The Association’s Board of Directors is made up of up to eleven non-executive directors, who are all unpaid volunteers and the AOP Executive Director. The non-exec directors are comprised as follows;
- Seven working Accredited Photographer members (can include one Agent member), elected at an annual general meeting of the company
- One Assisting Photographer member, elected at an annual general meeting
- Up to three Independent Directors, elected by the Board to bring strong business experience and expertise with them, one of whom is elected as Chair
Dates of appointment, re-election and retirement of each Board member are given below.
Anne Mannion
Independent Director & Chair
Anne is a Senior Associate Solicitor at the specialist media firm Swan Turton LLP. She was a contributor, with Charles Swan, to the legal sections of ‘Beyond the Lens’ and speaks regularly on copyright law at the Association’s conferences. She has been part of the Association's legal advice service since 2010 and has particularly enjoyed providing practical advice to members on how to bring copyright infringement claims in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court.
Anne has been in the media industry all her life: starting out as an actress, then becoming a theatre and film producer before spending 10 years at the head of a television commercials company in Soho. She is well aware of the commercial pressures and creative challenges encountered by professionals in this tough market. She also knows her way round an f-stop, having grown up with a photographer brother and been married to a cinematographer.
She believes the Association’s work in shaping future copyright laws that are so fundamental to photographer members and the representation it provides to members, both individually and collectively, are vital in the#instagram age.
Joined the Board: May 2016
Re-stands for second term: 2018
Re-stands for final term: 2020
Stands down: 2022
image © Dazeley
Carol Allen-Storey
Member Director
Carol Allen-Storey is an award-winning photojournalist specialising in chronicling humanitarian and social issues.
“My images are intimate, about issues and citizens I deeply care about. I believe photographs may not be capable of doing the moral work for us, but they can trigger the process of social consciousness”
In 2009 Storey was appointed a UNICEF ambassador for photography.
Carol’s work has been exhibited extensively. In the UK, at the National Portrait Gallery, on the South Bank, Somerset House, House of Parliament and Royal Festival Hall. Internationally her work has been shown at the Power House in New York, the European Union HQ in Brussels, the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, the DR Congo, also in Berlin, Moscow and Czech Republic.
Her solo exhibitions include: ‘The AMAHORO Generation’ - ‘CROSSINGS’ - ‘TEENS and the Loneliness of AIDS’ - ‘FRACTURED LIVES’ - ‘Children of Hope’ - ‘Anything Is Possible’ - ‘The Vanishing Assets of Africa’ and ‘The Savagery and Poetry of Africa’.
Storey has won and been shortlisted for multiple international awards. Some include:
The Taylor-Wessing 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2016. 1st Prize in the Act of Kindness International Award, the Renaissance Award, the International Spider Awards for 2008 through 2014, The Moving Walls exhibition touring Europe. Storey received the outstanding achievement documentary project for the Kontinent Awards, and she was selected as a finalist for the International Colour Awards for Photojournalism.
Storey is a graduate with distinction of the Central St. Martins, Master Photography programme, 2000. She earned her BA at Syracuse University in History/Political science and secured her MA at Columbia University in Far Eastern Studies. A native New Yorker, she resides in London.
Joined the Board: December 2016
Stands down: 2022
Re-stands: 2017 & 2019
Re-stands for final term: 2019
Gabrielle Motola
Member Director
Gabrielle Motola specialises in portrait, travel and documentary photography. Her work focuses on long-term projects, often evolving into immersive journeys that take her around the globe. Her work has won multiple awards, has been published in international journals, and has been exhibited in England, France and Iceland.
Gabrielle studied psychology, film and photography at the University of Miami and the Spéos Institute in Paris. She has also worked as a photographic printer, as an editor and colourist in cinema, a professional speaker, and teacher of cinema and photography.
She spent the better part of five years living in Iceland, where she produced her first book, An Equal Difference, published in 2016. A collection of essays, portraits and landscapes exploring the Icelandic mindset, An Equal Difference is inspired by our modern search for gender equality and shared humanity. It takes inspiration from, and analyses Icelandic society, but seeks to understand how we all could build equal and benevolent societies. It was during the making of this book that she began writing professionally.
Gabrielle is also a self-confessed motorcycle addict and has completed a return journey from England to Iceland on a 250cc motorcycle, resulting in a body of work entitled "Henge to Henge". She recently completed a 3,500-mile solo motorcycle journey through Scotland, including the inner and outer Hebrides and The Orkney Islands. This adventure resulted in a new body of work exploring the Scottish mindset and its relation to England.
