Matthew Pontin

Matthew Pontin is a parent to a young person at South West Music School. With a long career in the creative arts, he is founding director of Fotonow CIC where he has developed extensive experience within youth education and social enterprise management.

His career began off the back of a photojournalism degree, this led to a creative arts practice leaning towards socially engaged photography. He has experience working on media projects, producing exhibitions, publishing, teaching across diverse educational settings (from primary through to higher education). Having taught for seven years at Plymouth College of Art he is current pathway Lead on BA(Hons) Photojournalism with Photography run by Fotonow and University Marjon Plymouth. He has creative project management skills in directing Fotonow CIC over past 15 years.

He is also a fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce), and voluntary director of St Saviours CIC (a small cultural hub on the Barbican in Plymouth) and have co-founded Cliik Community to explore community ownership and regeneration in North Stonehouse (Plymouth). Matthew is an advocate in how social enterprise can help shape a better society and bring a more equitable and sustainable future for the communities organisations serve. He has recently become a non-exec at Sound Communities CIC which works in the Torbay area supporting young people with radio and music education. As a trustee of South West Music School he will bring a combination of a listening, nurturing partnerships and funding opportunities, enhancing the reach of the charity and building resilience through developing a strong identity and celebratory impact reporting.