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Our Team

Meet the team behind Havering London, an inspiring and experienced group of professionals dedicated to building a cultural ecology for all.

Aldo Rinaldi

Public Art Producer

Aldo is a London-based curator and producer with over 20 years’ experience commissioning artworks in the public realm. He has delivered more than 50 projects across the UK, working independently since 2017. Known for his experimental approach, he focuses on commissioning outside traditional gallery spaces, often at the intersection of art, architecture, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. His recent projects include Idris Khan’s 65,000 Photographs, The Modernist Glade for Milton Keynes Station Square, and the award-winning Peveril Gardens.

Get in touch at aldo@haveringlondon.com

Alyssa Walton

Heritage Projects Officer

Alyssa is a heritage researcher with a background in academia and grant-making. Her previous work at The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Cambridge Heritage Research Centre exposed her to a variety of tangible and intangible heritages, different methods of preserving these pasts, and debates on what should be brought into the future.

Alyssa has particular interest in community-led heritage and how public voices inform institutional ideas of heritage. She’s excited to work with Havering London and Havering Council in collaborating with Havering’s communities. As Heritage Projects Officer, her role is to listen to local communities to highlight, uncover, map, preserve, and maintain the borough’s rich culture. She’s eager to hear from all perspectives on what makes Havering home. Please reach out if you’d like to chat! 

Get in touch at alyssa@haveringlondon.com

Charlotte Handel

General Manager

Charlotte is passionate about connecting people and communities through meaningful engagement. With a background in arts marketing and audience development at theatres including Theatre Royal Stratford East, Lyric Hammersmith, and the Barbican, her love of working with communities naturally led her to the voluntary and community sector. After over a decade at Volunteer Centre Hackney, supporting local organisations and leading volunteering across the borough, Charlotte is thrilled to be working in her home borough of Havering, fostering collaboration and creating lasting impact through the work of Havering London.

Get in touch at charlotte@haveringlondon.com

Danny Donnelly

Mega Mega Executive Producer

Danny is a British music and media entrepreneur best known for founding Suburban Base Records, a key label in the UK rave and jungle scene. Growing up in Havering, he developed an early passion for music, going on to found and run Boogie Times, Romford’s record shop that became a hub for emerging sounds and talent. He later launched influential brands including the multi platinum selling Pure Garage and Euphoria, helping bring underground dance music to mainstream audiences. Expanding into film, he also created Pure Movies, building a diverse career across music, events, and entertainment media.

David Shearing

Director

David Shearing is Director of Havering London and Artistic Director of Variable Matter, currently producing World Kiosk, New Beginning, and Liberty Café. A multi-award-winning artist, he co-authored Havering’s cultural strategy A Good Life and has helped secure £1.8m of new investment for the borough. His design-led practice embeds social justice, technology, and the environment through co-creation with communities, shaping projects across the UK and internationally. He is also Senior Lecturer at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and co-chairs the Performance + Design Working Group for Performance Studies international (PSi).

Get in touch at david@haveringlondon.com

Jordan Abankwah

Poetic Place Producer

Jordan is a designer, workshop facilitator, and creative producer working across arts, culture, and community engagement, primarily in East London. He came to this work by following his greatest passions: community work and diverse artforms.

Jordan has worked on projects with organisations such as the Barbican, UCL East, Blackhorse Workshop, and West End theatres. In these roles, he has designed and delivered workshops, exhibitions, and community-led events that centre co-design, accessibility, and participatory art.

Katherine Green

Mega Mega Curator

Katherine is a curator, photographer and digital consultant, and Director of Rendezvous Projects CIC. She works across heritage, music and visual culture, developing exhibitions, oral histories and digital platforms that connect archive material with contemporary audiences. Her practice focuses on storytelling and documenting underrepresented communities, combining creative direction with digital strategy to support accessible, audience-focused cultural programmes.

katherinegreen.co.uk

Mathew Russell

Director

Mathew Russell is Director of Havering London and Executive Director of Variable Matter, currently producing World Kiosk and New Beginning. He co-authored Havering’s cultural strategy A Good Life, helped secure the £1.8m of new investment to date, and co-chaired the borough’s London Borough of Culture bid. He led Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch for seven years, delivering its first capital redevelopment and increasing Arts Council England NPO funding by 77%. He founded Havering Changing, chaired its consortium for six years, developed new strategic partnerships including Fuse and Creative Health Havering and has fundraised for Havering Libraries capital works. His practice and passion continues to help shape Havering’s cultural ecology.

Get in touch at mathew@haveringlondon.com

Nompumelelo Ncube

Havering Unearthed Producer

Nom is a photojournalist, public historian, and founder of Mabuza Studio, an Afrocentric photography practice dedicated to documenting and preserving African heritage. Through the lens of public history, she illuminates the rich tapestry of African ethnic groups and their diaspora, weaving together stories that capture our essence—past, present, and future.

This work connects naturally with Havering London’s mission to create a cultural ecology for everyone. Drawing on her expertise in representation and engaging with racialised communities, she’s excited to collaborate with communities across Havering to unearth the borough’s hidden histories and ensure diverse voices are preserved and celebrated for future generations.

Get in touch at nom@haveringlondon.com

Find out more about A Good Life

A Good Life is our transformational strategy designed to deliver long-term wellbeing of Havering’s residents within a radically changing place.

A Good Life

Discover our People's Panel

Alongside our Partnership Panel, over 20 local people are helping shape A Good Life.

People’s Panel