Tim Toyne Sewell is the founding Chairman of the Benjamin Britten International Music Competitions.

After retiring from the Army as Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst he became Director of Goodenough College, a residential college for international postgraduate students. It was here, where up to 50 first rate musicians live whilst undertaking their studies at the conservatoires of London, that his interest in music found expression and he was persuaded by a member of the College, Dima Tkachenko, to start a new competition. Following the success of the 2004 competition he is organising its successor in 2008, which will involve separate competitions for violin and cello.

He retired as Director of Goodenough College in 2006 and is now Chairman of the International Board of United World Colleges, where he hopes to find more contenders  for the Benjamin Britten competitions, and also Chairman of the Kyiv Festival in Ukraine.