A world-renowned conductor and an award-winning television producer have been nominated for election as Honorary Fellows of Gonville & Caius College.

Kwamé Ryan (Musicology 1989), a Canadian-Trinidadian conductor, is the Music Director-Designate of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra in North Carolina, USA. Nicola Shindler (History 1987) is a British television producer, executive and media entrepreneur. She is often profiled and described as one of Britain’s leading drama and prestige television producers, having won seven BAFTA awards personally, while her companies have won 12.

Kwamé Ryan (pic credit: Volker Renner) and Nicola Shindler 

Kwamé’s Directorship is due to begin in the 2024-25 performing season and he has previously held positions as General Musical Director of the Freiburg Opera, Musical and Artistic Director of the National Orchestra of Bordeaux, Music Director of the National Youth Orchestra of France and Director of the Academy for the Performing Arts at the University of Trinidad and Tobago. He is an internationally sought-after guest conductor. While at Caius, Kwamé was a Michael Miliffe Scholar, a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholar, and a Choral Scholar. 

Nicola was a member of the Shadwell Society at Caius, a prelude of what was to follow. She is the founder and chief executive of Quay Street Productions, an independent firm operating within ITV Studios. The firm is a busy production house with several commissions from major names such as Disney and Netflix.

Nicola has produced dozens of British television programmes, most notably It’s a Sin, Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax, Scott & Bailey and Queer as Folk, which were significant critical and popular successes.