is run by a board of volunteer trustees who oversee the governance of the Market and are committed to supporting the local community around Borough Market.
Jane Swift, Interim CEO at Borough Market said: “It has been a huge pleasure working with Olmec and taking part in the Black on Board programme. Olmec is a fantastic organisation made by its team of authentic, inspiring and challenging people who are incredibly passionate about their work. We are really grateful to have been given the opportunity to take part in the programme and thrilled that it lead us to meet Michelle, who we are very excited to have joining the Board.”
Adrian Bunnis, Chair of Trustees at Borough Market said: “We are delighted to welcome Michelle to the Board, where her wealth of talent and experience will help us continue to make Borough Market the best food market in the world. Working with Olmec and Southwark Council on the Black on Board programme was a brilliant way to source new, diverse talent for our Board, and ensure we more closely represent the local community that the Market serves in Borough.”
For more information on the Black on board programme, visit southwark.gov.uk