KIMMYBEATBOX is one of the UK's top beatboxers, reaching the semi finals of the UK Beatbox Championships 2019 making them the first person who isn't male to get that far in over 10 years.

Growing up in Manchester Kimmy discovered their talents through busking, using their voice to recreate tracks/beats they loved.

Since moving to London to pursue their career, Kimmy has collaborated with brands such as Google Pixel, Coca Cola, TEDx, UEFA, Diesel at Milan Fashion Week, beatboxed in the Marvel film Black Widow, performed in arena's such as London o2, Wembley, Manchester VO arena and is a regular performer at The Box Soho.

This year Kimmy is pushing out their comfort zone and started singing, using their loop station to layer harmonies so stay locked in for this mega next chapter!

Thangam Debbonaire was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in September 2023, having been Shadow Leader of the House of Commons for two years. Previously, she was Shadow Secretary of State for Housing and before that, an opposition whip.

She started her career as a professional cellist and over the last 25 years, her main focus has been working locally, nationally and internationally to end domestic violence.

Lucy Frazer was appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport in February 2023, having been Minister for Housing and Planning for four months.

She was Transport Minister from September to October 2022, having been Financial Secretary to the Treasury for a year, Justice Minister and, briefly, Solicitor General.

She entered Parliament as MP for South East Cambridgeshire in May 2015, inheriting the seat vacated by former Conservative minister Sir James Paice.

Eliza Easton is a creative industries expert, who runs her own think tank, Erskine Analysis. Previously Eliza spent five years as Head of Policy and then Deputy Director of the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre – an £8m Government and AHRC funded research and policy centre, based at Nesta.

Prior to this, she was part of the founding team of the Creative Industries Federation (now CreativeUK). She sits on the UK Government’s Creative Industries Trade and Investment Board, is an RSA Fellow and is a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge’s Bennett Institute.

With training from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, I am a seasoned creative practitioner and teacher with over a decade of experience in specialised creative and performing art institutions such as The BRIT School, Bradford College of Art and The Open College of the Arts.

Passionate about the transformative power of the arts, I am deeply committed to emphasising the crucial importance of integrating creative and technological subjects into the curriculum of all schools. As a cheerleader for the creative arts, I believe that by embracing these essential subjects, schools can better equip students to navigate and contribute meaningfully to the rapidly changing technological and creative landscape, fostering a generation prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

Daanish Masood Alavi, an innovator who straddles the realms of art, conflict, and technology has carved a niche for himself by leveraging these disciplines to promote empathy and understanding across diverse groups. Currently, Daanish is deeply involved in the cutting-edge field of AI ethics and alignment. He is collaborating with leading AI companies to develop solutions that integrate global values, legal standards, and ethical principles into AI systems. This initiative aims to establish a more robust and iterative process for ensuring AI alignment with human values, reflecting Daanish's commitment to responsible innovation. Additionally, Daanish facilitates critical dialogues between US industry leaders and Chinese scientists on AI governance, safety, and control, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in the development of ethical AI.

As the co-founder of BeAnotherLab, Daanish has been instrumental in pioneering the use of virtual reality and neuroscience to create impactful experiences in art, scientific research, social initiatives, healthcare, and education. This interdisciplinary collective exemplifies his dedication to exploring how art and technology can intersect to enhance human connections. One of Daanish's notable achievements is directing ""The State of Global Peace,"" a virtual reality experience that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2022. This work underscores his talent for integrating immersive technologies with storytelling, offering audiences around the world a profound engagement with themes of peace and conflict.

In addition to his contributions to the arts and VR, Daanish has an extensive background with the United Nations, where his work bridged technology and conflict resolution. Serving as a Political Affairs Officer for 16 years, he most recently co-led the Innovation Unit within the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. This team focuses on repurposing emerging technologies—such as AI/ML, Natural Language Processing, satellite data and imagery, and spatial computing—to support UN Security Council objectives in conflict zones. Earlier in his career at the UN, Daanish engaged in peace and security initiatives across the Middle East, supporting Security Council-endorsed missions and contributing to the establishment of a mechanism to hold ISIL accountable for its crimes through evidence collection from Iraq's mass graves. From 2007 to 2015, he served in the UN Secretary-General’s Office under Jorge Sampaio, former President of Portugal, on a special project, titled the Alliance of Civilizations, which applied science-backed methods to mitigate identity-based violent intergroup conflicts.

Daanish's innovative contributions to environmental monitoring and global peace have been recognized with a Geospatial Excellence Award from the Geospatial World Forum, for a satellite-based system he developed to track environmental changes across the Middle East. With academic credentials in analytic philosophy and Middle Eastern Studies, and as a former research affiliate of MIT’s Arts, Culture, and Technology Program, Daanish's work is underpinned by a deep understanding of the cultural, philosophical, and technological dimensions of contemporary societal issues. Born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and a New Yorker for the last 26 years, he began his career as a community organizer assisting immigrants facing deportation from the US in the aftermath of 9/11.

Tina also regularly hosts BBC Breakfast and prime-time bulletins on the BBC News at Six and BBC News at Ten.

Tina joined the BBC after completing a first-class honours degree in Computer Science, and a Masters in Broadcast Journalism. Since then, she has been a  familiar face on our TV screens hosting Crimewatch, Crimewatch Roadshow,  Panorama, The Woman’s Football World Cup, The Royal Wedding of the  Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the BBC’s Coronation coverage of King  Charles III.

