Meet the core team, the researchers from our consortium of universities, and our Management Board, Advisory Board, Industry Champions, and International Council.
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. To find out more: learn about the individuals below, see the announcements of our first and second wave of Industry Champions, and read their insights on the value of creative education and on how policymakers can support local growth in the creative industries.
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.
Chair, Industry Panels, PEC and Director of Policy and Programmes at the Creative Industries Federation
Caroline is Director of Policy and Programmes at the Creative Industries Federation, leading activity with government and ind...
Artist, Educator and Cultural Producer
Alia works at the intersection of arts, education and activism. Her grounding in Social Anthropology, Applied Theatre and Dev...
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...
Chief Executive at Yeme Architects
As founder of Bradford based Yeme Architects, Amir Hussain has been extensively involved in design-led, aspirational regenera...
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 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’. ...
Vice President; Digital Consumer Engagement at LEGO
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Managing Director of Nevill Holt Opera
Annie is Managing Director at Nevill Holt Opera, the country house opera festival which takes place in an award-winning theat...
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-...
Content and Partnerships Director at Culture24
Anra works with museums, galleries and heritage organisations, nationally and internationally, to help them successfully navi...
Founder and Managing Director at Duck Soup Films
In addition to originating, developing and exec producing across Duck Soup’s TV and film slate, Bekki is responsible for the ...
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...
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...
Director at Dovecot Studios
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Director of Communications and Audience Insight at the National Trust
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Entrepreneurial Designer and Stylist
Charlotte is an award-winning Entrepreneurial Designer and Stylist with a passion for colour, sustainability and creative dir...
Director of Digital at The National Gallery
Chris Michaels is Director of Digital, Communications and Technology at the National Gallery, London where he sits on their E...
Digital entrepreneur and Chairman & Co-Founder of 4J Studios
Chris van der Kuyl is a digital entrepreneur and Chairman and co-Founder of 4J Studios, one of the UK’s most successful video...
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,...
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 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...
Freelance Theatre and Opera Director
Elayce works in the UK and internationally as a freelance theatre and opera director, and dramaturg. She was the inaugural RT...
Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer at notonthehighstreet
Ella joined notonthehighstreet in November 2016 to oversee the curated online marketplace’s entire product offering and relat...
Co-founder and Creative Strategist at Spring
Erika is Co-founder of creative communications business, Spring, the Agency for Change. Spring works with change-makers in or...
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 ...
Director UK Corporate Affairs at Ubisoft
Giselle joined Reflections, a leading independent software studio, as General Manager in 1996, following an MBA at Durham Uni...
Chief Technology Officer at DNEG
Graham Jack is the Chief Technology Officer of DNEG, leading the company’s technology team to ensure the smooth day-to-day ru...
Director at Ocean Spark Studios
Helen Andrzejowska is the co-founder of Ocean Spark Studios, an award winning video game development studio from Huddersfield...
Author
Helen Mort has published two poetry collections with Chatto & Windus, ‘Division Street’ (2013) and ‘No Map Could Show The...
Programme Director of Made in Corby
Helen is an arts leader and producer with a particular interest in community-led development, supporting new initiatives and ...
Writer and Director
Hope completed her MFA in filmmaking at Columbia University where she made short films that played at festivals worldwide. Wh...
Artistic Director at Kiln Theatre
Indhu Rubasingham is the Artistic Director of Kiln Theatre. Productions as Artistic Director include: Red Velvet (Evening Sta...
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...
Change Maker and Conductor at Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Since a young age, James has often considered using his head pointer to conduct music but never took this passion seriously u...
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...
Managing Director at Matmi
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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...
Musician, Everything Everything
A classically-trained cellist and singer, Jeremy has been involved in music since childhood. Growing up in the shadow of DIY ...
Chief Brand Officer at MATCHESFASHION.COM
Jess Christie is Chief Brand Officer at MATCHESFASHION.COM. In this role she is responsible for all external communications, ...
