Spotlight on a sponsor: MYA Consulting

Suzanne Bird spoke to MYA Consulting’s Carla McKenzie

Hastings International Piano (HIP) is a registered charity, and relies financially on donations, grants and sponsorship. A new local sponsor is MYA Consulting, Hastings-based international hotel and catering consultants. They do a lot of work with arts and culture venues, including several UK regional theatres, and their CEO Carla McKenzie is a former director of the Southbank Centre who has played the piano since she was about 5 years old. All this makes MYA and HIP seem an ideal match, so I asked Carla how she first became aware of the charity. ‘After moving to Hastings, I was walking through Priory Meadow shopping centre and came across the Music in the Meadow open recitals. I thought it was so accessible… a genius idea!’

Culture and Economy

MYA’s sponsorship fits well with its overall commitment to Hastings. ‘It makes absolute sense to align with a quality arts organisation that’s well-supported by the community, drives footfall and enriches the local economy’, said Carla. ‘We believe culture and opportunity belong together. A town with ambition needs jobs that are meaningful, and culture that is visible, celebrated, and properly supported.’

A major event like the competition happening out of season can only help boost the year-round economy. As Carla explained, ‘The Piano Competition brings footfall, brings audiences and marks the place… this drives commerce, with benefits to the local economy and the wider creative agenda.’ This is close to Carla’s heart: ‘Hastings has a big creative soul. MYA bring creative jobs here and we want to help drive a creative community here. We travel the globe for contracts but we bring them home to Hastings to execute them.’

I asked Carla to elaborate on her thinking around the challenges communities face. She said, ‘I genuinely believe that to provide a better community, you need a strong economy for those living there. So you keep the top talent in your town, and those people go on to make a difference to the communities in which they live. You really need the economy to be able to do that, and the Hastings International Piano Competition puts Hastings on the map.’

‘The role of business in supporting the arts has never been more crucial and I'm delighted MYA is supporting this brilliant local event. I'm sure it'll be good for Hastings and good for MYA'.

A Musical Moment

MYA began their sponsorship involvement early last year. And in March 2025, Carla attended a fundraising recital by HIP Patron Sir Stephen Hough and successfully bid in the auction for a piano lesson with HIP Artistic Director Vanessa Latarche.

Carla’s lesson with Vanessa was a really positive experience. ‘Vanessa’s teaching was exceptional. Through clear instruction and demonstration, she elevated my playing in ways that were both exhilarating and inspiring. It was a moment I will treasure for life.’ Carla added, ‘having worked extensively in the arts throughout my career, I gained a renewed respect for the discipline, focus, and dedication of the UK’s world-class creative community.’

Discipline and Creativity

As she had to give a lot of time and focus to preparing for her lesson, the experience also reminded Carla of the strong discipline involved in learning a musical instrument. This is of course demonstrated by the young pianists taking part in each competition. As Carla remarked, ‘There is something powerful in the example that these world-class young musicians set in terms of work ethic and discipline, all wrapped up in absolute creativity. These are all qualities that businesses such as MYA need.’

Any level of music education provides valuable transferrable skills for the workplace, and Carla is impressed by the outreach work surrounding the competition. She believes in the benefits from arts education: ‘It had a profound effect on my own career and life. Problem solving skills are boosted by creative education. Without doubt. And the competition does a good job of inspiring young people to take up an instrument.’

Free Rounds

The free tickets available for the first two rounds of the competition allow anyone to come and experience classical music being played live at a very high standard. This is at no cost and with little time commitment, as each performance at this stage lasts under half an hour. As Carla pointed out, ‘The complexity of classical music brings a unique sound palette that many people are not generally exposed to, but the competition means that they can try it out’. Similarly, HIP’s community initiatives, like the primary school workshops and the Music in the Meadow project that first caught Carla’s eye (and ear), offer people opportunities to make music for themselves.

This outreach forms an important part of HIP’s appeal to its sponsors, donors and volunteers, but the competition itself is obviously the centrepiece. Carla is proud of MYA’s involvement, and is really looking forward to the competition. ‘The role of business in supporting the arts has never been more crucial and I'm delighted MYA is supporting this brilliant local event. I'm sure it'll be good for Hastings and good for MYA'.