Sir Michael Lyons to join Board of Tindal Street

Sir Michael Lyons has been invited to Chair the board of directors of Birmingham’s prize-winning
independent publisher.

The Chairman of the BBC Trust has today agreed to accept the challenge of taking Tindal Street
Press into an even more successful second decade.

‘I am pleased to be joining Alan Mahar and the talented board of Tindal Street Press. This is a
small gem in the arts landscape of Birmingham with an enviable track record for bringing
forward new literary voices and securing national recognition for them.’

The publicly-funded publisher, part-supported by Arts Council England and Birmingham City
Council, is overseen by a voluntary Board, which Sir Michael will chair at the next Board
meeting on April 26th.

Publishing Director, Alan Mahar commented: ‘This appointment is indicative of the Board’s
ambition for the future. Tindal Street Press has achieved a great deal in the last ten years, with
prize-listings for all the major literary prizes. Sir Michael’s experience and drive will help take
our operations another major step forward on the national stage. His appointment coincides
with an exciting time for our enterprise, when we have just had our second Costa First Novel
Award winner in the space of three years. It will be a great boost to have such a strong and
media-savvy national voice as Sir Michael’s to support the dynamic Birmingham-based team of
Editor and Marketing Manager, Luke Brown, Alan Mahar and Publicity and Marketing Assistant,
Rikhi Ubhi.’

Sir Michael is currently Chairman of the BBC Trust, the governing body of the BBC.

Sir Michael’s connections with Birmingham and the West Midlands have been strong over many
years. Having served as Chief Executive for the councils of Wolverhampton, Nottinghamshire
and Birmingham, he was knighted in 2000 for services to local government and became
Professor of Public Policy at Birmingham University, until 2006. He lives in Sutton Coldfield, in
the north of Birmingham.
Sir Michael is also Chairman of the English Cities Fund and Chair of Participle Ltd. He is a non-
executive director of Wragge & Co and a governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company. His
previous offices include Chair of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and directorships
with City Pride, Millennium Point and Birmingham Marketing Partnership.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The Tindal Street Press non-executive Board also currently comprises: film producer Roger
Shannon; media consultant Sue Beardsmore; Professor of Illustration at BCU, Andrew Kulman;
founder of Tindal Street Press, Penny Rendall; tax director at Ernst & Young Accountants, Andy
Oliver; partner at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, Jonathan Peacock.

Tindal Street Press has had books listed for the Man Booker Prize three times and the Orange
Prize twice. Most recently, Beauty by Raphael Selbourne has won the Costa First Novel Award;
Anthony Cartwright and Mez Packer have been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize.
Out of fifty titles published since 1999, fifteen have been listed for national prizes.

The spring programme of regional novels includes a mystery story set in Italy in 1900 – Before
the Earthquake by Maria Allen, a new writer from Loughborough; followed by Indeterminate
Creatures by Alan Apperley, where a Birmingham couple happen upon a life-changing letter
behind a painting; then to coincide with the World Cup and the General Election, comes
Heartland by Anthony Cartwright, a rich mix of Black Country politics, football and racial unrest.

9.03.10

For further information contact: Alan Mahar on 0121 773 8157 alan@tindalstreet.co.uk