Meet the core team, the researchers from our consortium of universities, our Industry Champions, and International Council.
This page is the process of being updated as the Creative PEC moves to new co-hosts Newcastle University and the RSA. Below you can see the researchers we worked with during the first iteration of the PEC 2018 - 2023.
Meet the PEC's Industry Champions: a UK-wide network of trusted practitioners, drawn from all parts of the creative industries. The group provide the PEC with guidance on industry’s most pressing challenges, expert insight to inform our research, and critical feedback on our policy recommendations.
Meet the PEC's International Council: a network of leading policy and creative economy practitioners from across the world, convened by The British Council. The group share international creative economy policy intelligence and research opportunities, and act as critical friends in reviewing and providing an international perspective on the PEC’s activities. Find out more.
Entrepreneur
Tom Adeyoola is a technology entrepreneur. He was CEO and Founder of apparel technology scale-up Metail (2008-2019); acquired...
Artist, Educator and Cultural Producer
Alia works at the intersection of arts, education and activism. Her grounding in Social Anthropology, Applied Theatre and Dev...
Director at Bradford Literature Festival
Syima Aslam is founder and Director of the Bradford Literature Festival (BLF) which she has established as one of the most in...
Founder and CEO of Sour Lemons
Sade Banks is currently the co-director of the social justice consultancy, The What If Experiment, where she creates strategi...
Founder of Sail Creative
Mandy is founder of Sail Creative, and a participatory designer focusing on story-led solutions. With a strong focus on co-cr...
Head of Creative Programmes at DanceEast
Lucy has been working in the arts sector for the last 18 years, specialising in dance participation and training and is passi...
Entrepreneurial Designer and Stylist
Charlotte is an award-winning Entrepreneurial Designer and Stylist with a passion for colour, sustainability and creative dir...
Joint Head of Policy Lab and Visual artist
Stephen Bennett is a multimedia artist and policy-maker working at the intersection of art, science and politics. Stephen wor...
Director of Wild Rumpus
Sarah Bird is a Director of Wild Rumpus, a rural community interest company based in a woodland in Cheshire. The organisation...
Artist
Artist Wolfgang Buttress creates multi-sensory artworks that draw inspiration from our evolving relationship with the ‘natura...
Co-Founder of Megaverse and Immerse Sheffield
Ben is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of immersive content studio Megaverse which specialise in creating bespoke, platform na...
Founder and Managing Director at Legend Times Group
Tom Chalmers is the Managing Director of Legend Times, a group of publishing companies he has founded. He started his first c...
Chief Executive at Agent Marketing
Paul is CEO of independent brand agency, Agent and the pioneering Agent Academy CIC which helps young people start careers wi...
Heritage Engagement Fellow at the University of Oxford
Oliver is Heritage Engagement Fellow at the University of Oxford where he leads a team dedicated to creating mutually benefic...
Co-Founder of Urban Symbiotics
Stephanie Edwards is an Architect, Urbanist and an elected Council member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)...
Poet, Playwright, Performer, Graphic Artist and Designer
Born in Nigeria, Inua Ellams is a Poet, Playwright and Performer, Graphic artist and Designer. He is a Complete Works poet al...
Director of Digital Development at Royal Shakespeare Company
Sarah Ellis is an award winning producer currently working as Director of Digital Development for the Royal Shakespeare Compa...
Director at London Design Festival
Ben Evans is the Director of London Design Festival, which he co-founded with Sir John Sorrell in 2003. The Festival celebrat...
Development and Communications Director at Roundhouse
Michaela Greene is the Development and Communications Director of the Roundhouse and has been at the organisation for over si...
Brand & Marketing Director of Unit 2 Games
Natalie is the Brand and Marketing Director for award-winning independent game studio Unit 2 Games, and the former founder an...
Chairman of The Royal Parks
Loyd Grossman is Chairman of The Royal Parks and well known as a food entrepreneur and broadcaster. His television career inc...
Freelance Sculptor and Performance Artist
Tony Heaton OBE is a practising Sculptor, Chair of Shape Arts and Consultant/Advisor to many major cultural organisations, in...
Chief Executive at Yeme Architects
As founder of Bradford based Yeme Architects, Amir Hussain has been extensively involved in design-led, aspirational regenera...
Deputy Chief Executive at Edinburgh Fringe Festival Society
Lyndsey Jackson is a senior arts administrator and live event producer, currently the Deputy Chief Executive of the Edinburgh...
Head of Learning at Into Film
Jennifer Johnston is Into Film’s Head of Learning UK, and Head of Programme, Northern Ireland, leading the Curation, Training...
Ceramicist, Designer and Educator
Reiko Kaneko is ceramicist, designer and educator based in London. She works at various scales in a range of typologies, desi...
Freelance Film Producer
Kurban recently produced the feature film “The Party” starring Kristen Scott-Thomas, Timothy Spall and Cillian Murphy. The fi...
Chief Executive Officer and Director at Visual Artists Ireland
Noel Kelly is Chief Executive Officer of Visual Artists Ireland – the representative body for professional visual artists on ...
Content and Partnerships Director at Culture24
Anra works with museums, galleries and heritage organisations, nationally and internationally, to help them successfully navi...
Director at Tileyard Studios
Former songwriter/producer Nick Keynes manages all aspects of Europe’s largest creative community, Tileyard London. Nick has ...
Founder and Director of GemArts
Vikas Kumar is Founder and Director of GemArts, and since 2001 he has been leading this visionary arts organisation. Vikas’ p...
