Dr Sita Thomas to stand down as Artistic Director and CEO of Fio

After three transformative years as the Artistic Director and CEO of Fio, Dr Sita Thomas is leaving the company in September 2024.  

All of us at Fio are incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together, and the Board would like to put on record our thanks for Sita’s outstanding work. Securing multi-year revenue funding from the Arts Council of Wales for the first time was a momentous milestone. Under Sita’s leadership, we successfully secured £1 million worth of funding, allowing us to deliver on our three key strands: People, Projects, and Productions. Our artist development programme, Arise, has been a beacon of collaboration, partnering with esteemed organisations Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, S4C, BBC Audio, Stage One and SDUK.

Our productions over the last three years have included partnerships with Welsh National Opera, Music Theatre Wales, and Wales Millennium Centre. 

Dr Sita Thomas said:

“I’m proud of all our achievements over the last three years. It has been fulfilling to be able to support the development of Global Majority creatives in Wales, and to enable people to share their stories through the different facets of our work. I am so pleased that my final production in my role will be as director of Dal Gafael/Hold On, a Fio partnership with National Youth Theatre of Wales and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru.

This decision to leave the company comes after much deliberation and is rooted in the challenges we have faced in recruiting essential staff. Despite these difficulties, my passion for Fio’s vision and mission remains unwavering, and I look forward to contributing to arts and culture in new and impactful ways.

My gratitude extends to our trustees, funders, partners, and all the individuals we have worked with, particularly the Global Majority creatives in Wales who have been and will remain the focus of Fio's work.

I look forward to seeing all involved with Fio continue to thrive and make an important impact in the Welsh cultural sector.”

Sita Thomas