Passing the baton… a fond farewell to Jon and promotion for Ian

It’s a significant week at Charcoalblue. After 21 incredible years, our co-founder Jon Stevens is stepping down, and Ian Stickland is stepping into a newly created CEO role, joining the Senior Partners to help guide our future.

Back in 2004, ex-chief electrician Andy Hayles and lighting & sound engineer Jon Stevens teamed up with architect Gavin Green and production manager Jack Tilbury to form Charcoalblue. As the company evolved, stage manager Katy Winter became a Senior Partner following Jack’s departure. Throughout it all, Jon has been instrumental in shaping our projects, systems and culture.

From our earliest collaborations with London’s Young Vic Theatre, Siobhan Davies Studios and the National Theatre, to landmark projects in Stratford-upon-Avon and at Snape Maltings in Suffolk, Jon led projects and designed our technical systems. One small but pivotal project - the Ebert Room at Glyndebourne Opera, perfectly captured our ‘can-do’ approach. As lead consultant, Jon led the team to create a wonderful rehearsal, presentation and performance space for the company. This model of collaboration and problem-solving has since enabled us to tackle seemingly impossible projects worldwide, including the conversion of the Lyric Theatre in New York for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the creation of the multi-format Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier.

Jon also established our New York studio in 2012, taking the lead on St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn - a challenging yet highly influential project that set a new standard for flexible venues worldwide. Back in the UK, he continued to drive projects and shape the company’s strategic direction as we expanded into new sectors, experienced remarkable growth, opened studios across the globe, and helped build an expert acoustic team. Along the way, we celebrated a Queen’s Award for Enterprise, navigated a pandemic, and saw the completion of some of our longest-running projects, including the Perelman PAC and St. John’s Terminal in New York, Aviva Studios in Manchester, Sadler’s Wells East in London, and the soon-to-open Waikato Regional Theatre in New Zealand and Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia.

Jon is passionate about remembering that while Charcoalblue has evolved, our theatrical roots and commitment to innovation remain at the heart of who we are. “We employ the most creative minds, all united by a shared vision to get things done. With Charcoalblue in the room, clients know we’ll listen and understand - no matter how simple or complex the challenge. Once we know what needs to be achieved, we do whatever it takes to make it happen.”

As Jon hands over to Ian, we know we’re in good hands. Both share a technical theatre background, Jon’s roots are in repertory theatre, dance and opera, while Ian’s experience in devised work, sound recording and technology brings a different perspective - one that complements the Senior Partner team perfectly.

Prior to joining Charcoalblue 16 years ago, Ian graduated from the Tonmeister course at the University of Surrey. He also gained a post-graduate diploma in Acoustics from the Institute of Acoustics and worked as a sound designer, engineer and technical manager for world-leading companies such as Battersea Arts Centre, Punchdrunk and Abbey Road Studios. As a theatre consultant with Charcoalblue, he played a key role in delivering the RIBA Stirling Prize-winning Liverpool Everyman Theatre - the only theatre to ever receive this award. Around this time, Ian began exploring the integration of digital systems into buildings to redefine audience experiences. This led to the creation of our digital team, supported by an in-house R&D group dedicated to investigating the future of space, materials, performance, and presentation. From these foundations, Charcoalblue Experience (CBX) was born - a dedicated team balancing discovery, design, and delivery to create exceptional guest experiences across workplace, technology, exhibition, and event sectors.

We have come a long way in 21 years, and while succession is a natural part of any business, Jon will be greatly missed. This new chapter is an exciting one for everyone: Ian brings fresh yet familiar thinking, a deep-rooted passion for theatrical innovation, and the same ‘can-do’ spirit that our clients and collaborators have come to expect from Charcoalblue.