Frances Rudgard is the managing director of Living Arts International (LAI). The LAI family of organizations - united in the belief that the arts are at the heart of every vital society - includes Cambodian Living Arts, Mekong Cultural Hub and a new pilot program, Connecting South. In her role, she oversees strategy, operations and partnership development across LAI, working with an international Board and colleagues across Cambodia, Taiwan, Vietnam and UAE. She has a hands-on role in program implementation at MCH and Connecting South, and her particular interests are network-building and leadership development. Prior to joining LAI, Frances worked for a social enterprise providing low-cost consultancy services to grassroots NGOs in Cambodia, which is how she first connected with Cambodian Living Arts. She lived in Phnom Penh for 9 years before returning to the UK in 2019 to be closer to family. Frances holds a first-class BA honours in cultural studies from Leeds University.