Our People

Dame Judi Dench is one of Britain's most celebrated actresses, with a career spanning theatre, television and film. She is perhaps best known for her roles in As Time Goes By, the James Bond films as M, and her Academy Award-winning performance as Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love.

A long-time advocate for literature and the arts, Dame Judi has received numerous honours throughout her career, including an OBE, DBE and Companion of Honour. Her love of storytelling and her contribution to accessible reading make her a wonderful supporter of Calibre Audio and our mission to help everyone experience the joy of books.

Natalie Calibre Audio’s very first ambassador. She is the Founder of Dyslexia in Adults, which has supported more than 3,500 adults with dyslexia through executive coaching, and author of Dyslexia Unlocked which offers dyslexic adults simple, practical solutions to thrive in everyday life.

As a dyslexic person herself, Natalie is passionate about breaking down barriers and helping people understand the value and accessibility of reading. She also has a strong and engaged community of adults with dyslexia, making her a fantastic fit for Calibre Audio and our mission to make reading accessible to everyone.

Howard has spent 30 years working in the advertising business in a variety of UK and international roles. He has extensive experience managing clients and leading teams to deliver commercial and marketing excellence, as well as mentoring talent at work and for an industry body focused on ensuring women have equal opportunities in the communications industry. Calibre Audio is his first Trustee role.

Outside of work he has a family, is a Patron of the Royal Shakespeare Company and an Arsenal season ticket holder.

Rob has over 25 years of fundraising experience working for or advising medical research and healthcare charities. Currently responsible for the operational management of Kingston Hospital Charity, he previously had a 14-year association with Moorfields Eye Hospital, initially as a consultant advising on a major campaign for a new children’s eye hospital and latterly as its first director of development. Rob is a member of the income generation advisory board at Princess Alice Hospice in Esher and has previously supported the Chartered Institute of Fundraising's London mentoring programme. He has also served as a trustee of Elephant Family and as a school governor at two local schools in Surrey.

John is totally blind and first became a Calibre Audio member in 1985. His professional background is in marketing, talking books, technology and product development. He has a post-graduate diploma in voluntary sector management from City University.

He set up Share the Vision, a charity to enable public libraries and organisations for the blind to co-operate to improve services.

Koula has over 17 years experience in senior finance roles across retail and hospitality and has recently joined the travel industry at TUI in a strategic finance role for Marella Cruises.

Prior to this Koula held executive positions as Finance Director of Butlins, and the hotel group Ralph Trustees which owns the Grove in Watford, and more recently The Oakman Group, a premium pub company.

Koula has developed a proven track record of managing complex operations, driving commercial strategy through powerful leadership and ensuring that both guests and team remain at the heart of the organisation.

Koula is an advocate for diversity and inclusion, and supports this by mentoring business founders from minority backgrounds in the hospitality industry.

Kate Jones is an award-winning producer with over 25 years’ experience in the digital publishing industry.

As Co-Founder of KCACreative.com, Kate commissions, develops and produces audio content working with publishers, audio platforms, broadcasters and charities.

Kate has directed voices for everything from single voice advertising through to full cast immersive audio drama and leads creative teams producing audiobooks, series and podcasts. As Executive Producer at BBC Audiobooks, Kate produced licensed and original audio, and as Head of Content Development at Storytel, Kate commissioned and led creative teams across international markets, publishing audio in multiple languages.

Kate mentors people new to the audio industry, is passionate about inclusion and is a long serving member of a circle of support for an adult with a learning disability.

Melissa is a barrister with experience across national Tribunals and the Government Legal Department, advising on digital accessibility, public protection and emerging risks in artificial intelligence.

Melissa has represented the UK internationally on legislation addressing AI and brings this experience to her work with Calibre Audio, supporting safe digital transformation and strong governance.

She has a long-standing commitment to charitable and civic life, with experience spanning hospital radio to board-level roles across numerous charities. She is a Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn and former Chair and now Lifetime Vice President of the Association of Women Barristers.

At Calibre Audio, Melissa focuses on strengthening governance, supporting strategic growth and ensuring people with print disabilities can access high-quality books without barriers.

Miles has worked in a variety of different categories of Publishing over the last 25 years. He has extensive experience of running businesses, operating in different international markets and leading growth strategies.

Miles is Managing Director of RBmedia’s international businesses, the world’s largest audiobook publisher, and has a deep understanding of the audiobook industry.