Sita Brand – Artistic Director/CEO Sita studied Drama at University. She came to Settle following an extensive career in the arts and founded Settle Stories in 2010. Sita is passionate about traditional myths and folktales and exploring how we can use new technology to share them with wider audiences. Sita is a teacher of mindfulness and meditation and brings this to Settle Stories through retreats. Her favourite story as a child was Rapunzel. She dyed her hair once in an effort to have long golden hair. But that’s another story. Sita also works as a performance storyteller, a Buddhist Chaplain and is a Trustee at the York Museums Trust.
Emma is a trained primary school teacher and brings her many years of experience in education, including middle leadership roles, to her role in managing the development of our children’s mental health programme that brings together storytelling, mindfulness exercises, and creative activities. This programme is designed to foster the wellbeing of our children and equip them with the tools to build resilience. In addition to her work on the programme, Emma also manages Settle Stories’ wonderful network of volunteers.
Ethan is a Film Studies graduate at Lancaster University where he focused on class and queer theory. He now makes his own films and teaches filmmaking to young people as well as tutoring Film Studies and English. In his spare time, he writes screenplays, watches strange and kitsch films, and plays board games and story-based video games.
Jess is a Theatre and Creative Writing graduate from Lancaster University, where her modules focussed on long form fiction, disability access in theatre and working in the community. She is a part of The Writing Squad programme for young writers in the north of England, and volunteers as a Brownie leader. In her spare time, she loves to bake, has tried every craft under the sun, and is an avid reader.
Tony has a degree in Librarianship and Latin, and has recently retired after a local government career of 40 years, working in cultural services, most recently in Newcastle upon Tyne, where he was the lead officer for libraries and culture. Throughout his career, widening access to books, literacy, stories and broader cultural activities has been a key priority. Tony is an enthusiastic reader, mainly of contemporary fiction, and one of this favourite recent reads has been the Elena Ferrante Neapolitan novels. Tony is also a Trustee with The Reading Agency, and has a young border collie who ensures he maximises his outdoor opportunities, and loves to disrupt his gardening.
Simon studied Technical Stage Management at LAMDA after which he worked as Stage Manager in regional and touring theatre before founding scenic construction company Stage One Creative Services. Since retiring from Stage One he has worked on a number of high profile events including the 2012 Olympics. His favorite book which he used to read with my daughters is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle – it’s the simplicity of it, beautiful graphics and interaction! Simon now works as a freelance advisor in the Live Events Industry. He lives in the Yorkshire Dales and spends as much time in the French Alps where he goes and “Talks” to the mountains to relieve life’s day to days stresses.
Murray studied chemistry at Edinburgh University, but during his time there became very involved with the University Dramatic Society. This passion led him to be the first Director of Eden Court Theatre in Inverness, followed by roles as General Manager of London’s Mermaid Theatre and latterly Executive Director of Theatre Royal Wakefield, a post he held for 18 years. He is currently Director of the Community Foundation for Wakefield District. Murray believes that everyone should engage in creative thinking, much of which stems from a wide-ranging interest in the written word (allied closely to performance!). He loves detective stories (and particularly those set in Scotland), which he finds enables him to refine his analytical skills to great effect.
Mary has worked in the charity sector for over 20 years, including as CEO for the literacy charity Springboard for Children and as Director of Service Development for the National Deaf Children’s Society. In 2019 she completed an MA in English Literature at the University of Leeds, exploring how the stories we tell relate to the spaces we inhabit. Having experienced it as a participant, Mary is passionate about sharing the transformational blend of people, places and stories which is unique to Settle Stories. Her own favorite stories are those which break rules, including fiction by Barbara Comyns and Salman Rushdie. When she isn’t reading, Mary enjoys running and walking in the Yorkshire Dales where she lives.
David Cutler. Director of the Baring Foundation , an independent funder, including of the arts. David went to a Comprehensive School in Nottinghamshire, followed by Oxford University and the LSE. There so many things David thinks are great about Settle Stories, a combination of restlessness and calm, very local roots combined with internationalism and that stories are both every day and extraordinary. His favourite story is going to change several times a day but The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick is amazing in so many ways. It is a parallel history where Japan and Germany won the Second World War but one of the many clever things he does the other world in the story also has a different history to ours. David is pretty obsessive about visiting galleries and is an unapologetic museum nerd.
Paulina Stachnik completed her MSc in International Development from the University of Edinburgh and her BSc in Global Studies, Political Science and Writing at Loyola University Maryland. She is the Digital and Campaigns Lead at Women for Women International – UK, a charity that supports women survivors of war. Having lived in eight countries, Paulina is passionate about the power of storytelling in bringing people and communities together – she loves Greek mythology and recent adaptations like, “Circe” by Madeline Miller. In her spare time, Paulina enjoys cycling, yoga, photography and exploring new places.
Danni lives in Bournemouth, but has a strong connection to the north as her family live in Bradford and are from there, so spent a lot of time here growing up. She has a passion for the arts and for impacting/changing lives of young children and adults. By day, Danni is a Lawyer for a telecoms company, and has specialised in advertising law, contract law, consumer law and data privacy. She lives with her partner and two cats next to the beach, and is also a huge animal advocate. Other volunteering includes being Chair of the RSPCA West Dorset, and Team Secretary for Dorset Futsal women’s team, who have just entered the national league. In her spare time, Danni enjoys long walks, sea swimming, reading, going to the theatre with her nan (who was (and still is at the age of 82!) an English/theatre teacher and inspired Danni to love watching shows and productions), and eating at delicious restaurants. Danni recently spent 3 weeks in Colombia, where she enjoyed delicious food and salsa!
