About our partners
May Calil and Tom Marks met two decades ago at the University of Cambridge, where they studied History of Art and English respectively. Over the past decade, while pursuing successful careers in the arts, they have developed a strong working relationship based on mutual respect and friendship.
May and Tom share a deep commitment to the value of art and culture, and to the people, organisations and institutions that sustain creative endeavours. Both are active in governance roles – May as the chair of Chisenhale Gallery, Tom as a trustee of Art UK – and are sensitive to the challenges facing arts organisations and their aspirations to ensure sustainable, inclusive futures. It is that outlook which has prompted them to found Marks | Calil.
May Calil
May is a respected global connector in the arts, working across the not-for-profit and commercial sectors. As Membership Director of Cromwell Place from 2017–22, she led the launch of a highly innovative exhibition and working space in central London, building a membership scheme of more than 90 members during her tenure. She shaped and delivered the strategy whereby Cromwell Place provides meaningful support to not-for-profit organisations.
In the early part of her career, May worked as a fundraiser for creative organisations, and particularly arts institutions, working in development roles at both the Royal Academy of Arts and Tate. She specialised in working with individual donors, patron groups and acquisitions committees. In 2011, she set up May Calil Consultants, providing fundraising and strategic business expertise to a wide range of clients. Over the course of seven years, she worked with the British Council, Brunswick Arts, the Stanley Picker Gallery and Dorich House Museum, Bold Tendencies, Cass Sculpture Foundation, Create London, Frieze, Open Source and the Showroom.
Of Lebanese origin, May has a Master’s degree from SOAS in Islamic art and architecture, focusing on the Ottoman period. She is an avid collector, with particular interests in photography, Lebanese and contemporary art – and has long been committed to supporting the careers of emerging artists. She has extensive experience in non-executive roles, having previously sat on the boards of Auto Italia, Liverpool Biennial, the Chinati Contemporary Council and as the founder of the Royal Academy Young Patrons.
Thomas Marks
Tom is an authoritative communicator in the art and museum sectors, most notably as the Editor of Apollo from 2013–21. In that role he expanded the reach and remit of the magazine, launching an online platform to publish daily content and establishing the Apollo 40 Under 40 initiative to celebrate innovation in the arts. During his editorship he developed the annual Apollo Awards into a global benchmark of excellence in the museum world.
Tom is widely respected as a speaker and moderator. He frequently participates in events about issues facing museums or the art market, as well as about historical and contemporary art – often interviewing major artists in front of large audiences. He has been responsible for devising content partnerships with Masterpiece London, the National Trust, Switzerland Tourism and Charles Russell Speechlys, among others, and has created events for clients such as Deutsche Bank Wealth Management, TEFAF and Montblanc.
An established art critic, he has written many features about leading international museums and artists (particularly contemporary painters), and continues to write a monthly column for Apollo on the relationship between art and food. He is an associate fellow of the Warburg Institute, London. Prior to his career in arts journalism, Tom completed a DPhil on the relationship between poetry and architecture at the University of Oxford. He speaks fluent Italian, having previously lived in Rome. Through student mentoring and lectures, he supports Art History Link-Up, a charity that offers history of art qualifications to students in the state education sector.