Board of Trustees

Carlos Acosta

Carlos Acosta is the Chairman of the Foundation. Carlos has been described as the best male ballet dancer of his generation. He was born in Cuba and achieved the gold medal at the Prix de Lausanne at the age of 16. Since then he has thrilled ballet audiences around the world with his performances with all the world’s leading ballet companies. He performed with the Royal Ballet in London until 2016 when he retired from classical ballet. He has set up his own dance company called Acosta Danza which performs . Through his Foundation, he will create a legacy for generations.

Rupert Rohan

Rupert Rohan is a lawyer with over 25 years’ experience providing legal and commercial advice to individuals and organisations in the entertainment industry. He is Carlos Acosta’s manager. Rupert is also on the board and advises a number of other charities and has run his own legal practice since 1997.

David Caswell

David is an experienced operator, investor and board director with a track record in delivering new propositions to market. He is currently Chairman for therapist matching service Welldoing.org, digital development agency Fat Fish Digital and veterinary services provider Animor Pet Healthcare. He is also a Non-Executive Director for Mapway, the leading global provider of mobile apps for public transport information. David is married with two children and spends his leisure time making music and running through the Oxfordshire countryside.

Robert Davage

Robert Davage is an experienced accountant who has worked for a variety of businesses across a range of sectors, with an emphasis and preference for businesses in the arts sector. He has been involved in advising businesses on their financial needs, structures and growth strategies as well as ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and regulations. He is married and spends his leisure time imbibing as much popular culture as he can stand.

Andrew Skipwith

Andrew Skipwith is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for technology-enabled marketplaces. He currently supports a range of innovative businesses as a private investor and as a non-executive. Most recently, Andrew founded Rated People, a home-improvement marketplace, which now matches over £1billion annual project value across its web and mobile platforms. Prior to Rated People he worked as a roofer, a nuclear engineer and a strategy consultant. He is married with three sons and spends as much time skiing and sailing as he possibly can.

Madeleine Kludje

Madeleine Kludje is an Associate Director at The Birmingham Repertory Theatre and is an alumni of The Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme. Madeleine has worked in a creative capacity for a number of arts organisations in the U.K and worldwide including Isango, Talawa, The Young Vic, The National Theatre, Stratford Theatre Royal, The Old Vic and The Birmingham Royal Ballet. Madeleine is also working in a creative capacity for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022.

Miguel Altunaga

Miguel Altunaga trained at the National School of Art, which led to 6 years of performing as a principal dancer for the National Contemporary Dance Company. He joined Rambert in 2007 and has performed in works by Gary Stewart, Christopher Bruce, Itzik Galili, and many others. In 2021 he joined the Hofesh Shechter Company for the Double Murder tour. At present he is working with the Akram Khan Company. As a choreographer and movement director, Miguel has created works for Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, Rambert, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Simply Red, Carlos Acosta and Acosta Danza. He was commissioned by The Royal Ballet to create Dark Eye for the Deloitte Ignite Festival 2014 (Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House) and Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2021. Miguel won the Cuban Best Male Solo Award in 2002, and in 2003 was chosen by Carlos Acosta to perform in Tocororo, which toured internationally from 2003 to 2007. In 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 he was nominated for Outstanding Male Performance and Best Dancer by the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards UK.

Our Governance

The Carlos Acosta International Dance Foundation was set up in 2011 as a registered UK charity (14142368) and a registered company (07495610).