Honorary Fellow Sam Tatlow MBE with Chair of the Board of Governors Jennifer Sims (left), Principal and CEO Randall Whittaker (centre), and Mace-Bearer Leah Charles. 

 

Actress Michele Austin and voiceover artist Alex Jordan have been conferred Fellows of Rose Bruford College, whilst musician, former chair of Youth Music, and founder of venue Soul Mama YolanDa Brown OBE DL, higher education leader Alison Johns, the Lady Stephenson, and ITV Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Sam Tatlow MBE have all been conferred Honorary Fellowships.

Fellowships were announced as part of the College’s annual Graduation celebrations.

 

Professor Randall Whittaker, Principal and CEO of Rose Bruford College, said:

“Our Fellows and Honorary Fellows embody the very best of leadership in the UK’s creative industries and higher education, and we are proud to welcome them into the Rose Bruford community.

 

Their achievements in diversity, educational leadership, performance, broadcasting, and contemporary digital media, demonstrate the profound cultural impact of creative practice and higher education, and provide outstanding role models for our current students and alumni.”

 

Rose Bruford College is a leading specialist London higher education institution providing undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in entertainment arts and production from an historic campus in the London Borough of Bexley. Alumni include Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer), Sir Gary Oldman (Slow Horses), and producer Sara Huxley (Mr Bates vs The Post Office).

From BAFTA wins to lighting the Eurovision’s grand finale, Rose Bruford graduates, staff, and students are making their mark across the creative industries. Graduates of Actor Musicianship, Anna Fordham, Elliot MacKenzie, and Damien James, are currently starring in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, winner of three Olivier Awards including Best New Musical. Lighting Design alumni featured prominently in The Profile Awards 2025, where Jessica Hung Han Yun was awarded Outstanding Achievement in Theatre for her work on Hamlet Hail to the Thief. Further awards went to Sarah Readman for her work on The Glass Menagerie at The Yard, Hackney Wick, and to Joshie Harriette for her work on Pigeons at Sadler’s Wells East. Also this year, writer and alum Bernardine Evaristo received the Women’s prize outstanding contribution award, a one-off prize to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Women’s prize for fiction, in recognition of her transformative impact on literature and lifelong advocacy.

2025 Fellows and Honorary Fellows:

 

Michele Austin – Fellow

An accomplished actress, Michele Austin trained at Rose Bruford College, graduating in 1992 with a BA (Hons) in Acting. Since her screen debut IN SECRETS & LIES (1996), she has built a diverse career across film, TV and theatre. Her television work includes THE BILL (as PC Yvonne Hemingway, earning a Screen Nation Award), EASTENDERS, DEATH IN PARADISE, THIS IS GOING TO HURT, and BOAT STORY. Her stage credits include an Olivier Award-nominated performance as Madame Ragueneau in CYRANO DE BERGERAC (2019). Recent acclaim includes a National Society of Film Critics Award and multiple nominations for her performance in Hard Truths.

 

YolanDa Brown OBE DL – Honorary Fellow

For some, world tours and critically acclaimed albums would be satisfaction enough – not for YolanDa Brown. She wears many hats – all with passion. Her music is a delicious fusion of reggae, jazz, and soul. She has toured with The Temptations, Jools Holland, and Billy Ocean, and is currently composing for TV’s SESAME STREET. Awarded an OBE for services to music, music education and broadcasting, YolanDa is Chair of the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and is a champion of music education. She chaired Youth Music for six years, sits on the Arts Council’s National Council and is Chancellor of the University of Kent. Her CBeebies series YOLANDA’S BAND JAM won the Best Children’s Programme (Pre-school) award at the RTS North West Awards in 2018. After a Guinness World Record-breaking crowdfund, YolanDa launched music venue Soul Mama in 2024.

 

Alison Johns, the Lady Stephenson – Honorary Fellow

Higher education leader Alison Johns has more than three decades’ experience in the sector and was Chief Executive of Advance HE until June 2025, having been appointed in 2017 to lead the merger of three national agencies that created the organisation.
She previously served as Chief Executive of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education and held senior roles at the Higher Education Funding Council for England, where she helped establish both the Leadership Foundation and the Equality Challenge Unit. Internationally recognised, she has advised governments and institutions on reform, led a major review for the Australian government and spoken in over 30 countries on leadership, governance and inclusion. She has also held numerous national and international board roles.

 

Alex Jordan – Fellow

Alex Jordan is a voiceover artist and actor who graduated with a BA (Hons) in Acting from Rose Bruford College in 2013. He has helped to bring characters to life across a multitude of mediums including video games, animated series, podcasts, films and television.
With over 100 credits, his work in video games includes Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Wuthering Waves, Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series and Dragon Age: The Veilguard. His film and television credits include NINJA EXPRESS, DREAM HORSE, THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL, PADDINGTON 2, ANDOR and MR BATES VS THE POST OFFICE.

 

Sam Tatlow MBE – Honorary Fellow

As Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at ITV, Sam Tatlow MBE sits on the Executive Leadership Team and oversees ITV’s overarching Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy, including leading the delivery of their Diversity Acceleration Plan. She joined ITV in 2020 as Creative Diversity Partner, following roles at thinkBIGGER!, supporting initiatives including Channel 4’s Production Training Scheme and the 2012 Paralympics coverage. Sam chairs disability advisory groups for BAFTA and Arts Council England and was recognised in the Shaw Trust’s Disability Power 100 in 2021 and 2023. In 2022, she was awarded an MBE for services to disabled people.

 

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