Thom was one of the founders of the PPA award-winning Restaurant magazine and the 50 Best Restaurants in the World awards and is a speaker, consultant and writer on food and drinks, arts and culture in the North of England. As CEO of Holden Media he owns and organises a portfolio of world class Northern events including the NRB Future, Manchester Art Fair and the Manchester Contemporary. Thom founded the Manchester Contemporary Art Fund.

Thom was recently appointed as a Director of Manchester Art Gallery Trust. Previous notable board roles have included the British Food Trust, Urbis, Castlefield Gallery and Hospitality Action. Thom judges awards including the National Restaurant Awards, the Manchester Food and Drink Festival and others. He is a regular speaker about Northern Culture and has scooped several personal awards including the 2016, Manchester Evening News’ ‘Cultural Icon’ and received the 2019 Manchester Food and Drink Festival awards.