Fiona Stewart

Fiona Stewart is the Managing Director of the Green Man Festival.

Stewart became involved in the Green Man Festival in 2005, to develop Green Man in the same way as the The Big Chill (music festival). She moved the event to a new site, developed the design of the event, themed areas, introduced professional production, decor and services. In the first year of trading the festival won the welsh arts award, the size of the event went from 1800 to 6,500 tickets. Glanusk Park the new venue was quoted as "the best festival site in the country" by the Times, Guardian awarded the festival 4 out of 5 stars, and 5 out of 5 stars were awarded by The Times for the production and services.

In 2007 tickets increased from 6,500 to 10,000 based on demand, the numbers were capped for the 2008 event. The festival receives neither public funding or sponsorship to support it.

Stewart was Festival Manager of the Big Chill Festival between September 2000 — September 2006 (6 years 1 month). She developed and managed the Big Chill in the position of Festival Manager and had the responsibility of all aspects of the festival apart from music programming and increased the ticket numbers from 3,500 to 35,000 in six years.

Stewart is seen as the UK specialist in the production and development of "Boutique Festivals."

Stewart has been involved in the entertainment, leisure and events industries for twenty years, starting out in film management andproduction. After graduating from London University with a BSc in Psychology she spent many years working in events management andconferencing for such Government bodies as The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Home Office, as well as several ‘blue-chip’ commercial clients.

In recent years she has concentrated on the management and development of cutting edge, commercial indoor and outdoor events(clubs, festivals. concerts and holidays), with various PR companies, promoters and government groups.

Stewart has acted as a Consultant to the British Council and commercial arm of the Foreign Office in the in the management of international events, and the development of British events industry interests abroad.

She has managed of an annual ten day festival on the island of Naxos in Greece, as well as organizing the tour of Morcheaba in China in 2004 and Ladytrone in 2005, as well as sourcing the site for the Elton John concert in Shanghai in 2005.

In March 2004 with the support of Visiting Arts and the British Council Fiona was invited to China to research the feasibility ofdeveloping two international outdoor festivals, develop links and business with Chinese arts managers and promoters, analyze and report back on the suitability of venues, available production equipment and the Chinese events industry generally. During this visit she instigated the development of the first Chinese Music Industry Think Tank to support the independent popular music industry in China, which is currently being developed, with the support of Visiting Arts, the Commercial Department of the British Embassy in Beijing and the British Council.

In 2005 she undertook two more visits in Serbia and in Brazil. Her reports and evaluations were well received and circulated to the Foreign Office, the Department of Trade and Industry, British Council and Visiting Arts.

She is currently developing a project with the National Theatre, British Film Institute and Arts Alliance titled "ID Identity of the Soul," which is due to tour on the Southbank early next year.