Paul is inspired by how art and science can work together to create a sustainable future.
A creative, entrepreneurial and strategic designer of businesses. Building, inspiring and leading teams and world class brands. Paul has a passion for people and a track record in creating innovative and award winning design, cultures, teams, marketing, and services. Paul specialises in seamlessly integrating the physical and digital worlds through design led innovation to create great experiences. He has worked globally, collaborating in over 35 countries and believes in applying the principles of sustainable purpose for better social, economic and environmental outcomes.
Paul is the founder of green energy co-operative We Are Energy.
Chris Bond is a freelance journalist, author, ghostwriter and lecturer. He is former features editor of The Yorkshire Post, where he worked as a journalist for more than 20 years before leaving in 2022. During a journalistic career spanning more than two decades he has covered a wide variety of stories ranging from 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan, to the Great Yorkshire Show and the Leeds Festival. He has interviewed countless famous names, including Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Michael Palin, Sir Michael Parkinson, Sean Bean, Alan Bennett, Jerry Hall, Lee Child, Jenny Agutter and Tony Bennett. He is also a successful author having written the authorised biography of the popular Yorkshire artist Ashley Jackson – Ashley Jackson: An Artist’s Life.
Imran Hussain is a UK-based Fractional CFO, Non-Executive Director (NED), and entrepreneur specialising in guiding Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and startups through financial growth and transformation. With a career spanning over two decades, he describes himself as a “Start-up Specialist since 2001” and has been operating as a Fractional CFO since 2016.
Imran focuses on providing high-level financial strategy to businesses that need the expertise of a Chief Financial Officer. He has been involved in helping business owners move beyond day-to-day operations to focus on long-term value and exit strategies. He has also spent time turning around struggling businesses. His experience spans dozens of sectors, including technology, private equity, creative arts, healthcare, and consumer lending.
Known for a leadership style rooted in empathy and integrity, Imran emphasises the human side of finance. He often speaks about the importance of “soft skills” in the financial sector and identifies as an “ambivert” who values listening and clear communication. He is also a passionate advocate for the creative arts.
Stuart Pugh is an educator, with over 31 years in education and 19 of those in leadership and advisory roles. For the past five and a half years, he has led Archbishop Hutton’s Primary School in Lancashire as Headteacher. His career has been defined by a commitment to creating ambitious, inclusive learning environments where every child thrives.
He spends much of his spare time walking his two dogs in the wet and mud of Cumbria. He is also walking the Camino de Santiago, a 480mile trek across the Pyrenees in Spain. He enjoys cycling and tries to get out on his bike as often as the weather allows. He enjoys writing and acting. He has recently had a play performed in a Kendal festival and as part of a tour of Cumbrian Art Centres. He is still on his first children’s novel (writing that is – not reading) which he hopes to have published in the near future.
Jackie is an inclusive leadership practitioner, trainer, and communications specialist with many years of experience across global, national and community broadcast media. She brings a rare combination of strategic expertise and hands-on delivery having led on race and ethnicity for the BBC’s Creative and Workforce Diversity Unit and most recently was Global Inclusion Projects Lead for Fremantle.
A natural innovator, Jackie spent most of the last decade in East Africa, sustaining a portfolio of media and communications consultancies for international NGOs, UN agencies and the BBC’s charity Media Action – developing new products, supporting development priorities through tv and radio output, and proving that good ideas travel well across contexts. Her experience in creative talent management, notably leading BBC World Service Africa’s Head of Partnerships role, reflects her ability to bring out the best in diverse teams and build the conditions for great work to happen.
Elvi Piper is a Settle-based theatre director and playwright. She trained at Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama and the Institut del Teatre in Barcelona before founding Wrongsemble, the award-winning family theatre company where she remains Artistic Director.
With a background in participatory arts, Elvi is passionate about creating ambitious, accessible theatre that brings people together. She has developed and delivered programmes for organisations including the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Leeds Playhouse and The Old Vic.
Directing credits include Robin Hood and The Wizard of Oz for The Dukes; The Wensleydale Whey and Hush Hush for Mikron; Rapunzel and A Town Called Christmas for Wrongsemble; Bring It Back for Bradford Arts Centre and Bradford 2025; and A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet for Storyhouse.
Kausor qualified as a teacher of mathematics from the University of Cambridge, having previously graduated from the University of Sheffield with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. He progressed successfully in his career and is now a School Principal of an international school in Southwest Asia.
A prolific writer, Kausor has authored three books under the theme of A-Z of School Leadership, A-Z of Teaching and A-Z of Learning, as well as authored several articles in TES Magazine.
He is passionate about lifelong learning as demonstrated more recently in nearing completion of his doctorate at the University of Birmingham having also obtained a Master’s Degree at the University of Nottingham. He is an advocate for children’s rights, equity and justice throughout his career with advocacy work in safeguarding, child protection, domestic violence and antiracism. He is also the Founder of ‘All Children Read’, an initiative dedicated to tackling childhood illiteracy.
His favourite fiction book is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, as its theme of the golden ticket is something Kausor sees as the equivalent of a successful education as the golden ticket to improved life chances for children, something he also wrote about in TES Magazine.
