Our Team

Meet the faces behind Akademi – a small team at the center of a large amount of activity.

Board of Trustees

Hannah is Head of Programmes at Breathe Arts Health Research where she oversees the strategic development and delivery of their award winning arts and health programmes, with research and evidence at the heart. Hannah is also a freelance Producer where she delivers a variety of arts programmes with schools, universities, professional artists, underrepresented community groups and NHS Trusts. During her career, Hannah has also developed inclusive dance projects with The British Council in Vietnam, Senegal, Armenia and Nigeria.

“Kash” is a Chartered Accountant and MBA and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. Kash retried recently after 30 years as Audit Partner & Director in several firms of Chartered Accountants in London and Bahrain. Kash is passionate about adding value and can draw on his knowledge in other specialisms such as corporate finance, business and strategic planning, corporate recovery and business tax. Kash is also Trustee and Treasurer to five other London charities.

Rachel is Senior Producer at London Borough of Culture 2022 following her role as Head of Public Programming at UCL, working with academics, artists and the public to animate and make accessible the world-class research taking place at the University.

Prior to this, Rachel was Creative Producer, Festival Development and Head of Participation at Southbank Centre, directing international festivals and with a leading role in creating programmes designed to involve the widest communities in Southbank Centre’s work. Throughout her career, she has led initiatives which integrate artistic ambition with social impact to develop local, national and international connections.

Shobi is a doctor by profession with experience in a wide range of hospital and community roles and currently works as a GP in London. She also works as a medical tribunal member for the MPTS, sitting on fitness to practice hearings.

Shobi is a Bharathanatyam dancer and has been learning under Guru Prakash Yadagudde at The Bhavan for the past 30 plus years  where she has had the opportunity to perform extensively and complete her arangetram in 2007.

Shobi is passionate about reducing health inequalities and lifestyle medicine and in particular, the role of dance in improving health. This led her to being on the review panel for ‘Move Assure’ (a dance for mental wellbeing programme) created by Dr Peter Lovatt, Lindsey Lovatt and Dame Darcey Bussell. 

Jasmine is a producer at Inspirate, delivering festivals, events, and projects that explore South Asian contemporary arts and culture, with a focus on heritage, roots, migration and intersecting identities in the UK. 
With a background in dance, she trained at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, touring as part of Transitions Dance Company and working as a performer, teacher, and community practitioner for over 10 years before moving into producing. Her work spans multi-site festivals, outdoor arts, participation work and heritage projects. Jasmine is an organiser for kindredpacket CIC, raising joy, care and connection amongst East and Southeast Asian communities.

Martina is a passionate advocate for South Asian arts, and she has been learning Bharatanatyam under Guru Krishna Zivraj-Nair at Sanskruti Cambridge for over a decade. Martina’s journey includes completing her Arangetram (professional solo debut) in Cambridge and attending summer intensives in India. Martina is now an assistant teacher at Sanskruti Cambridge, and she has led classes and workshops for children and adults nationally, in addition to performing in a number of productions, including ACE-funded productions. 

Martina also obtained an MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies at the University of Cambridge, with a research project on the value of Bharatanatyam as international cultural capital. Outside of the dance world, Martina has worked in the financial services industry and is now a trainee solicitor at Clifford Chance in London.

Martina is thrilled to join Akademi as a trustee and is looking forward to contributing to the growth of South Asian arts in the UK, blending her professional, artistic, and academic background.

Devashree has been an arts professional in the UK for the past 7 years. Prior to this, she worked in India with renowned dance company, the SHIAMAK Group, for 12 years in various capacities as a performing artist, teacher, programmes manager and producer. Her roles spanned multiple countries, including a year in the US as part of a small team setting up the organisation’s New York and New Jersey school.

Since moving to the UK, Devashree has worked at Tara Theatre for 4.5 years as General Manager, and is currently working for Shoreditch Town Hall as Head of Operations.

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