Owner and Managing Director of Green Man Fiona Stewart steps down as an Executive Board Member of the Concert Promoters Association

02 March 2023 - Press release

 

Fiona Stewart, owner and Managing Director of Green Man Festival will stand down as an Executive Board Member of the Concert Promoters Association (CPA) after 9 years in the role, Stewart was the first woman to have held the position

Fiona plans to divert her time to the work of the ever growing Green Man Trust, the charitable arm of Green Man festival which has supported over 10,000 people since it launched in 2013.

Stewart says: “It’s been an honour to be an Executive Board Member of the CPA, who’s commitment to protect UK Live Music is outstanding, particularly in relation to the challenges of the pandemic and Brexit. I hope whoever takes my place will come  from the growing pool of talented promoters less represented within our industry.”

Craig Stanley, CEO Marshall Arts Management and Executive Board Member of the CPA adds: “Fiona is a fantastic ambassador for the live music industry and her departure will be a great loss to the CPA Executive. As the driving force behind one of the truly great independent festivals in the UK, she could always be relied upon to add to the discussion in a positive and constructive way. She continues to be a fantastic role model for female executives entering the business and I wish her every success in all her future ventures.” 

“Fiona kicks down doors for us to follow. She developed the Boutique Festival concept and Festival Control Method now used at events internationally. Ran the first large event in Wales following covid which had the lowest infection rate in the UK at a large event, restarted the Welsh economy post Covid by restoring business confidence shattered by lock down giving thousands needed work. That she did this as an independent without test funding was the most courageous thing I have ever seen in my career. Fiona is festival royalty and whatever’s next will be in the spirit of innovation, creativity and ethics which imbues everything she does,” says Chris Smith, WOMAD International Festival Director and CPA Member.

Jane Beese, Director of Music Manchester International Festival and Executive Board Member of the CPA says: “As well as owning and running the brilliant Green Man, Fiona champions people with minority representation, and is a shining example that women have a place not only within the music industry but at a senior level anywhere. Always supportive, she’s had a profound influence on my career as with many others. When Fiona first started there were literally no women in the room, and she blazed a trail for so many to  follow. I look forward to seeing what she does next.” 

Vanessa Reed, President and CEO of New Music USA adds: “As the first woman in a UK festival to win the prestigious UK Festival Lifetime Achievement Award and the only woman to have controlling ownership of a large UK festival, Fiona has broken down barriers for the next generation of industry leaders. The always distinctive program  and success of Wales Green Man demonstrates how much the industry would benefit from the perspectives and talent of more female leaders and the transformation of a male dominated landscape.”

Stewart has been instrumental in the development and protection of live events, and a trailblazer for UK festivals thanks to her work with Green Man and The Big Chill festivals. She was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Festivals Award at the 2013 UK Festival Awards. 

Stewart has advised Government for over 30 years, more recently as Chair of the Business Group advising the fulfillment of the UK and Welsh Governments £120 million Mid Wales Growth Scheme. Her specialism in the psychology of crowd behavior has been used by the Home Office in developing the legislation that led to the formation of the 2003 Event License, and for the British Council and Foreign Office in assessing the safety of the newly emerging touring destinations in China, Eastern Europe, Brazil and India in the early noughties. In 2001 Stewart developed the Festival Control Method which was used for the first time at The Big Chill in and is now used throughout the festival industry. 

Her most recent and current work as owner and managing director of Green Man festival has seen her redefine the perception of music festivals with rural communities, gaining permissions in counties which previously declined any applications for large gatherings, while creating the high service concept of the boutique festival. She developed Green Man Festival into one of the most prominent independent festivals in the UK, from which many artists have launched their careers and she is one of the few women to have controlling ownership of a festival. 

Green Man was the first large event to take place in Wales following the pandemic’s lockdown, and by doing so opened up the Welsh economy. Stewart also founded the Green Man Trust in 2013 where she sits as chair, created to support the development of the arts and science engagement, and to create opportunities for disadvantaged people in Welsh communities.