She has built up an extensive list of radio credits, working on The Radio 1 Breakfast shows with Chris Moyles and Nick Grimshaw. Tina has also helmed 
Woman’s Hour on BBCR 4, The Cultural Frontline on BBC World Service,  Newscast on BBC Sounds, and The Jeremy Vine Show on Radio 2.

Tina is passionate about making news, current affairs, and the arts accessible to everyone and is especially skilled at chairing panels and hosting debates. On TV these have included The EU Referendum, The Final Election Debates, and 
numerous General Election Campaigns for BBC 1 and BBC News; and on  stage these have included the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duke and 
Duchess of Sussex’s Royal Foundation.

Founder & CEO, The Women Of The World Foundation

Daniel Hulme is a globally recognised expert in AI and investor in Emerging Technologies. He's the CEO of Satalia, an award-winning company that provides AI innovations for global brands. Satalia joined the world's largest media company in 2021, WPP, where Daniel is also the Chief AI Officer. Daniel has been recognised as one of the top 10 Chief AI Officers globally.

Having received a Masters and Doctorate in AI at UCL, Daniel is also UCL's Computer Science Entrepreneur in Residence and a lecturer at LSE's Marshall Institute, focused on using AI to solve business and social problems.

Daniel is a serial TEDx and Google speaker, and regularly keynotes on AI, ethics, innovation and decentralization. He contributes to numerous of books and articles on the future of work, and is a faculty member of SingularityU.

Daniel has advisory and executive positions across companies and governments. He holds an international Kauffman Global Entrepreneur Scholarship and actively promotes purposeful entrepreneurship and technology innovation across the globe.

Amaarah Roze is an international facilitator, performer, event producer and public speaker. Dedicated to creating work that explores identity, honesty and empowerment, Amaarah has worked with young people across the UK in arts, education, community, sports and corporate sectors. She has supported over 1000 young people across the country to develop their skills and celebrate their talents - on stage and off.  This wealth of experience led her to be elected a seat on the Mayor’s Cultural Leadership Board. 

As a producer, Amaarah has primarily focused on creating Standards, a multidisciplinary event filled with art, conversation and celebration. Standards has garnered audiences from across London and has been commissioned by venues such as London Bridge City, Wellcome Collection, Battersea Arts Centre, The Albany and more. In 2023, she was commissioned by City Hall to create a Spoken Word and Art exhibition as part of their ‘Future Of Participation’ Festival which received overwhelmingly positive feedback. 

Stepping from behind the scenes to the stage as a host and spoken word artist, Amaarah has performed with Paramount, We Are Parable, the US embassy, and has emceed fashion shows, music events, corporate events, children’s festivals, online events and more. She has been praised for her adaptability, and ability to create an energetic, loving environment.

Amy has been working in talent related roles within the visual effects industry for many years. In each role she has had responsibility for working with schools, colleges and universities to provide careers guidance and support educators with content. She is a non-executive Director of Access:VFX, an industry organisation working to improve the diversity of the visual effects industry.

She is also part of the steering group of the Next Gen Skills Academy who, with industry, launched a Level 3 Diploma in Games, Animation and VFX Skills and she took responsibility for working with NextGen to develop, launch and promote VFX apprenticeships. More recently, Amy has worked with IfATE and DfE to provide an employer perspective on the post-16 education landscape in the UK.

Anthony Lilley is a media and theatre producer, strategist and consultant. 

He is the co-founder with John Berry CBE of Scenario Two.  In 2019, Anthony and John produced The Light in the Piazza starring Renée Fleming which opened in London and toured to Los Angeles Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago.  After the pandemic, they were delighted to present Terry Gilliam’s production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods which premiered at The Theatre Royal Bath in 2022 and intended to transfer to the West End in 2024 as well as the high tech, Offie-winning stage event, CAGES, at Riverside Studios They are currently hard at work producing a project based on the life and music of legendary tenor, Luciano Pavarotti and on a new family musical written by David Baddiel and Dan Gillespie Sells, The Parent Agency.

Anthony is also Non-Executive Chairman of Time and Space Ltd, a developer and operator of media studios and creative clusters around the UK and internationally, and previously he was the CEO of Magic Lantern Productions, one of the UK’s first digital media content agencies and consultancies.  He holds a professorship in Creative Industries at the University of Ulster and was founding chair of the AHRC Creative Industries Clusters Programme. 

He is a trustee of NESTA and previously, he has chaired the Board of Lighthouse, Brighton’s digital culture agency, been a trustee of English National Opera, a Member of the Content Board of OfCOM and a Gambling and National Lottery Commissioner.

Professor Carl Gombrich is the Dean and founder member of a new university called the London Interdisciplinary School.

He was formerly professorial teaching fellow in interdisciplinary education at University College London (UCL), where he led the design and implementation of the UK’s first Bachelor in Arts and Sciences (BASc) degree.

Carl is a regular keynote speaker in his areas of professional interest which include interdisciplinary undergraduate education, the philosophy of expertise and the future of work.
He was a member of the British Academy Working group on interdisciplinarity, a core panel member of the NVAO (Accreditation Organisation of Netherland and Flanders) and is an external examiner and scrutineer to several institutions in the space of interdisciplinary and liberal education. He has degrees in maths, physics and philosophy, was previously a professional opera singer, and has a wide range of interests in arts and science disciplines. 