Writer and Director
Hope completed her MFA in filmmaking at Columbia University where she made short films that played at festivals worldwide. Wh...
Co-founder and Director of Partnerships at Smartify
Anna Lowe is CoFounder of Smartify, a multi award-winning app named by the New Scientist as the ‘Shazam and Spotify of art’. ...
Community Manager and board member of shesaid.so
Amanda Maxwell is a board member and Community Manager of women in music network shesaid.so and a regular contributor to pane...
Co-Founder and Director of Charco Press
Samuel McDowell initially trained as a commercial pilot, before embarking on a career in information technology, working for ...
CEO of JAAK
Vaughn is CEO and co-founder at JAAK. Vaughn has been a pivotal figure in communicating the bold vision of JAAK to build a sp...
Co-founding Director at Taunt Studios
Fiona McLaughlin is the Co-founding Director of the animation, VFX and interactive image studio, Taunt, located in the heart ...
Founder and Artistic Director of The Belfast Ensemble
Conor Mitchell is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Belfast Ensemble, a pioneering music organisation in Northern Irel...
Director of Digital Innovation at Calvium
Jo operates at the intersection of research, design and enterprise. Focusing on digital innovation and multidisciplinary coll...
Author
Helen Mort has published two poetry collections with Chatto and Windus, ‘Division Street’ (2013) and ‘No Map Could Show Them’...
Self-employed Graphic Designer
Liz Mosley is a self-employed Graphic Designer with a passion for supporting and working with small businesses. She works for...
Director and CEO at HOME
Dave has worked as an arts professional for over 30 years. He currently leads HOME, a purpose built 7,500m2 multi art form ve...
Recording artist, Producer and Songwriter
Kobi Onyame (b. Kwame Barfour-Osei, July 3rd, 1982) is a Ghanaian/British recording artist, producer and songwriter. Describe...
Artistic Director of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
Rachel O’Riordan was appointed the Artistic Director of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in February 2019 and her first programm...
Director at National Museums Liverpool
Laura Pye, Director of National Museums Liverpool, joined the organisation in August 2018. Born in Liverpool, Laura returned ...
Cultural Consultant
Lara is a freelance cultural consultant specialising in diversity, innovation, leadership, collaboration and cultural policy ...
Artistic Director at Kiln Theatre
Indhu Rubasingham is the Artistic Director of Kiln Theatre. Productions as Artistic Director include: Red Velvet (Evening Sta...
Consultant and Executive Producer
Will Saunders is an independent media consultant, and executive producer. He is Creative Industries Lead for the AHRC funded ...
Community Immersive Producer
Community Immersive Producer (Freelance) with experience in directing and producing documentaries and films. Former Sara Putt...
Co-Founder at WyndyMilla
Nasima decided to create The Fit Cycle to take her love for cycling together with her wealth of knowledge and experience on t...
Director of Asian Arts Agency
Jaswinder Singh is the Director of the Asian Arts Agency, a dynamic arts and music development agency based in Bristol that d...
Head of Talent at Framestore
Amy has been working in talent related roles within the visual effects industry for over fifteen years, in both the UK and Ca...
Co-Founder at Bridge Theatre
Nick Starr founded London Theatre Company with Nicholas Hytner in 2015 on leaving the National Theatre which they ran 2003-20...
Development Producer at the Independent Film Trust and CEO of Creative Lions Productions
Tolu Stedford is a writer, producer and actress. With over 20 years of industry experience, she has entertained audiences on ...
Founder and Creative Director of PRELOADED
Phil is founder and Creative Director of BAFTA-winning game studio PRELOADED. Since 2000 he has worked with game-based techno...
Co-founder of Big Couch and FilmChain
Maria's background is in film production, from line producing, budgeting to distribution strategies. She is passionate about ...
Managing Director at Boom Cymru
Nia Thomas is Managing Director of Cardiff based Boom Cymru TV Ltd, one of Wales’s largest, indigenous production groups. Emp...
Illustrator
Yehrin Tong is an award winning London based illustrator, born in the UK and from Korean descent. She studied graphic design ...
Freelance Photographer
Polly Tootal’s photography tells the stories of landscapes and of the people who inhabit them—how they came to be there and w...
Freelance Journalist
Zing Tsjeng is a journalist, podcaster, presenter and author. She is currently the executive editor of VICE UK, where she hos...
Artistic Director and Founder Trustee at Darbar Arts Culture Heritage Trust
Born in Nakuru, Kenya, Sandeep grew up to the sounds of his teacher and father, Bhai Gurmit Singh Virdee (1937-2005), playing...
Chief Executive at Cockpit Arts
Annie Warburton is CEO of Cockpit Arts, London's leading studios for contemporary craft and design and a NatWest SE100 award-...
CEO and Principal of Northern School of Contemporary Dance
Sharon Watson CEO and Principal of Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Prior to this, Sharon was the 7th Artistic Director...
Bid Director, Southampton City of Culture 2025
Claire has been appointed to take forward Southampton’s Bid for City of Culture 2025, working with Southampton’s communities,...
Director of Learning and Engagement at National Museum Wales
Nia Williams is Director of Learning and Engagement at Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales. A qualified teacher and fluen...
Freelance Advertising Consultant
Nicole is the founder of The NYC and before that the Ogilvy Labs – the dedicated Innovation unit of Ogilvy and Mather Group. ...