The Hallé is delighted to announce the appointment of Alastair Nuttall as Chair of the Board of Trustees. Alastair moves into this role succeeding previous Chair, Debbie Francis, after serving as Trustee for the past three years. Three new Trustees - Amer Gaffar, Robin Phillips and Chris Woodroofe - are also welcomed to the Hallé Board.

Alastair Nuttall is an audit partner at RSM in Manchester and UK Head of Large Corporates, where he leads RSM’s audit, tax and consulting strategy for large corporate clients across the UK.  A chartered accountant since 1994, he has been an audit partner for more than 20 years and sits on the Board of the Centre for Public Interest Audit.  Alastair joined the Hallé Board in 2024 and chaired its Audit Committee from 2024 to 2026.  Alastair is a committed supporter of the Hallé’s work across the region and a regular concert-goer, with a keen understanding of what the Hallé contributes to the cultural life of the city and beyond.  

Amer Gaffar is a sustainability and industrial strategy leader and currently Director of Industrial Strategy Partnerships at Manchester Metropolitan University. With more than 25 years’ experience, he specialises in hydrogen technologies, clean energy systems and net zero innovation with a track record of securing and delivering multi-million-pound innovation programmes. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), and holds board and advisory positions within a number of energy transition projects and programmes within the region. 

Robin Phillips spent most of his professional career at Siemens, holding a number of positions from 1985-2024 including Finance Director for Siemens Industry across GB, Ireland, Nigeria & Ghana and Head of Siemens’ Consulting Business in the UK. Robin has a long association with the Hallé – he helped instigate the Workplace Choir Competition and was instrumental in the creation of the Siemens-Hallé International Conductors Competition. Alongside his role on the Hallé Board, Robin currently holds non-executive Board positions with the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, the British-German Association and Manchester Jazz Festival. 

Chris Woodroofe is Managing Director of Manchester Airport having previously served as Chief Operating Officer of London Gatwick Airport. Chris has led a period of continuous growth at Manchester Airport, with passenger numbers having surpassed 32 million for the first time in its history.  Chris has also overseen one of the region’s largest private infrastructure investments, the £1.5 billion transformation of Terminal 2 which completed in 2026. He holds multiple board positions, including Chair of Manchester Central Convention Centre, Chair of the North West Business Leadership Team, Chair of Bloomsbury Music Group and is a member of the Manchester Events Commission Board.