Mary currently leads the 2023 - 2025 Discover Creative Careers programme, a government-funded, industry-led initiative working to secure a skilled and diverse workforce across the creative industries.

Prior to this, Mary was Chief Executive & Creative Director at Neko Trust, a music industry charity supporting the next generation of live events professionals. She has previously held roles as General Manager at The Old Vic and Executive Director at Tramshed. As a Project Manager at Channel 4, she was involved in the Arts Council funded expansion of short-form film strand, Random Acts, which aimed to find, fund and develop artists and filmmakers aged 16-24.

Mary’s focus is on talent development that improves social mobility, facilitating participation in the creative industries for individuals from all socio-economic backgrounds. She is a Trustee of Woolwich Works, one of London’s newest creative districts, and part of the women in music group, MTN Now.

Daniel Waterman is the Co-Founder and Company Director of Carse & Waterman Productions, an esteemed visual communications agency specializing in animation and interactive media. Originally from London, Daniel relocated to Stoke-on-Trent in 2007 to pursue a degree in 3D Character Animation. Following his studies, he co-established Carse & Waterman in 2009, leveraging his expertise to deliver impactful visual narratives.

In addition to his role at Carse & Waterman, Daniel is a Co-Founder of Framescape, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting digital skills awareness and fostering aspirations within the Stoke-on-Trent community. Furthermore, he serves as a board member at Access VFX and holds a trustee position at VCCP Stoke Academy, where he actively contributes to educational initiatives.

Daniel's professional achievements include the prestigious recognition of Carse & Waterman Productions within Creative England's Top 50, as well as receiving a distinguished Telly Award for their outstanding work on ITV's Keith and Paddy Picture Show. Committed to inspiring the next generation, Daniel's work resonates with young learners interested in pursuing careers in animation, visual effects and games.

In helping bridge Open University teaching to external organisations and audiences, my work has a significant focus on skills and employability. We have recently created a new School of Creative Industries, incorporating offers from The Open College of the Arts (OCA), which we acquired a few years back, and emerging offers in new subjects like Film & Media, Gaming, and Graphic Design. Finding a model to deliver creative industries-orientated subjects that aligns with needs of employers in the creative industries, our mission around accessibility, etc, and our online delivery structures is a key objective in my role. Keeping at the forefront of skills and technology developments as they pertain to the creative industries - and the economy at large - is an important criterion in advancing that objective. 

In addition to my work in education, I am a trained sound engineer and music producer. I previously ran two music businesses; a recording and post production studio, and a music production company. I was a member of a band called Amillionsons whose single, 'mist blu', was signed by Pete Tong's FFRR record label in 2002, and made the UK Top 40 charts. As a music creative and technician, I lived through the transition from analogue (multi-track tape) to digital (hard disk) recording, a radical innovation of its time, though perhaps less profound than the current transition towards large language models, etc.

Nike started working for BalletBoyz in 2015 as a Production Assistant on the company’s first feature-length film production Young Men. Since then, she has worked in various administrative and production roles, on projects including the national and international tours of the stage productions Fourteen Days, Them/Us and Deluxe, and film productions Romeo & Juliet: Beyond Words and Rumpelstilzchen.

Now working as the company’s Executive Producer, Nike most recently produced the 2022 UK revival tour of Deluxe and the 2023 sell-out production England on Fire at Sadler’s Wells, to be developed in 2024 as a feature film. As well as overseeing the company’s productions alongside Artistic Directors Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, Nike manages BalletBoyz’ Arts Council applications, business plans, and the online educational platform MoovBank.

Emily Williams (she/her) is a Creative Consultant & Producer (www.emilywilliams.co.uk) based in the South West who is driven by a desire to support a more ambitious and collaborative cultural ecology for professionals and audiences living and working in the South West.
 
She was CEO of Theatre Bristol (2020-23) where she led the organisation through a period of immense change and delivered programmes of work designed to develop and support the sector; providing opportunities, networks, resilience and lobbying for better conditions, particularly for those most underserved in our industry.

She has been a Independent Creative Consultant  & Producer since 2017, clients have included; Unlimited, Beyond Face, Scratchworks, Watershed, Paraorchestra, Ad Infinitum, Raucous & Honeyscribe. 

She was Executive Director of Situations where she led the business operations. From 2011 – 2015 she was a founding member and Executive Producer at Kaleider. She also co-founded and co-directed Wide Awake Devon (2010-2013), a sector development organisation for the performance sector in Devon. She started her career as Future Producer & Creative Producer of the Barbican Theatre in Plymouth.

Sophie Morgan is an experienced content creator, writer and development consultant with over twenty-years working as an award-winning head of development, producer and commissioning editor.  Sophie has worked in the UK and US to develop and exec produce hundreds of hours of TV content for all major channels across all genres including Britain’s Next Top Model, RuPaul’s Drag Race, London Ink and Jade.   Sophie is also a champion and mentor for neurodiverse talent in the industry.

AI has become a hot-button issue in the creative economy. While some artists use AI tools as a component of the practices, many creatives are finding their livelihoods jeopardized by generative AI. In this session, creative economies specialist Sarah Brin exposes key practical and ethical issues with generative AI tools like Midjourney and ChatGPT. With these in mind, Sarah will offer recommendations for AI users, creators, and policy-makers to protect the health and innovation essential for thriving creative communities.

