PIP WOOD—Term commenced 5 October 2021/Chair 1 September 2022
Pip Wood is an experienced Chair of Trustees. She has strong educational governance experience and brings a pragmatic, calm, committed and enthusiastic approach. A senior communications specialist, Pip has nearly 40 years’ experience in developing and delivering communication and media strategies in high profile FTSE100 companies and dynamic consumer-facing organisations. Working at Board level, she has a broad range of business experience and a particular skill in business transformation and change management. She is also an accredited coach who can support and challenge people and teams, empowering them to improve performance and deliver results.
PATSY CULLEN, Emeritus Professor—Term commenced 23 June 2020
Patsy has been a RSN Council member since 2020 and chairs the Education Committee. She has spent her working life as a teacher, senior manager and consultant in higher education and is now Chair of Governors at Leeds Arts University. She is also a member of the advisory committee of the National Arts Education Archive at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and a Director of the Sunny Bank Mills Museum and Archive. Patsy is a Principal Fellow of Advance HE (PFHEA).
PAULA LEFTWICH, Ph.D.—Term commenced 4 May 2023
Paula Leftwich is retired from a multi-faceted professional life. The largest portion of her career was in education, where she served as teacher, training manager, college/university instructor, degree program director, and senior director of PreK-12 curriculum for one of the largest public school districts in the US. She served as member and chair of the Florida Education Standards Commission. She holds Masters and Doctoral degrees from the University of South Florida. Her dissertation probed social justice issues related to diverse populations’ achievement of national board teacher certification. Dr. Leftwich has significant experience in teacher education, strategic planning, grant writing, and grant-funded program administration. She values the opportunity to apply her experience in service to the Royal School of Needlework to advance its work to preserve and promote the needle arts heritage that has been lifetime activity and interest for her.
ELERI LYNN—Term commenced 5 October 2021
Eleri Lynn is a fashion and textiles historian, curator, and author. She is a senior museum professional with expertise in collections, archives, research, and exhibitions. She gained her Curatorial experience within the Textiles and Fashion department at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and as Curator of the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection at Historic Royal Palaces. More recently she was Head of Exhibitions at National Museum Wales. She is an award-winning author and has published several academic monographs on the history of fashion and textiles, including Tudor Fashion, Tudor Textiles and Fashion in Detail: Underwear.
SARAH MUMFORD—Term commenced 4 May 2023
Sarah Mumford is a practising commercial lawyer specialising in legal risk and governance. Sarah has a long-standing interest in education and has been a governor of several schools at primary and secondary level. She has experience as a charity trustee in English ecclesiastical charities and a Scottish literary charity. An enthusiastic, if amateur, stitcher and crafter, Sarah enjoys playing her part in the RSN’s future.
PETER MILA—Term commences 9 October 2024
Peter is a seasoned technology leader with over 25 years of experience in guiding and developing technology departments to deliver measurable benefits and operational efficiencies. He has a proven track record of collaborating with board members and senior stakeholders to ensure that technology strategies and processes align seamlessly with organisational goals.
Peter brings a wealth of experience across diverse industries, including Retail, Distribution, Digital, and Financial Services. He has a demonstrated history of building, developing, and inspiring high-performing teams to deliver impactful solutions that drive meaningful change.
KEITH PICKARD—Term commenced 1 February2023/Treasurer 18 April 2023
Keith is a chartered accountant with over than 30 years’ experience in finance roles, including 14 years as CFO for HICL Infrastructure plc, a £3bn FTSE-250 company. He has expertise in investment management, corporate finance, project finance and financial management. He is a Council member and Fellow of the ICAEW as well as a Treasurer for Farm Africa and a Magistrate. Keith qualified at PriceWaterhouse Coopers having graduated with a first-class honours BSc in mathematics from Durham University.
JULIE RICHARDS—Term commenced 28 July 2022
Julie worked in a range of HR roles in Telecom Australia (now Telstra) in Brisbane for 10 years before joining a team in Canberra to set up Medicare in 1984, specialising in recruitment, training, policy, and equal employment opportunity. She then transferred to the Australian Government where she worked on social justice issues and multicultural programs for the Minister for Health, Housing & Community Services, and the Prime Minister. In 1993, Julie returned to Brisbane to work for the Queensland State Government on state recruitment policy, ethnic affairs, training, and industrial relations. In 1999/2000 Julie worked as Venue Staffing Manager for the Sydney Olympic Games before moving to London and undertaking various roles as Head of HR for Selfridges, Head of HR for Kaplan International and finally Global HR Director for Thomas Pink (LVMH Group) before her retirement in 2007.
Linda Anne Palmer – Term commenced 28th January 2026
Linda enjoyed a 32 year career with HSBC including senior management roles in Marketing, Strategic Planning, Change Management and Retail Banking, often leading large matrix teams covering different geographies with functional specialities.
Since retiring, Linda has undertaken various Trustee roles, gaining significant experience in charity regulation and governance, risk management, grant applications and communications to donors, beneficiaries and stakeholders. A committed stitcher all her life, Linda enjoys supporting the RSN in promoting the craft and education of hand embroidery.
Alice Himsworth – term commenced 15th July 2026
Alice is a senior lawyer with global experience advising within complex legal, regulatory and commercial landscapes. She currently serves as Senior Counsel at a large technology company, where she focuses on advertising policy and regulation. In her day-to-day role, Alice specialises in providing pragmatic, thoughtful advice and creating a supportive, collaborative community. Outside of her professional legal practice, Alice is a passionate maker with a dedication to textiles and traditional crafts. She is deeply fascinated by the social history of needlework and is highly interested in the evolving digital frameworks utilized to teach, promote and build audiences for traditional craftsmanship in the online world.
Jamie Chalmers – term commenced 15th July 2026
Jamie Chalmers, known as Mr X Stitch, is a curator, artist and advocate for contemporary embroidery. Since founding the Mr X Stitch website in 2008, he has championed modern needlework and textile art, showcasing international talent and curating stitch-based exhibitions across the UK and beyond. He is curator of PUSH Stitchery, author of the Mr X Stitch Guide to Cross Stitch, and founder and editor of XStitch, the modern cross stitch magazine featuring an international roster of designers. He also hosts NeedleXChange, a podcast of conversations with needlework and textile artists about how they make their work and build their creative lives. Jamie is a Director of CreweCreates CIC and Lead Curator of PLATFORM, Crewe’s first public art gallery.
Laura Barnes– term commenced 15th July 2026
Laura is a strategic communications and brand leader with 25 years’ experience building reputation, shaping compelling narratives and strengthening stakeholder engagement across purpose-led organisations, education and the private sector. She has a proven track record in developing impactful campaigns, thought leadership, executive communications and multi-channel content that connects organisations with employees, partners and diverse audiences. With Board-level experience, Laura combines strategic insight with a collaborative, hands-on approach. She is passionate about purpose-led communications, social impact and harnessing the power of storytelling to drive meaningful change.
Zoe Punaks – term commenced 15th July 2026
Zoë is Director of Advancement Operations and Campaign at Imperial College London, where she is part of the senior leadership team for one of the largest fundraising and alumni engagement programmes in the UK. She has worked in advancement for more than 20 years and leads multidisciplinary teams spanning campaign management, donor relations, communications, events, data and compliance. Zoe is currently leading the planning and delivery of an ambitious fundraising and engagement campaign for Imperial. Zoe is also a student on the RSN Certificate in Technical Hand Embroidery programme, having developed a deep appreciation for the skill, creativity and heritage embodied in embroidery. She is delighted to support the RSN’s mission to preserve, promote and share these traditions with new generations of stitchers and audiences around the world.