• New charity launched to help drive forward ‘Olympicopolis’ ambitions on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
• Foundation for FutureLondon to be chaired by Bill Castell 
• The Legacy List to merge into new charity

Bill Castell, currently chair of the Wellcome Trust and Chichester Festival Theatre, will be the founding chair and has already led the first Board meeting held by the charity. He will be joined on the charity’s board by: 

Anita Zabludowicz: currently joint chair of The Legacy List and founder of the Zabludowicz Collection. Anita has championed the work of emerging art and artists for many years and her philanthropic work encompasses her role as Honorary Trustee of Camden Arts Centre, a trustee of Opening Times, Honorary President at BFAMI and a Tate Foundation Honorary Member.

Stephen O’Brien: has lived and worked in east London for a quarter of a century promoting community life through good health, housing and education. Stephen is Chairman of Barts Health NHS Trust, a trustee of the Mayor’s Fund, a trustee of Centre for London and Vice President of Business in the Community (BITC). In addition he is a former chairman of the University of East London and London First.

Neale Coleman: deputy chairman of the London Legacy Development Corporation and Mayoral Advisor on Tottenham and the Olympic and Paralympic Legacy. Neale was a board member of London 2012, the Olympic Bid Company, a board member of the Olympic Delivery Authority from its inception to its dissolution in 2014, and chair of the Olympic Masterplan Reference Group that led the work during the bid to deliver the masterplan and planning consent for the Olympic Park.

Additional Board members will be recruited in the coming months with the full board expected to be in place by autumn 2015. 

The Foundation for FutureLondon will work closely with the partners of the ‘Olympicopolis’ project on Stratford Waterfront – home to a new branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum, a new campus for the University of the Arts London, a new theatre for Sadler’s Wells and possibly the first permanent home for the Smithsonian Institution outside the US. The charity will also work with University College London on its new campus to the south of the ArcelorMittal Orbit.

The Legacy List, launched in 2011 to build on the arts and cultural legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, will merge with the Foundation for FutureLondon which will now deliver an arts and culture programme on the Park and locally. Some members of The Legacy List’s Board will move to become Trustees of the Foundation. 

Bill Castell said: “It is a great honour to be asked to chair this new charity. I look forward to working with the partners to deliver this magnificent project and ensuring that these wonderful new buildings, which will be home to some of the world’s finest university and cultural institutions, have their foundations firmly rooted in the arts and cultural community which already thrives in east London.”

Neale Coleman said: “The significance and impact of Olympicopolis for east London and the country as a whole has been signalled by the Chancellor’s £141m funding announced in the 2014 Autumn Statement. The Foundation has a key role to play in turning the Mayor of London’s ambition for this scheme into a reality that will generate thousands of jobs locally and make a major contribution to the national economy.”

Richard Robinson, Chief Executive of The Legacy List, said: “This merger marks a progression for The Legacy List, enriching the work we’ve achieved in and around the Park over the past four years. While The Legacy List name will be replaced, the creative projects and vital relationships formed and honed with east London’s creative community - as well as key funders and private donors - will continue and form the important framework of the Foundation for FutureLondon. We are looking forward to working within the new charity to continue delivering the cultural legacy for east London.” 

Olympicopolis will be funded through the recent Government funding of £141m announced by the Chancellor in the 2014 Autumn Statement, contributions from the partner organisations, GLA contributions through the sale of residential properties on the Park and private development partners and philanthropic fundraising efforts led by the Mayor.

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Notes to editors

Sir William Castell LVO (Chairman)

Bill Castell became Chairman of the Wellcome Trust in May 2006. He was previously President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Healthcare, and a Vice-Chairman and latterly non-executive director of the General Electric Company (GE). He served on the board of BP plc for six years and until April 2012 was the senior independent director. Before the acquisition by GE, Bill was Chief Executive of Amersham plc for 15 years. Earlier in his career, he held various positions with the Wellcome pharmaceutical company, which was then owned by the Wellcome Trust. He is also Chairman of the Board of Chichester Festival Theatre.

Bill's previous not-for-profit roles include being a council member of the UK Medical Research Council (2001-2004) and Chairman of the Prince's Trust (1998-2003). He is an Honorary Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and a Trustee of the Education and Employers Taskforce, a Royal Commissioner of the 1851 Commission and Founder Trustee of the High Street Fund.

Several honorary degrees have been awarded, including Oxford, UCL, Imperial, Cardiff and York.

Anita Zabludowicz 

Anita Zabludowicz was born in Newcastle and now lives in London with her husband, Poju, and their four children. Anita studied Fine Art & History of Art in Newcastle's College of Arts & Technology and subsequently spent ten years working as a project manager in interior architecture before going back to study Modern Art & Auctioneering at Christies. 

From the mid-1990s Anita and her husband have embarked on a number of philanthropic activities and together they founded the Zabludowicz Collection, an organisation dedicated to bringing emerging art to new audiences and actively supporting arts organisations and artists. It was founded in 1994 and in 2015 celebrates 20 years of collecting. The Collection holds over 3000 works by over 600 artists, spanning 40 years of art production. Its focus is on emerging art from the late 20th century to the present day, and they produce events and exhibitions of works from the collection which respond to the unusual space at 176 Prince of Wales Road. The Collection also exhibits in permanent venues in the USA and Finland.

Anita is an Honorary Trustee of Camden Arts Centre, a trustee of Opening Times, Honorary President at BFAMI and also a Tate Foundation Honorary Member. 

Sir Stephen O'Brien

Stephen O'Brien, who has lived and worked locally for 25 years, has great passion for sustaining community life in east London through good health, housing and education, and is committed to working in partnership with staff and the local communities.

Stephen is Chairman of Barts Health NHS Trust, a trustee of the Mayor’s Fund, a trustee of Centre for London and Vice President of the Business in the Community (BITC). In addition he is a former chairman of the University of East London and former Chairman of London First, the influential business campaign group which works to support and shape London’s future.

Neale Coleman

Neale Coleman is the Mayoral Advisor on Tottenham and the Olympic and Paralympic Legacy and Deputy Chair of the London Legacy Development Corporation
Neale was formerly the Mayor’s Advisor on London 2012, a post he held since the first days of London’s bid in 2003. Neale was a Board Member of London 2012, the Olympic Bid company, and a Board member of the Olympic Delivery Authority from its inception to its dissolution in December 2014. He has extensive experience in major regeneration projects, chaired the Olympic Masterplan Reference Group that led the work during the bid to deliver the Masterplan and planning consent for the Olympic Park and co-chaired the Olympic Delivery Group which oversaw all work on the Games immediately after the successful bid.