Steve trained as a Theatre Director at Rose Bruford and then spent six years working in Theatre before moving into Postproduction, animation, and filmmaking. This has given him a unique perspective on what creates engaging stories – his work focuses on tapping into the emotions of the presenter and combining these with the audience's expectations to deliver stories that have real emotional engagement.

After founding the Giggle Group 18 years ago, Steve has been privileged to work with many of the world’s largest companies, including Facebook, Google, SKY, RBC, EY, CVC Capital Partners, and the NHS. He draws on over  25 years of experience as a creative polymath to bring together his three loves, narrative, technology and creativity for his clients, winning over 40 awards in the last 20 years. His in-depth knowledge of creating and delivering stories to inspire and motivate change means he looks for the big challenges and the difficult stories to tell. 

In 2023, the team commenced construction of Distortion Studio, which will become Bristol's largest permanent Virtual Production stage when it opens in March this year. Alongside the studio, Steve is personally responsible for the Development of Distortions TV & Film projects.  In 2023, the team won two awards for its first short, including Best Sci-Fi in the Cannes Shorts. Currently in development, they have a Pre-School project, a short film and a feature. 

Alexandra is a writer from the Irish diaspora in Coventry, working in theatre. radio, screen,. poetry and spoken word Her work deals with social care, feelings of trying to belong,disability and age. Commissions inclued the RSC, Belgrade Theatre Covenrt, Sky Arts, Enterlechy, Oi Bokkshi and Coventry City of Culture 2021.

Her short film ""Widow's Might"" was nominated for three Royal Television Society Midland awards as well as being selected for film festivals here and around the globe. She has an MA in Writing from Warwick University.

Hi, my name is Aron Gordon and I am the Format Operations Executive (and Scripted Formats Lead) at All3Media International. 

I have been at A3MI since Sep 2016 where I started in an administrative support role to the Business Affairs team. Following the completion of my apprenticeship, I started in the Formats team in Oct 2017 and have been there ever since! 

The Filming in England Partnership launched in October 2020 and aims to bring together key organisations who work with and help facilitate Film and TV productions in England, outside of London, to create a film-friendly environment and unlock England’s full potential as a world-class destination for Film and TV production.

Prior to joining the Filming in England team at Creative England, Hannah gained nearly 12 years’ experience working across Film and TV, in both production and post-production, which included working within the team at British Film Commission. Here she facilitated production support for inward investment feature films and high-end television projects, and developed strong working relationships with industry bodies, facilities and production companies across the country. With her past experience, Hannah is an enthusiastic advocate of the UK’s screen industries, in particular the talent and opportunities available throughout the nation, outside London.

Lisa heads up BAFTA albert’s BFI-backed Sustainable Screen partnership, helping to make the albert carbon calculator toolkit and resources more film-friendly. From indie productions to studio features, it’s her role to get filmmakers to embed sustainable practices. With a production background, Lisa works freelance with screen organisations around the UK to encourage positive change and overcome challenges.

Alongside BAFTA albert, her clients include British Film Commission, Liverpool Film Office, Screen Yorkshire and Cinema For All. She was a voluntary trustee of Encounters Film Festival for nine years. Outside of the screen industry, Lisa is an RHS-trained horticulturist, committed to plant resilience and conservation in the face of climate change.

Jack Norris is a writer & director whose storytelling serves as a unique commentary on British life, frequently delving into social issues facing everyday individuals.

His short-form films have amassed over 8 million views and left a lasting impact with 154 million impressions. His work has screened across Europe, the USA and Canada, won a Royal Television Society Award, and been featured on Sky Arts.

Jonathan is a Partner at McKinsey & Co, where he serves financial services clients in the UK, Europe and USA on strategic and operational topics. In 2023, he co-led McKinsey’s pro bono work authoring a report on the impact of the UK arts sector, collaborating with 70+ institutions across the performing, screen, visual and literary arts 

Jonathan started his career as a cellist, performing with orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia and as a chamber musician. He was a founding member, and principal cellist for 4 years, of Aurora Orchestra and served as a Trustee of Aurora Orchestra and the Yehudi Menuhin School from 2009-21. Between his performing career and joining McKinsey in 2011, he worked at HM Treasury and Google 

Jonathan studied mathematics at Cambridge University and completed his studies as a cellist at the Royal Academy of Music at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.

Rebecca O’Brien has been an independent film producer for over thirty-five years. She has produced seventeen feature films directed by Ken Loach, including LAND AND FREEDOM, SWEET SIXTEEN, and THE ANGELS’ SHARE.  Both THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY (2006) and I, DANIEL BLAKE (2016) won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.  I, DANIEL BLAKE also won the BAFTA for best British Film. The team launched THE OLD OAK in competition in Cannes and the film is currently being released globally.

Her other producing credits include BEAN, directed by Mel Smith, PRINCESA directed by Henrique Goldman, VERSUS: THE LIFE AND FILMS OF KEN LOACH directed by Louise Osmond, CITY OF TINY LIGHTS directed by Pete Travis and MY SON directed by Christian Carion, starring James McAvoy and Claire Foy.
She has just completely principal photography on HARVEST, based on the novel by Jim Crace, written by Joslyn Barnes and Athina Tsangari, and directed by Athina Tsangari.  The film will be released this year.

