Dartington Hall Trust (DHT) is pleased to announce the appointment to its board of two new Trustees:

David Buchler is a Chartered Accountant and Insolvency Practitioner, with over 45 years of experience in the field of Insolvency and Corporate Turnaround. He was a Partner at Arthur Andersen prior to becoming a Founding Partner of Buchler Phillips, one of the UK’s leading financial recovery and restructuring specialists, which was acquired in 1999 by the world’s leading risk mitigation firm, Kroll Inc. David later became Chairman of Kroll for Europe and Africa.

He is a former President of the Association of Business Recovery and Turnaround Professionals, the R3; an Honorary Member of INSOL Europe; former Vice-Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club; former Deputy Chairman of the English National Opera; as well as Producer of the London International Opera Festival. 

David is presently Chair of several different companies, both public and private, including Volvere Plc, Puma VCT 13 Plc and the English National Opera Directors Emeriti. He is a Trustee of Syracuse University; a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA) and the Institute for Turnaround; and a Director of the Peres Centre for Peace. He was the winner of the 2024 Outstanding Contribution to the Profession IPA Award.

Syra Sowe is Interim Principal of Swiss Cottage School, Development & Research Centre. Syra is an experienced school leader in both the mainstream and specialist sector, with a career defined by a lifelong commitment to promoting inclusion for children and young people with additional needs and advocating for marginalised communities.

Syra has a deep understanding of local priorities, working as an adviser on a range of Camden strategic boards and local area partnerships, as well as using her expertise in Special Educational Needs to support educators across the country. Syra is a Senior Partner for Challenge Partners Empower Hub.

Welcoming David and Syra to the board, Lord Triesman, DHT Chair, said:

“I’m delighted that these two distinguished individuals have joined our mission, as privileged custodians of the Dartington Estate and its precious historic buildings, to continue securing a sustainable financial basis for the Trust and ending decades of losses once and for all. Syra brings highly relevant experience of partnering with regulatory bodies and local organisations, while David, as an external adviser, has been a key figure in our difficult turnaround over the last two years. He will undertake additional responsibilities as Deputy Chair of DHT and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee. DHT is extremely fortunate to have Syra and David on board and I, along with my fellow Trustees, looking forward to working closely with both of them to achieve further progress at Dartington.”

Dartington Hall Trust is a charitable trust that operates the 1,200-acre estate which includes a historic Grade II* listed landscape and buildings.

The trust also functions as a public venue for events, hospitality, and community activities.

The estate is a key part of the trust's operations, serving as a testing ground for projects and a visitor destination with gardens, woodland walks, and cultural events.

It hosts a range of activities, from arts festivals and residencies to family-friendly events, weddings, and conferences.