From banking to climate risk and theatre, Executive MBA alumna (2017) and entrepreneur Nathalie Lockton is a wearer of many hats.
With a background in banking, including roles in technology and financial crime, the bright lights and drama of the theatre may seem like a world away from Nathalie’s field of expertise. This didn’t stop her creating an industry first in the form of Theatredor; a vibrant and inclusive community for the performing arts to help its members stage productions, develop their talents and forge lasting partnerships.
Creating an inclusive space for the performing arts community
“Being successful in the performing arts is all about working with the right people.” Explains Nathalie when asked about her motivations for creating Theatredor. “Existing social networks aren’t built with us in mind – they don’t allow us to express ourselves adequately and enable us to connect, create share and perform with like-minded people.” Nathalie has been working on this project part time for the past two years with the goal of supporting the creative arts industry and enabling its members to achieve success.
Nathalie was drawn to the creative networking space by a lifelong passion for literature and bringing stories to life, enforced by studying acting courses at the Royal Academy of Dance and NYU. This value of continual learning was what attracted Nathalie to study her EMBA at Cambridge, which provides lifelong learning modules as part of the programme. Skills learnt during her time at Cambridge Judge Business School proved invaluable when building Theatredor: “The EMBA taught me a lot about strategy and the importance of evolving your product to best suit the needs of your clients.”
Future goals: supporting others in the arts industry
With the new website for Theatredor recently published, the start-up is already looking to the future. Plans for a crowdfunding platform are on the agenda to support the development of productions from the earliest stage of conception, to finding collaborators and financing options. With a focus on people, Theatredor aims to make the performing arts more accessible through providing scholarships and funding to support projects created by its members.
In challenging times many people turn to the arts for respite and the theatre is no exception. The magic of the stage has illuminated human culture for centuries and it is vital that this should continue as our world continues to transform.