O’Brien is currently on the board of The Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh. She runs the production company Sixteen Films with Ken Loach and screenwriter Paul Laverty.

Shay Thompson is a renowned presenter and broadcaster in the games industry, known for her charisma, warmth and professionalism.

Her exceptional talent has earned her a reputation as a respected member of the industry and a go-to for speaking engagements and broadcast productions. She has collaborated with esteemed brands such as Bafta, BBC, McLaren, Xbox, Activision, Ubisoft, and others outside the industry.

Bakare trained at RAaW, a London university specialising in film, theatre, and training. He is best known for his screen work, including seasons one and two of the Sky series Temple, a British medical crime drama starring Mark Strong and Daniel Mays, in which he appears as fugitive bank robber Jamie. He also stars in the fantasy drama series Cursed on Netflix, as well as Michaela Cole's sexual consent BBC series I May Destroy You, in which Bakare plays her on-screen brother Nicholas. He recently appeared in the four-part BBC series Marriage, starring Sean Bean and Nicola Walker.
He also led the short film Non Recyclables and was seen in the feature film Cerebrum, a sci-fi horror directed by Sebastien Blanc, which follows a son returning home after a mysterious accident to discover his mother is gone.

Bakare’s stage work includes his one-man play Before I Go, which had performances at Peckham Theatre and Camden People’s Theatre. The play follows Ajani, a young boy who dies and gets stuck in limbo. He also performed in Camden People’s Theatre’s Fog Everywhere, a show made by and with young people on the subject of air pollution.

Jacqui O’Hanlon is Director of Creative Learning and Engagement at the RSC, leading its work with schools, communities, adult learners and partner theatres. Jacqui is a cultural learning specialist with a particular focus on championing an arts rich education. She is committed to actions that diversify the creative industries and to using arts and creativity to affect social change.

Jacqui chairs a school governing body, served as a Commissioner for the Durham Commission on Creativity in Education and is currently a member of the Expert Group advising on the Cultural Education Plan. Jacqui received an MBE for services to the arts in the Queen’s 2022 New Year’s New Year’s Honours List. 

With 15 years experience in the industry, Hazel is a music-tech lifer, guitarist and former CEO/Co-Founder at Musiio. She started her music-tech journey as an early employee at Shazam and spent time understanding the pain points of the industry at Pandora, Universal and HMV before launching Musiio in 2018 and then selling the business to SoundCloud in 2022. 

Hazel travels globally speaking at conferences and talking to catalogue owners about the value of artificial intelligence integration and digital transformation in the music industry. As a female founder in the heavily male-dominated industries of music and tech, Hazel seeks to offer insights with interesting and humorous anecdotes, as well as easy-to-follow explanations and use cases of artificial intelligence technology.

Beverley is an artist and Reader in Technological Embodiment and Creative Practice, at Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh. She is Co-Investigator on the UKRI Braid Programme, leading the Inspired Innovation theme, focusing on Responsible AI within the Creative Arts. 

Beverley creates complex, multi-component artworks that have been performed, screened and exhibited at international galleries, museums and events. Since the mid 1990’s, she has interrogated the impact of technology and science on the body, relationships and human experience through the creation of digital media, performance arts projects, and writing. Her work is interdisciplinary and research-led, undertaken in collaboration with a range of practitioners, including medical researchers, scientists, writers, technologists, dancers, actors and composers. 

She was shortlisted for the New Technological Art Award 2014 - Update_5, at the Zebrastraat Museum, Ghent, Belgium and she has given numerous talks about her creative practice to a range of organisations and audiences in the UK, across Europe and beyond, from the USA, to China, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Bre is an International Product Manager at AWAL, a label under Sony Music UK, who works with marketing teams across the globe to execute campaigns for independent artists. She previously headed up Sony Music UK’s first ever diversity committee, HUE UK - a title that won her a no.14 position on the Yahoo! Finance x The EMpower 100 Ethnic Minority Future Leaders 2021 list. Bre co-founded and runs a collective called Women Connect, which specializes in promoting equal opportunities for women, non-binary and gender-fluid people in the creative industries. She is also a Board Member and Trustee of Youth Music, a leading national charity making learning and earning from music accessible for young people. Alongside her AWAL role, Bre is a host, presenter and musician, who aims to impact the music industry both on and off the stage.

Karen is a proven business leader with a track record in creating vibrant cultures, energising teams, and consistently delivering business growth and success. She is currently UK President for WPP, the world’s largest marketing services group, and responsible for driving growth in WPP’s second largest market of 13,000 people.
 
Former GroupM UK CEO, Karen was selected to turnaround the business over 2.5 years at a critical time, during the COVID global pandemic and the subsequent impact of the killing of George Floyd.

In June 2014, Karen received an OBE in the Queen's Birthday honours and topped the Power List, being the first businesswoman to come in at number 1.  In November 2022, Karen received 
Power List’s Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of her continued exceptional achievements. In June 2023, Karen was appointed a NED for Diageo (a FTSE Top 10 company), and was a former NED of The Cabinet Office.  In October 2023, Karen was honoured by INvolve – The Inclusion People’s List and came in at #1 for the Top 100 Women Executives.

Nishy is Group Head of Young People at Sky helping thousands of young people from all backgrounds build their digital and storytelling skills and opening the creative industry to them as well as giving a platform for young people to talk about the things they care about. 

