Arts and culture sponsorship is one of the most emotionally powerful yet commercially underused opportunities in marketing today. Done well, it can build brand affinity, deliver measurable impact and connect with audiences in ways that other sectors cannot.
Join the sponsorship community for a special ESA Breakfast at the National Portrait Gallery in London on 27 November.
The launch of the ESA Guide to Arts & Culture Sponsorship, developed collaboratively between ESA and the Heads Of Corporate Network*, will be followed by a forum exploring how brands are using culture to tell their stories, reach new audiences and deliver business results.
Event timings
- 08:00-08:45 arrivals, refreshments, networking & access to Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World
- 08:45-09:45 session
- 09:45-10:30 additional networking & access to Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World
There will be inspiring contributions from high-profile leaders from across the sector, with an extended interactive Q&A chaired by moderator Jan Gooding, one of the UK’s most experienced marketing leaders and a former sponsorship leader with Aviva, BT and British Gas.
The panel will comprise:
- Desirée Clarke-Noble | MD and Head of Impact | RBC Capital Markets and RBC Europe
- Lenah Ueltzen-Gabell | Group Managing Director | Wasserman
- Tanya Townsend | Senior Sponsorship & Brand Activation Manager | Three Ireland
- Vanessa Woodard | Head of Partnerships | Sky Arts
Guests can expect practical takeaways and fresh perspectives on how cultural partnerships from theatres and galleries to festivals and music venues can drive brand engagement, social impact and customer loyalty.
Whether you’re a brand, agency or rights holder, you’ll leave with ideas you can apply straight away and be part of a growing movement redefining what purpose-drive partnerships can achieve.
Introduced by ESA Board Director Martin Prendergast, the event will double as the launch of the inaugural ESA Guide to Arts & Culture Sponsorship, and ESA will present the results of recent research on the same topic.
Attendance is free to sponsorship and marketing professionals and those working in the arts & culture sector. Click on the BOOK NOW buttons on this page to request a place at this event.
* The Heads of Corporate Network is an informal group of sponsorship professionals working across the UK’s arts and cultural sector
Desirée Clarke-Noble
MD and Head of Impact, RBC Capital Markets and RBC Europe
Originally from New Zealand, Desirée is Global Head of Impact for RBC Capital Markets and RBC Europe, overseeing corporate philanthropy, community partnerships, and employee and client engagement programs. Previously, as Head of Brand and Marketing for Europe and Asia Pacific, she shaped RBC’s brand positioning, sponsorship strategy and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Before joining RBC, she spent over a decade at HSBC directing global advertising campaigns for Global Banking and Markets. Desirée was granted the Freedom of the City of London in 2019 and is a Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Marketors and Board Member of The Artichoke Trust.
Lenah Ueltzen-Gabell
Group Managing Director, Wasserman
Lenah joined Wasserman in 2008 and moved to London in 2010 to establish a beachhead for the agency’s marketing services outside of the United States. Her focus has been building a full-service marketing agency serving clients from traditional sports to culture, music and entertainment for both brand and rightsholder clients such as Skyscanner, NFL, Chelsea FC, BMW, and American Express. Lenah was recognised for her leadership in SportsBusiness Journal’s Forty Under 40 Class of 2013 and again in 2017 at the Leaders 40 under 40 Awards. She is currently on the speaking circuit, championing the growth and equality for Women in Sports, Music and Culture under Wasserman’s #TheCollective banner. Prior to Wasserman, Lenah was an award-winning equestrian. She holds a Bachelor of Science in marketing from Tulane University as well as an MBA from Georgetown University.
Tanya Townsend
Senior Sponsorship & Brand Activation Manager, Three Ireland
Tanya has spent 17 years creating award-winning sponsorship and live experience campaigns across telco and utilities. She began her career at O2, delivering major music partnerships with artists like Justin Bieber and Beyoncé and launching The O2’s first live-streaming platform. She later led flagship cultural programmes at Bord Gáis Energy before joining Three, where she now oversees sponsorships for 3Arena, 3Olympia and Electric Picnic. This year she introduced a new strategic direction for Three’s sponsorships through the lens of emotional equity. In 2025, Tanya was elected to the ESA Board and joined the ESA Ireland Steering Group, supporting best practice and innovation across the industry.
Vanessa Woodard
Head of Partnerships, Sky Arts
Vanessa leads strategic collaborations for Sky Arts across the UK’s arts and culture sector. She manages Sky Arts’ long-standing partnership with National Theatre Live, project-manages the annual Sky Arts Awards, and developed and delivers the channel’s flagship education initiative, Access All Arts Week, which supports creativity in primary schools and has reached over one million children in just four years. Vanessa’s work at Sky Arts is shaped by a commitment to making the arts more accessible. She focuses on building partnerships that broaden access to the arts, support creative learning and create meaningful opportunities for participation.
Jan Gooding
Moderator
Jan is one of the UK’s most experienced marketing leaders, committed to building responsible brands and inclusive leaderships. During her extensive career, she worked in senior marketing and sponsorship roles at BT, British Gas and as Group Brand Director at Aviva – where she championed the innovative partnership with NT Live. She is a regular columnist for The Media Leader, a Fellow of The IPA and an Honorary Fellow of the Marketing Society and Market Research Society. She is a former Chair of Stonewall and President of the Market Research Society. She now works as an executive coach.
The event video is available exclusively to ESA members in our website event resources.
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