The Team

Chair

Phoebe Reith

Phoebe Reith is the Director and owner of Studio Reith, an agency that has worked at the highest level on creative, charitable and strategic initiatives. Reporting to Co-Chairs Sir Nicholas Coleridge CBE and Sir Michael Lockett KCVO, her team oversaw all the philanthropic and commercial fundraising activity for HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, reporting into Buckingham Palace, Number 10 and DCMS. Phoebe was subsequently the interim Chief Executive of Quintessentially Foundation, reporting to Chair, Rory Brooks CBE, while aiding the charity in their search for a new CEO.

Prior to running her company, she held senior roles at registered charities in the arts and education space, including Sadler’s Wells and at London Business School. Earlier in her career, alongside the co-founder, she led on the $2m VC raise for an impact start up in New York, which was then successfully acquired in 2021. She has over 10 years of experience as a Trustee and she currently also sits on the board of Good Chance Theatre and has mentored through Career Academies and Creative Mentor Network. She studied Art History in Santa Barbara, California and York, UK, and has long family ties to the Suffolk coast. 

Board

Miranda Kendall

Miranda Kendall is chair and co-founder of Phipps Relations, a specialist trade and consumer communications agency. Since relinquishing her client-facing role, she volunteers as a NED and consultant. She served in 2023 as interim chair of Ormiston Families, a trusted East of England provider to the NHS and Integrated Care systems, as well as an award-winning developer and deliverer of children’s and family services, with a commitment to service-user involvement and co-production. She is currently chair of their Income Generation Committee and lead trustee on Trauma-Informed Practice.

For nine years, she served, including as safeguarding trustee, at arts charity Britten Pears Arts, and for a further nine years, she has been a trustee and vice-chair of Fine Cell Work, the national prison charity providing skilled training in high quality decorative quilting, stitching and tapestry to long-serving prisoners. She set up the first Fine Cell Work group in Suffolk at HMP Warren Hill.

Miranda was trained as a school governor by the Inspiration Trust and was for eight years a governing member of East Point Academy in East Kirkley, Lowestoft. She studied at Cambridge University 1980 – 1983 and lives in East Suffolk. 

Board

Lady Lara Somerleyton 

Lady Lara Somerleyton (née Bailey) is a philanthropist, conservationist, and cultural trustee, known for her work in heritage restoration, environmental 

stewardship, and the arts. As the wife of Hugh Crossley, 4th Baron Somerleyton, she plays a central role in shaping the future of the Somerleyton Estate in Suffolk, where history, conservation, and community engagement come together. 

At Somerleyton Hall, Lady Lara has been instrumental in revitalising the historic gardens, balancing Victorian design with modern ecological awareness. Her work champions biodiversity, pollinator-friendly planting, and the preservation of heritage landscapes for future generations. 

In partnership with her husband, she has also supported rewilding initiatives across the estate, aligning with the WildEast movement, which seeks to restore nature across East Anglia. Their Fritton Lake project embeds sustainability and community well-being into the guest experience, reflecting her commitment to conservation-led living. 

Beyond environmental work, Lady Lara serves as a trustee of Messums Creative, a charity dedicated to arts, learning, and outreach, where she helps foster creativity and cultural engagement. Alongside her husband, she is co-founder of the Lord and Lady Somerleyton Charitable Trust, established to support charitable and voluntary organisations at both local and national levels. 

Development Messums East

Katy Kingston

At Messums Creative, Katy supports the development of Messums East, playing a key role in shaping the charity’s programme of workshops, residencies, talks, and creative access projects that expand opportunities for arts engagement in rural and community settings. She brings extensive experience across the creative industries, having worked in fashion, textiles, visual and combined arts, alongside roles in education and cultural development.

After graduating with a First Class degree in Textiles from Goldsmiths, Katy has worked with leading designers and artists contributing to a range of international creative projects. Her professional practice has included work with global fashion houses, publications, and contemporary artists including Ralph Lauren, Adidas, Vogue, Condé Nast Traveller and Turner Prize nominee - Cathy de Monchaux. 

Since returning to Suffolk, Katy has combined her creative expertise with a strong commitment to cultural development and community engagement. She has lectured on fashion and visual arts at higher education level and worked on major regional initiatives, securing significant funding and developing programmes that connect artists, schools, and local communities. Her work consistently focuses on widening participation in the arts, ensuring accessibility, and supporting meaningful opportunities for creative learning and expression.

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Director of Programming

Dr Claudia Milburn

Dr Claudia Milburn is an accomplished art historian, curator, and programme director whose leadership in museum and gallery contexts forms the foundation of her influential role at Messums Creative. She joined the Messums team in 2021 as Director of Programming, bringing over a decade of experience in exhibitions and collection strategy from esteemed institutions such as Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, where she was Head of Exhibitions and Collections, and the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich, where she served as Curator. 

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Claudia holds a doctorate in Art History, as well as a Bachelor's in English and American Literature from the University of East Anglia, and a Master’s in Drawing from Norwich University of the Arts—a background that combines critical scholarship with creative practice.