Her most recent commission was a wide brief to follow the musician, performance artist and activist Amanda Palmer on her "There Will Be No Intermission" tour through Europe and the UK. This album of the same title explores challenging and too infrequently discussed subjects such as death, abortion, motherhood, sexual assault and radical compassion.
Gabrielle is exploring sustainable ways to fund and make work with integrity, direction, and compassion in our changing world where consumer culture and news media blur into each other. Gabrielle operates a Patreon subscription service where she presents stories and shares her process with a growing community of supporters.
It is an exciting new world for those with the courage to step outside the box and evolve alternative ways of making work that both provides an income and helps grow a community at the same time. Gabrielle is working to join the old and the new ways to create a stronger, healthier culture for herself, other artists, collaborators, and appreciators to produce and share work in.
Joined the Board: October 2019
Stands down: 2025
Re-stands: 2021 & 2023
Re-stands for final term: 2023
Stephen Potts
Member Director
Photography has been a hobby in Stephen's family for 3 generations and his interest dates from early teenage years, when he knew photography would be his career after a few jobs turned into more work. He left school at 18 driving a car which was bought with money earned behind the lens and went full-time with an apprenticeship in Belfast-based studio, ‘Advertising Photography’. Stephen shot work for banks, government agencies, retailers, manufacturers and the food and beverage industries and loved it! His parents had hoped he would follow his father into engineering so it was with some relief to them, shortly after completing his apprenticeship, that he landed the newly vacant position of Production Manager and it all started to look like a proper career to his parents. He took the decision to become self-employed in 1993 and continues to make his living as a photographer to this day with work in recent years being for a mix of advertising and corporate/industrial clients with a growing trend towards moving images. He has always enjoyed being a photographer and still finds himself waking up in the morning knowing that working at something you love is truly a privilege.
Along the way Stephen also ran a photographic equipment business which offered both sales and service to commercial and retail labs. In 1996 he secured the sales agency for Noritsu minilabs which, although enshrined in a worldwide agreement between 2 industry giants, seemed to be largely neglected by Kodak in Ireland at the time. This opportunity led to a very successful partnership with Noritsu UK which continued through the final good years of film-processing. The change to digital labs saw Agfa seize the technology initiative and he changed brand, his lab clients followed over the next year or two and the film-processing chapter ended for Stephen in a successful relationship with Agfa UK.
Stephen is no stranger to voluntary roles with service on the committees of sporting organisations in both motorsport and target shooting. He is also on the Federation of Small Businesses’ Belfast City Branch committee. This involves planning forthcoming branch activities which include education and networking events. That work also supports the FSB’s ongoing membership drive and efforts to ensure that the needs of small- to medium-sized businesses are reflected in public decision-making processes at both council and government levels.
The photographic business has been good to Stephen and he feels it is right to put something back by volunteering for this position with the AOP, and hopes some of the experience gained both through working in the industry and in voluntary posts will help contribute to the work of the Board.
Joined the Board: October 2015
Stands down: 2021
Re-stands: 2017 & 2019
Re-stands for final term: 2019
Ed Robinson
Member Director
Starting at a young age, Ed has vast experience as a picture editor and art director and is well versed in visual communication and the power of strong, effective, consistent visual imagery. In 2006 he became founding Creative Director of OneRedEye, a distinctive visual communications agency. A full member of the Association of Photographers, he served as a member director for two years and has now rejoined the Board for a second term. He also retains professional membership of the UK Picture Editors Guild and the World Photographic Academy and has judged numerous prestigious industry awards.
Ed's award recognition includes the One Eyeland Awards, Les Rencontres d'Arles, the Renaissance Photography Prize and the Hasselblad Masters. His client list includes Virgin, SABMiller and John Lewis as well as distinctive fashion labels Noir Basic and Chartwell and G. In addition Ed has been personal photographer to such people as Harvey Goldsmith CBE and Sir Richard Branson.
Richard Seymour
Member Director
These are exciting times for professional photography and despite the rapid changes, Richard's enthusiasm for this industry never wanes.
After studying for a degree in Professional Photography at the University of Westminster, Richard went on to assist some amazing location and studio advertising photographers in London, all of whom were AOP members.
