isla has welcomed two exciting additions to its Advisory Board, strengthening cross-sector input and expertise as isla looks to a reimagined vision for its community and industry partners in 2024 and beyond.

The appointments of Johhjoseph (JJ) Ryan, Owner & Director of bespoke exhibition builders woodfashioners and Kate Vandenburg, Marketing & Communications Director, the Business Design Centre were announced at isla’s first-ever member AGM earlier this week, which took place during the inaugural edition of Event Sustainability Live.

They move into the event service business and venue representative positions, replacing outgoing Advisory Board members Stewart Green, Global Sustainability Director, Gentrack Ltd and Amy King, Head of Exhibitions & Events, ASM Global respectively.

The Advisory Board is completed by the followed members:

• Selina Donald, Founder & Chief Sustainability Officer – The Bulb
• Philippa Murphy, Global Event Producer – Google Cloud for Chesamel
• Martin Fullard, Director (News & Content) – Davies Tanner and The Business of Events
• Marisa Beckman, Operations Consultant – Inovent Exhibitions Ltd
• Chloe Jackson, Managing Director – Smart Group Ltd
• Faye Priestley, Executive Project Director – Identity
• Chloé Menhinick, Partner (Association & Legacy Consultancy) – GainingEdge

“I’m delighted to become the Venue Representative on isla’s Advisory Board, joining a host of industry professionals focused on driving forward sustainability in events. It will be a privilege to share my learnings from a venue perspective and collaborate with those from across all aspects of event design and delivery in improving our industry’s impact. It’s vital that we continue at pace and address the challenges we collectively face in moving towards a more sustainable future; to be able to support the discussion and actively participate closely with the isla community is a role I am very much looking forward to fulfilling,” – Kate Vandenburg

“It is an absolute pleasure to be invited to join the isla Advisory Board. As someone coming from a sustainability background into the event sector, I have always been keen to look at new ways to collaborate up and down the supply chain.  I will do my very best to represent the views and considerations of Event Services on the board, and look forward to supporting the isla team and membership to drive the industry forward to a more sustainable future,” – Johnjoseph (JJ) Ryan.

Now in its fourth year, isla’s Advisory Board will meet quarterly and continue to focus on cross-industry stakeholder engagement, while acting as an important sounding board for isla initiatives and policy development. The board’s meeting in December will focus on the results of isla’s annual member survey, which will shape the evolution of the membership offering and community program for 2024 and beyond. 

Advisory Board Chair and Managing Director of Freeman EMEA Jason Megson added: “It’s a pleasure to welcome both Kate and JJ to the Advisory Board. As leading sustainability voices and practitioners in their respective fields, their knowledge and passion will be invaluable to our existing group of board members and the wider isla community.”