Passionate about creating opportunities for the next generation through educational and outreach programmes across the UK, Europe & US. Building an even more employable generation for businesses, has led and delivered various immersive award-winning programmes on behalf of Sky over the past 14yrs and has also previously worked in operational roles in the Finance and Broadcast areas of the business. 

Nishy has also helped young athletes and female tech entrepreneurs with the support they needed to succeed by offering media training, personal development & work experience, mentorship and sponsorship. 

She is co-lead of Sky Up which is helping to address digital inequality and unlock possibilities by giving individuals access, the resources and skills to create a better future and will be reaching 250k people over the next two years.  

Her work has already impacted over 350,000 young people across media, tech and sport and has led to her being awarded the Social and Humanitarian Asian Women of Achievement Award for 2020.  She has also been awarded the Change Maker of the Year 2022 by The Drum Awards. 

Nishy is also co-founder of Flourish in Diversity, a social enterprise that was set up 3yrs ago for young people from diverse and lower-social economic to access the fashion industry. A paid summer training programme that upskills young people with ethical and sustainable practices in fashion productions.  Young trainees have landed internships with fashion brands such as Ralph Lauren, Toast and Moschino.

Her commitment to ensure opportunities are available to all, Nishy supports upskilling programmes for women and children in her ancestral village in India.  Through sewing & IT training women are able to build their confidence. In the absence of art being taught in government schools in the region, in October 2023 she set up a weekly art club for children to develop their creative skills and express themselves.

Oli started his career as a secondary Science Teacher on the Teach First leadership development program. Since then he was involved in the foundation of a Free School in East London, the charity Education and Employers which runs the Inspiring the Future Campaign and now works for The Careers & Enterprise Company supporting employers and sectoral or representative bodies.

He has been at the Careers & Enterprise Company from soon after its formation and has seen the development of the Gatsby Benchmarks as a national framework.  In his current role he leads the STEM strategy for the company and the development of the Employer Standards for sector and representative bodies.

Mission Accomplished is a private training provider based in the West Midlands. We focus on training across the full breadth of the screen and creative industries. Mission Accomplished is led by Alison Grade, author of The Freelance Bible and much of the training we offer is focussed on employability and career development including leadership and management.

Dr Sarah Son is a Senior Lecturer and researcher in Korean Studies, specialising in contemporary North and South Korean society, culture, politics and international relations. She is Director of the University of Sheffield’s Centre for Korean Studies and the current President of the British Association for Korean Studies. Previously, she was Research Director of a Seoul-based NGO focussed on documentation and advocacy on the human rights situation in North Korea.

She has published research on inter-Korean relations, settlement policy for North Korean refugees, and other themes including South Korean representation of North Korea in popular culture, and human rights documentation and accountability for North Korean human rights violations. Sarah writes regularly for outlets including The Conversation, offering expert insight on issues relevant to her research. She has consulted widely with external stakeholders in inter-Korean affairs including the United Nations and the UK Parliament's All Party Parliamentary Group for North Korea.

Carl is an experienced education practitioner with a demonstrated history of working in the museums and heritage industry.

Carl is currently based at Leeds Museums and Galleries where he has built and managed the award-winning Careers for All programme which creates career aspiring activities for young people with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities). In this role, he is also responsible for planning and delivering work experience across several sites in Leeds as well as short- and long-term outreach projects, education events, careers fairs and youth panels. 

Prior to this role, Carl planned and delivered an education programme for the Royal Armouries Leeds ranging from early years to A-level pupils. Carl has a BA in Primary Education including an advanced professional focus in AEN (additional educational needs) from York St. John University.

Bibi is CEO of Creative Access, a not for profit with the mission to enable people from communities under-represented in the creative industries, in terms of ethnicity, socio-economic status and disability, to access careers and progress.

Creative Access works with employer partners to develop practical DE&I programmes and build more inclusive cultures through progressive recruitment, training, mentoring and career support.

Bibi leads the Creative Access team and works with the Creative Access community and employer partners to drive further change in the sector. She has over 25 years’ experience in marketing and communications and DE&I and previously lead the team at award-winning comms agency, Golin.  

At this point in her career, Tamera has got her priorities set straight. Growing up outside of London, in a small town called Gravesend in Kent, Tamera was surrounded and uplifted by the powerful women in her life. With a mum who was constantly singing and playing music around the house from Beyoncé to Alicia Keys, and a grandma who was the minister at their church, as a child Tamera was often called on to start hymns in the service. 

From the poems she used to write as a child before she learnt how to write songs, to the music you hear from her today, Tamera’s greatest inspiration is her own lived experience and that of others. Harvesting and absorbing the stories and emotions of those around her, there’s a deep empathy to her lyricism and a fluidity to her voice that reveals this.

With grandparents each originating from different countries (St Lucia, Nigeria, England and Greece), Tamera’s touch points have always been a melting pot.

Verity is Associate Professor of Virtual and Extended Realities at UWE Bristol. She works with companies, communities and policymakers around the world to explore ideas about immersive experiences, including the 'metaverse'.
 
She is currently Principal Investigator and Director of Immersive Arts, a UK-wide scheme offering an inclusive and accessible programme of research, training, funding and events for 200+ artists.
 
