Amanda Faber - CEO
Amanda works as a producer, writer and director in film, television, theatre and dance. She founded The Soldiers’ Arts Academy and The Charlie F Project (UK) Ltd. and was a director of Combat Veteran Players and Shakespeare’s Soldiers (Soliloquy Pictures Ltd). Her film her credits include: How the Stage Saved a Soldier (Soldiers’ Arts Academy, 2017); The Covenant (2017); Jadoo (2012) which premiered in official selection at the Berlin Film Festival 2013; and Resistance (2011) nominated for the Cine Vision Award at the Munich Film Festival and for which Sharon Morgan won a Welsh BAFTA 2012 for Best Actress. Televison credits include: Breaking the Silence, Guilty my Arse, The Race for Everest, Children with a Difference, Crooked Britain and Watchdog (BBC). Theatre includes: Remember and Richard III (2017); Twelfth Night (2016). Dance includes: Muster (2015) and Traces of War (2017).
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Stewart Hill - Director
“On Fourth of July 2009, I was leading 160 soldiers in a close combat fight against the Taliban in some of the fiercest fighting seen by UK forces in Afghanistan. I was leading from the front. Eight hours later medics battled to save my life after shrapnel from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) tore in to my brain.
I had to recover from this traumatic and life changing event and found ways to express myself through words, performance and art. I became fascinated about the brain and how our minds work in recovery. I have a passion for art and painting and rediscovered this boyhood skill. I also wanted to tell my story and share my experience and perspective with others. I wanted to articulate and share this voyage of self discovery. This has been an instrumental part of my successful rehabilitation. “
Stewart is now a successful artist, public speaker and poet. He has been a finalist in the Royal Academy summer exhibition, starred in a West End play, has published a few poems and read his poetry at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival, painted the portraits of D-Day veteran Eddie Gaines with great enthusiasm and TV host Piers Morgan rather less enthusiastically. He has travelled the world to speak about his inspiring journey of recovery and it’s been magical. But back in 2009, he felt he had nothing to give.
Over the last decade of recovery, Stewart has worked hard every day to rebuild himself and his life. Stewart’s story of rehabilitation is one of rebuilding himself by learning to understand his own mind – and crucially – how the brain and body interact.
Neil Sartorio
Neil was made Lead Partner for Local Public Services at global professional services firm EY in 2016. Over the last 10 years, Neil has established and developed EY’s local public services practice, which brings EY’s professional services capability into the local public sector market. His team covers areas from local government, police and education to social housing, regionalised transport and the third sector.
The majority of Neil’s career has been spent focused on the public sector whilst working for management consultancies. His career began working as an Environmental Economist at the Department for Transport, before moving to become an auditor within the Audit Commission regime while working for PwC. It was whilst at PwC that he gained his CIPFA accountancy qualifications in 2007. He then moved to Deloitte before joining EY.
Over the past decade, Neil has also become involved with the following three social enterprises as director, founder or chair: Spiral, a youth employability and aspirational training scheme; Soldiers Arts Academy, a theatre-based therapeutic service for veterans; and InHouse Records, a prison-based record label.
Tip Cullen
52-year-old Tip Cullen is a former Royal Marine turned Actor. He had a long and extensive career as a Royal Marine for the most part employed as a Mountain Leader, on operations in forward reconnaissance and in training as a Mountain and Cold Weather Warfare instructor. He served nearly 30 years when he transferred to the Royal Marines Reserve which allowed him to train as an actor with The Actors Wheel Company at Plymouth Marjon University, achieving a BA Hons degree in acting. The Royal British Legion provided Tip with his first acting ‘break’ when he took part in the charity’s recovery through the arts production ‘Boots at the Door’ in December 2015 at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth. Whilst at University he was able undertake extras work in various Hollywood films including Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” and “Kingsman 2”, gaining experience and furthering his education. Since graduating he has been kept busy touring with Bravo 22 Company and “Unspoken”, as well as performing with The Soldiers Arts Academy and Shakespeare’s Globe production “Shakespeare and Remembrance”. This led to performing with SAA in ‘Soldier On’ during a small national Tour followed by performing at Toronto, Canada as an understudy. He remains fully committed to supporting access to the arts for our veteran community.
Satya Kartara-Leighton
CEO, BeInclusive
After a successful career working in Local government as an equalities specialist in roles such as Head of Equal Opportunities at Oxford City Council, Satya moved to the Private sector working for national and international companies including Ford Motor company, British Home Stores as Head of Change and the Royal Mail as Director of Diversity and Inclusion.
In 2005 Satya set up her own consultancy company (BeInclusive) to consult in HR and Diversity. Her biggest client during this time was the British Army, for whom she became lead consultant on Army diversity recruitment. The Army also commissioned her to carry out a number of research programs and make recommendations for employment policy revision including in the area of bullying and harassment in the Army.
Satya moved from London to Toronto in 2008 where she qualified as a Life and Executive Coach at the Adler Institute of Psychology before setting up a successful coaching practice, working with individuals and teams. Her clients include companies such as Parmalat, PepsiCo, McCain foods, Ryerson University and Torstar Publishing.
Having returned to London, Satya continues to contribute to ‘leading-edge’ industry thinking on organisational change and development. Satya now divides her time between advising organisations to design and deliver excellence in diversity and inclusion strategy, policy and practice and executive coaching. She has worked with companies including E-ON, Guardian Media Group, Asda, Clifford Chance, Jersey Telecom, JP Morgan, The Body Shop and The Allbright Women’s club.
In 2019 Satya became President of HOD Toastmasters an organisation which helps to build public speaking, communication and leadership skills for work and life.
Recently, Satya has focused particularly on helping leaders build their strengths in the areas of self-presentation, presence and impact. She also spends time working with various charities including Resurgo and SAA.