County Durham Culture Trust Trustees
Dr. Arnab Basu MBE DL - Chair
Business Leader | Innovation Champion | Non-Executive Director
Arnab Basu is a business leader, scientist, and non-executive director, best known as the founding CEO of Kromek Group plc, a UK-based, AIM-listed technology company with global operations in radiation and biological pathogen detection. Over a career spanning more than 20 years, Arnab has earned a formidable reputation for leading innovation-driven enterprises from concept to global scale, while influencing economic and innovation policy at national and regional levels.
Since founding Kromek in 2003 as a university spin-out, Arnab has transformed it into a global enterprise with over 150 employees across the UK and US. Under his leadership, the company has developed a world-class portfolio of patented technologies, serving customers in more than 50 countries. He led the company’s IPO on the London Stock Exchange in 2013, raising over £100 million to date for growth, R&D, and strategic expansion.
Arnab has successfully executed key acquisitions—including NOVA R&D Inc. (California) and eV Products (Pennsylvania)—and secured many major strategic licensing and partnership deals. He has built enduring relationships with Tier 1 global medical and security OEMs and secured many high-value, multi-year contracts with the US Department of Defense (DARPA, DTRA), UK Ministry of Defence, and UK Home Office, cementing Kromek’s role in national security, defence, and medical imaging.
A passionate advocate for industrial innovation, Arnab has held senior non-executive and advisory roles with organisations such as Innovate UK and Russell Group Universities, Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria, North East Local Enterprise Partnership and Business Durham. He currently chairs the County Durham Culture Trust and serves on both the North East Investment Zone Advisory Board and Russell Group Industrial Strategy Expert Panel.
Arnab is the High Sheriff Durham and in recognition of his contributions, Arnab was appointed MBE in 2014 and Deputy Lieutenant of County Durham in 2020. He is a dedicated member of the local community, previously chair of the Durham City Cricket Club, one of the largest community cricket clubs in the region and was appointed as a Patron for St Margaret’s, a mental health charity in Durham, along with ambassador for the Advanced Manufacturing Forum.
A physicist by training with a PhD from Durham University, Arnab is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, the Royal Society of Arts, and an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Physics. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science by Northumbria University in 2016. He is also a regular media commentator on international trade, innovation, and technology policy.
Claire Williams
Durham County Council Strategy, Funding and Programmes Manager
Claire Williams is passionate about arts, culture, and heritage in County Durham, recognising their role in fostering an inclusive economy, enriching lives, and developing community cohesion. She is enthusiastic about contributing to the County Durham Culture Trust as an administrative trustee.
Claire brings extensive experience in programme management and fundraising, having secured millions of pounds for key economic development and regeneration projects. She has successfully managed numerous external funding programmes, working collaboratively across council service areas to maximise external funding and deliver council priorities, including working closely working with Cultural Sport and Tourism colleagues.
She has established robust governance and administrative arrangements, exemplified by setting up a Portfolio Office for the council’s Regeneration Economy and Growth Directorate. The Portfolio Office supports consistent project management and provides oversight through regular reporting to the Place Programmes Board and Corporate Leadership Team.
She has led the development of the county’s Inclusive Economy Strategy Delivery Plan, engaging partners to identify and drive forward actions that support the strategy’s ambition for more and better jobs in an inclusive, green economy. Her strategic leadership and communication skills are evident in her role, where she builds trust and credibility with stakeholders.
Claire looks forward to working with fellow trustees to establish the Trust and enhance the county’s arts, culture, and heritage provision, contributing to a thriving and inclusive economy.
Darren Richardson
Co-Founder and Creative Director, Gardiner Richardson
Darren Richardson is a collaborative designer, creative director and brand strategist with almost 40 years’ specialist experience in corporate identity, brand creation and design-led innovation.
As Co-Founder and Creative Director of Gardiner Richardson, Darren has advised clients at a strategic level on the positioning, development and creation of compelling brands, from ambitious start-ups to established national and international organisations. His career has spanned aviation, automotive, transport, tourism, FMCG and place branding, giving him a broad and deeply practical understanding of how brands create meaning, engagement and commercial value.
Darren has created and led brand strategies for a wide range of place-based projects, including Visit Northumberland, Dumfries & Galloway, Bishop Auckland and, most recently, the visual identity for Culture County. His work combines imagination, strategic clarity and commercial focus, helping organisations define their purpose, communicate more effectively and create lasting impact.
Born in the North East, Darren has worked in London, Oslo, Lisbon, San Francisco and New York before returning to the region to establish Gardiner Richardson and bring that international experience back home. His passion for arts, culture and place has also shaped his wider civic roles, including Chair of Trustees at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and Non-Executive Director of Newcastle NE1, where he advises on place branding and its role in creating greater regional impact.
Darren has well-developed professional networks regionally, nationally and internationally, allowing him to view the North East both from the inside out and the outside in. He has also established several networking groups in the region, bringing together creative and professional communities to share ideas, stimulate discussion and help shape the future of the North East.
An experienced communicator and advocate, Darren is skilled at working with people across different sectors, organisations and levels of seniority. Much of his work involves helping clients understand, evaluate and commit to creative decisions, giving them confidence in the strategic thinking behind the ideas and identities created.
Experience
- Gardiner Richardson: Co-Founder and Creative Director (Dec 1997 - Present)
- BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art: Chair of the Board (Jan 2020 - Nov 2020), Chair of Baltic Contemporary Visual Arts Trading Limited (Jan 2018 - Jan 2020), Vice-Chair of the Board (2015 - Dec 2019)
- Ian Kerr Associates: Creative Director (1996 - 1997)
- Landor Associates: Design Director (1993 - 1996)
- Sampson Tyrrell Design: Senior Designer (1991 - 1993)
- Roundel Design Group: Designer (1987 - 1991)
Volunteer Experience
- Newcastle NE1: Non-Executive Director (Nov 2017 - Present)
- City Futures Development Group: Member (Jan 2018 - Present)
- The Sorrell Foundation: Saturday Club Master Class Contributor (Oct 2013 - Present)
- Corbridge Middle School: Community Governor (2010 - 2014)
Publications
- The Field Guide to Typography: Thames & Hudson (2013)
Projects
- Tyne & Wear Metro: Updated corporate identity and design system (2008 - 2010)
Affiliations
- RSA Fellow
- Chartered Society of Designers
- D&AD Member