Director of Digital Innovation at Calvium
Jo operates at the intersection of research, design and enterprise. Focusing on digital innovation and multidisciplinary coll...
Creative Tech Lead at Hobs Studio and CEO and Founder of The Immersive Kind Collective
Learner, maker, innovator and 3D technology enthusiast, Kadine James is Hobs Studio’s 3D Creative Tech Lead and is a prominen...
Director of Italic Pig
Kevin Beimers runs Holywood-based indie video game studio Italic Pig. For the past seven years, he and his incredibly talente...
Recording artist, Producer and Songwriter
Kobi Onyame (b. Kwame Barfour-Osei, July 3rd, 1982) is a Ghanaian/British recording artist, producer and songwriter. Describe...
Director of Factual for Endemol Shine
Kim Shillinglaw is Director of Factual for Endemol Shine, one of the world’s largest production groups. Previously, she has b...
Freelance Film Producer
Kurban recently produced the feature film “The Party” starring Kristen Scott-Thomas, Timothy Spall and Cillian Murphy. The fi...
Cultural Consultant
Lara is a freelance cultural consultant specialising in diversity, innovation, leadership, collaboration and cultural policy ...
Director at National Museums Liverpool
Laura Pye, Director of National Museums Liverpool, joined the organisation in August 2018. Born in Liverpool, Laura returned ...
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...
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...
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...
Head of Digital Innovation and Partnerships at Philharmonia Orchestra
Luke Ritchie is Head of Innovation and Partnerships at the Philharmonia Orchestra. The Philharmonia Orchestra is a world-clas...
Visual Artist and Co-Director of Paradise Works
Lucy Harvey is a visual artist and co-director to Paradise Works, an artists' studio community and gallery in Salford, Greate...
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...
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...
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 ...
Co-founder and Creative Producer at Arcus Studios
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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...
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...
Brand & Marketing Director of Unit 2 Games
Natalie is the Brand & Marketing Director for award-winning independent game studio Unit 2 Games, and the former founder ...
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...
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...
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...
Director at Tileyard Studios
Former songwriter/producer Nick Keynes manages all aspects of Europe’s largest creative community, Tileyard London. Nick has ...
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. ...
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 ...
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...
Senior Research Manager at Raspberry PI Foundation
Oliver is a writer, researcher and educator. He has been a school teacher, a university lecturer, and runs digital education ...
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...
Founder and CEO of TBI Media
Phil is CEO and Founding Director of multi award winning Production Company TBI Media. He has developed and delivered some of...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Founder and CEO of Sour Lemons
Sade Banks is an award-winning social entrepreneur and the founder of Sour Lemons, a charity addressing the lack of diverse l...
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 ...
Chief Operating and Financial Officer at the Barbican Centre and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, Sandeep moved from professional practice into industry working for British and Am...
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...
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...
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...
Curator and independent Researcher
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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...
Head of Creative Responsibility at Penguin Random House
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Co-Founder of Urban Symbiotics
Stephanie Edwards is an Architect, Urbanist and an elected Council member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)...
Multimedia Artist and policymaker
Stephen Bennett is a multimedia artist and policy-maker working at the intersection of art, science and politics. Stephen wor...
Creative Industries Activist
Having practised as an accountant for over 40 years, working extensively within the creative industries and with a great inte...
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...
Entrepreneur
Tom Adeyoola is a technology entrepreneur. He was CEO and Founder of apparel technology scale-up Metail (2008-2019); acquired...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Consultant and Executive Producer
Will Saunders is an independent media consultant, and executive producer. He is Creative Industries Lead for the AHRC funded ...
Artist
Artist Wolfgang Buttress creates multi-sensory artworks that draw inspiration from our evolving relationship with the ‘natur...
Illustrator
Yehrin Tong is an award winning London based illustrator, born in the UK and from Korean descent. She studied graphic design ...
Freelance Journalist
Zing Tsjeng is a journalist, podcaster, presenter and author. She is currently the executive editor of VICE UK, where she hos...