This was followed by a period in Dubai, UAE where he set up his first studio. Returning to the UK two years later, after his adventures in the desert, he gradually started shooting editorial and commercial work for automotive and corporate clients.
In the past 15 years Richard has moved into advertising and design photography for a range of global brands in the automotive, aerospace and technology sectors.
In addition, for the past couple of years he has been directing films and TV commercials and is now expanding his portfolio into VR and AR.
Richard is also a Leica Ambassador for the Leica S medium-format pro-camera system.
He has been a finalist in the AOP Awards in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016, winning Best In Category in 2012 and 2015. He was also a judge of the AOP Open Awards in 2013.
He is a strong believer that the AOP must be relevant to the next generation of photographers and filmmakers. He believes that the combination of The AOP Awards, the seminar programmes and the professional services support that are unique to the AOP do much to assist members which include many of the elite image creators in the world today.
As a Board member he considers it his mission to communicate what he feels are the enormous advantages of membership to undergraduates and talented self-taught practitioners starting out in this incredible business.
Joined the Board: December 2016
Stands down: 2022
Re-stands: 2017 & 2019
Re-stands for final term: 2019
Naroop Jhooti
Member Director
Naroop never thought he would end up working in the creative industry. In his mind his destiny was already written. Working with his father in his clothing manufacturing company. But only after a year working in his company, his father decided to shut up shop. Naroop had to change his plans.
He wanted to be his own boss, and so following in his brothers footsteps, decided to try and crack the music industry, managing a music artist.
It was while on a press photoshoot for the music artist he was managing, that organically Naroop started to work alongside the photographer. Giving creative direction, his passion for visuals was ignited. He never knew creating imagery could be so much fun, and rewarding.
Naroop spoke with the photographer and they decided to team up as a creative duo. Amit and Naroop.
Working as a duo and self taught, Naroop quickly established himself as one of the coolest and in demand ‘urban’ photographers, shooting many of the top music artists in hip hop, dance and r ’n’ b. Labels such as Universal, Sony and Warner were all his clients.
Eventually Amit and Naroop progressed in editorial and advertising, shooting for clients including Microsoft, Samsung, Sky, Adidas and Huawei.
Being well established in photography, Naroop then set his eyes on film, initially concentrating on music videos. With is photography brand behind him, he began directing video for top 10 artists and his videos have accumulated millions of views.
Now Naroop focuses exclusively on advertising work, creating both photography and film campaigns for the worlds biggest brands.
Amit and Naroop’s ‘Sikh’ project, a collection of portraits featuring 74 British and American Sikhs, has been exhibited across the UK and coast to coast in America. Their book from the project, ‘Turban and Tales’ was a best seller and documents the entire journey of the project.
Nikki Barton
Independent Director
Nikki is a design leader who has been working in digital since the beginning.
She has worked across a wide range of platforms and technologies and on numerous award-winning products including Tate website and handheld tour, Lumia Camera for Nokia, Malcolm McLaren’s Casino of Authenticity & Karaoke art installation, as well as feature films including Mission Impossible. Early in her career Nikki worked on the seminal TV documentary Hyperland, written by Douglas Adams and her subsequent role at the BBC’s Interactive Television Unit cemented her understanding of the language of film and television, where she contributed to some of the UK’s first interactive projects.
Nikki has recently moved from British Airways to Lloyd's where she is Head of Digital Design.
Joined the Board: July 2020
Stands down: 2022
Re-stands: 2022 & 2024
Re-stands for final term: 2024
Seamus McGibbon
CEO
Seamus McGibbon
Chief Executive Officer
seamus@aophoto.co.uk
Seamus started at the AOP as General Manager in the summer of 2014 and became the CEO in July 2020, exactly six years since joining.
Seamus has worked in a variety of roles in the arts and charity sector since graduating from Hertfordshire College of Art and Design, St Albans in 1989 where he studied Model Making.
Originally a freelance model maker he has gained extensive experience of business development, fundraising, film premier and events management and training at such organisations as: the British Film Institute; London Film Festival; Stonewall; Shape Arts; UK Theatre/Society of London Theatre (membership body representing professionals in the theatre industry and performing arts). Following this he worked for arts charity Luton Culture where his role was to help create additional income to support its work.
Over the last six years he has steered the AOP through massive change and has helped cement the AOP Awards as the leading competition for photography in the creative commercial sector.
Portrait © David Partner 2014