Carnival 2002

After months of acrimony, The Notting Hill Carnival Trust
has appointed Professor Chris Mullard as its new chairman.

Mullard takes on the Chair after Claire Holder was suspended from the position of chief executive three months ago. The carnival was also officially launched last night and is due to take place on August 25th and 26th.

A former resident of Notting Hill, Mullard is confident that he can have a timely influence on this year's carnival. Speaking to the BBC, he said: "I think there will be enough time to introduce a balance and framework for the Carnival which is one of the reasons I have been chosen for the job."

Mullard, who is a resident of Pimilco, has served as an academic at the University of London and University of Amsterdam in the past. He helped establish CARD (Campaign Against Racial Discrimination) as well as having worked on a number of race/ethnic related social programmes and projects.

He is considered to be an expert on ethnic relations, publishing numerous books on the subject as well as being chairman and chief executive of Focus, a consultancy firm for multi-ethnic issues.

He may need to use all his consultancy skills to iron out the Trust committee's previous problems. He told the BBC that he has a clear vision of what needs to be done: "Firstly we need to bring home to everybody the essential quality of Carnival which is that it transcends the individual and the group."

"The second thing we need to do is make the connection between Carnival and the economic structure of London and hence Carnival is good for London and London is good for the Carnival. They're inseparable," said Mullard, speaking to the BBC.

"The third thing we need to do is provide a vision of a multicultural diverse London. I think by holding out these things to all people makes it very attractive to them."

Debi Gardner, of the Notting Hill Carnival Trust board, welcomed the appointment, saying: "The Trust is under obligation to appoint an independent chairperson of national reputation and relevant experience. Chris Mullard fulfils these requirements and can apply his excellent leadership skills and abilities to the position."

Residents and Carnival enthusiasts wait to see how matters develop over the coming days, including the issue of the proposed reversing of the traditional route.