Verity has written and spoken about the creative industries and immersive tech sector around the world. Her work has been discussed in the UK’s House of Commons and House of Lords, EU Parliament, Council of Europe and in multiple print and media contexts.
 
If you are interested in studying Virtual and Extended Realities at UWE Bristol visit https://courses.uwe.ac.uk/I7101.

Alex McDowell is a narrative designer. He was a production designer for 30+ years, in music industry, theater, advertising, and many feature films by David Fincher, Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, and others. He is the originator of World Building as a disruptive design system. Now he is creative director at Experimental Design studio, designing storytelling for change in media, education, industry and institutions. He is a professor of practice at University of Southern California School of Cinema in Media Arts + Practice, and director of the World Building Media Lab and World Building Institute.

He is a Royal Designer for Industry.Alex McDowell is a narrative designer. He was a production designer for 30+ years, in music industry, theater, advertising, and many feature films by David Fincher, Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, and others. He is the originator of World Building as a disruptive design system. Now he is creative director at Experimental Design studio, designing storytelling for change in media, education, industry and institutions. He is a professor of practice at University of Southern California School of Cinema in Media Arts + Practice, and director of the World Building Media Lab and World Building Institute. He is a Royal Designer for Industry.

Ben Cantil, aka Encanti, is an electronic music producer, software designer, and scholar. Most of his music has been released as Zebbler Encanti Experience (aka ""ZEE""), a brand which encompasses both audio/visual in collaboration with visual artist Zebbler. ZEE's signature style of ""psy bass"" music has been featured on popular EDM labels such as Monstercat, Gravitas, and Wakaan, and with performances spanning the US festival circuit such as Lightning in a Bottle, Infrasound, Wakaan Festival, and Burning Man.

As an educator, Cantil helped bring modern electronic music production into the curricula of Berklee College of Music, authoring courses across multiple undergraduate and graduate programs between Valencia and NYC. He now runs his own private school, Encanti Music Academy, while pursuing a PhD at the University of Edinburgh under the Bucher-Fraser Scholarship. He and his partner C.A. Stewart also recently won four UK-based grants to fund startup company DataMind Audio, an innovative audio software company specializing in AI-driven tools for music producers and sound designers. With the release of flagship plugin Combobulator and Artist Brain marketplace, where artists earn a 50/50 split on all neural networks sold, DataMind Audio is ushering in a new era in sound design while setting an ethical gold standard for ""Farm-to-Table"" AI.

As Head of Music & Culture for EMEA Partnerships at Google, Christina works to bring the best of Google to build strong partnerships with key industry partners.

Her work includes YouTube’s Futuremakers Programme, a suite of initiatives supporting next generation talent developed with and delivered alongside music industry partners, and projects that demonstrate how technology has always helped drive new forms of creativity forward. These include the Shellac Project with Deutsche Grammophon, digitising 400 of the world’s oldest commercial recordings (subsequently remixed by Christian Löffler); Music, Makers & Machines, a history of electronic music; and Beethoven’s Global Ode to Joy, developed during the pandemic to show that even though the world was different, we could still share joy. Before joining Google, Christina completed a PhD at King’s College London where she researched the impact of digitisation on archives, museums, and collections in settler-colonial contexts. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors, curling up with a good book, and finding new music.

Ekam is a multi-disciplinary creative from Southall, West London, with a background in Fine Arts and her creative career spanning from working with small collectives in Nottingham to recently completing the Creative Industry Placement at Somerset House. 

Her journey began at UAL: CSM in 2016 where she enrolled onto the Fine Arts foundation pathway. Feeling like she didn't really fit into the competitiveness of the London art school culture, she then went on to study Fine Art Sculpture at the university of Brighton in 2017. Graduating in 2020 during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ekam then decided to leave the South-East of England to move to Nottingham in the Midlands to try and kickstart her career in the creative community. There she was able to work with creative businesses and local heroes - such as LeftLion Magazine and Wigflex. Though she was able to pick-up short-term roles and small freelancing gigs, this wasn't sustainable enough so she decided to move back to London in 2022 to begin searching for a long-term career. 

Eventually after months of searching and applying for jobs - both creative and 'non-creative' roles, Ekam eventually stumbled upon the Creative Industry Placement by Somerset House in 2023 and was successful in her application. During her time at this placement, she worked with 2 host organisations within the Somerset House Community - Artellite and Force4Good Consultancy. It was during this placement where Ekam's confidence grew, and her dreams of wanting to work within the creative industry were finally taking place.

Ekam is now working within the Somerset House Trust as an Administrative Assistant in the Inclusive Talent Engagement team. Alongside her role at Somerset House, Ekam's side-hustles include being an analogue photographer, with her work being previously featured in Resident Advisor and MixMag's online platforms, and starting her own crochet brand called 'by ekky!'.

Felix is managing sales for the Higher Education market in the UK and Ireland at Google Cloud.  He has 20 years of experience working for some of the most iconic companies in the world, such as Google, Apple, Amazon, as well as successful startups.

Combined with his passion for education, he enjoys leading innovative technology projects and bridging the skills gap in cloud computing. He has an Executive Education from Stanford GSB and an MBA in management. He was honored with Google Cloud MVP award in 2020.

Gary Briggs is Director or Training and Skills at Factory International with responsibility for leading the development of  Factory Academy.

