Published 13th May 2026

Aardman appoints Caroline Norbury OBE as new Chair of Trustees

Aardman has appointed Caroline Norbury OBE DL, founder and former CEO of Creative UK, as its new Chair of Trustees.

Caroline joined the Aardman Trustee Board in 2024 and will take over the role from David Pester, who was a partner and Head of Strategic Growth at leading law firm TLT. David has served as Chair for the past seven years, following Aardman’s transition into Employee Ownership in November 2018, and will remain as an independent Trustee.

Aardman introduced Trustees after co-founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton sold 75% of their shares to a trust set up to hold those shares for the benefit of Aardman’s employees.

The Chair leads the Board of Trustees in their governance role, working closely with the Aardman Executive Board in ensuring that the studio’s independence and unique culture allow its employees to excel and continue to deliver world-class and award-winning productions.

Caroline Norbury OBE has dedicated her career to championing the cultural and creative industries and started her professional life working in community arts before becoming a film and TV producer. As the founder and Chief Executive of Creative UK, she led the industry’s efforts to be recognised as a global economic powerhouse and established new specialist investment funds for early-stage high growth creative companies.

Caroline stepped down as Chief Executive of Creative UK in March 2026 and will transition into her new Chair of Trustees role in June 2026, leading existing independent Trustees Laurence Green, David Pester, Deep Sehgal, Aardman employees Will Becher and Carla Shelley, and Aardman co-founder David Sproxton.

Caroline Norbury said: “I have been an Aardman fan since I first saw Morph on Take Hart and so it is an immense privilege to have been asked to be Chair of Trustees. We’re extremely grateful to David as he steps down and my thanks, and those of the other Trustees, go to him for the thoughtful and sensitive leadership he has provided the last seven years. Inventiveness, innovation, humour and creativity, with a huge dash of humanity, are hard-wired into the DNA of Aardman. It is our job as trustees to ensure that these core values are sustained and that the business remains committed to its values and principles as an employee-owned company and of course, a national treasure. It’s a huge responsibility for us all, and one we take huge pride in.”

David Pester said: “Aardman are an amazing and ingenious group of creative people. Working with them as chair since 2018 has been a privilege. I'm very pleased to remain part of the team helping support Caroline in her new role as chair.”

Sean Clarke, Managing Director of Aardman, said: “It has been a tremendous pleasure to work alongside David over the last seven years in what has been a key period of Aardman’s journey as an Employee-Owned Company. We are grateful for his stewardship of the Trustee Board, working with the Exec Board in navigating both challenges and opportunities during a time of much change in our industry. I am pleased that we will continue to have his invaluable expertise and experience on the Trustee Board. Our 50th Anniversary year is an opportune time to reflect on past achievements but also to look forward to the future and we are delighted to welcome Caroline as our new Chair. Her contribution as a Trustee has already been significant, and her wealth of experience and understanding of the creative industries will help support the Exec Board in ensuring Aardman has a bright future for the next 50 years.”