Factory Academy is a key part of the vision to put skills and training opportunities at the heart of Factory International and its new home Aviva Studios, Manchester’s landmark new arts space, . Gary joined Factory International in October 2020 to support the realisation of  Factory Academy’s ambition of becoming an independent training provider, overseeing the development of a series of award-winning programmes with the common aim of making creative careers accessible.

Prior to joining Factory International, Gary has contributed to a range of employment, education, training and well-being programmes. He spent 13 years working for Armtrong Works / Access Creative College, developing and delivering a range of programmes aimed at individuals needing support to become economically active, progress into further education or improve their quality of life and life chances. 

Gary began his career as a working musician. Through his work, he has always aimed to champion those who, for whatever reason, didn’t get the recognised qualifications that employers have traditionally looked for, who don’t know what they want to do yet, or who don’t realise how brilliant they are.

Hamza is an interdisciplinary movement artist. As a professional coach and theatre-maker, he combines physical performance with creative expression to create, direct and perform.  Movement credits include 10 Nights (UK Tour), Duck (Arcola Theatre), Going For Gold (Chelsea Theatre), For One More Day to Live (Theatre Peckham), Daytime Deewane (Half Moon Theatre) and Statues (Barbican).  He recently staged two successful original productions, Bhai (The Place) and 1518 (Edinburgh Fringe Festival). A recipient of the Embassy Scholarship, he graduated with an MA in Movement from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2021. 

Harvey is a senior technology leader, with a diverse background spanning rocket science, data science and research. He has 30 years of experience in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. He is a strategist, innovator and thought leader focused on applying technology to solve problems for clients in the public, private and charity sectors. He currently leads AI across EY in the UK and Ireland. 

Harvey is an accomplished writer and public speaker, winning the 2017 Management Consultancies Association Award for the best use of thought leadership investigating the impact of AI on the UK’s economy. 

Harvey is a former member of the Open Data User Group, the Public Sector Transparency Board and the Advisory Committee to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on AI. He is a member of techUK’s leadership committee for Data Analytics and AI, on the editorial board for the ‘Real-World Data Science’ platform of the Royal Statistical Society and is also an Honorary Senior Visiting Fellow at The Bayes Business School in London.

Harvey lives in the South Downs National Park with his wife and sons.

Hayley is a Writer, Director and Producer creating and supporting interdisciplinary work across the digital space ranging from arts television, comedy, theatre, music and live broadcast to mixed reality. Driven by a deep sense of the importance of owning identity and sharing unheard story, Hayley’s work is characterised by humour, compassion and connection. Hayley spent ten years producing with the Royal Shakespeare Company’s cinema broadcast project filming more than thirty plays from the stage in Stratford Upon Avon, refining and eventually redefining the hybrid arts capture form with All’s Well That Ends Well which she co-directed for the screen.

As a writer, Hayley has been published by Channel Four books and had her original theatre comedy ‘In the Motherhood’ produced and premiered at Birmingham REP theatre before touring nationally. Hayley was Head of Content and Digital Broadcast for Coventry UK City of Culture in 2021, where she oversaw the digital team and delivery of more than 400 films, all social media, 40 live streams and produced the TV version of Nitin Sawnhey’s Ghosts in the Ruins performance capture programme for BBC4. Hayley spent 2023 driving Factory International’s Digital Strategy as the producing company delivered Manchester International Festival and opened Aviva Studios in the Autumn. During this year she also produced the BBC 2 screen version of Free Your Mind – Aviva Studios’ opening show directed by Danny Boyle. Hayley continues to create as a writer and director and this year is working with National Theatre at Home as a Screen Director. Toward the end of last year Hayley joined West Midlands Combined Authority as Head of Culture and Creative Industries with a remit to galvanise and develop capacity and opportunity across the creative sectors for the West Midlands’ region. 

Isaac Huxtable is a freelance writer, as well as a curator at the art agency Artiq. Prior to this, He studied a BA in History of Art at the Courtauld Institute, followed by roles at the British Journal of Photography and The Photographers' Gallery. His words have been featured in the British Journal of Photography, Elephant Magazine, Galerie Peter Sellim, The Photographers' Gallery, and The South London Gallery. He is particularly interested in documentary ethics, race, gender, class, and the body.

Jo Farmer is Joint Managing Partner for Lewis Silkin. Alongside her leadership role, she advises clients on their advertising and marketing campaigns and exploitation of intellectual property rights and content.

Her clients include brand owners, content creators, communications agencies and media platforms and she is recognised as a leading lawyer in the field of advertising and brand reputation in legal directories such as Chambers and Legal 500.

Jo’s work includes regulatory advice on advertising and influencer marketing, as well as drafting and negotiating media buying and advertising agreements. She was commissioned by the UK trade body ISBA (Incorporated Society of British Advertisers) to draft an industry first template contract for use by brands and influencers when creating content together.

Outside of work, Jo lives in St Albans and spends most of her time being a chauffeur to her twin sons and generally running around after them.

Julien has been CEO & Creative Director of Hall for Cornwall since 2011. Before this, he has had a 20-year career as an arts leader in both subsidised and commercial theatre.

From 2002-2010, he worked for the international company, the Ambassador Theatre Group, (ATG), initially as Chief Executive of the award-winning 200-year-old Theatre Royal Brighton. In 2009, he was additionally appointed Chief Executive of Churchill Theatre Bromley, the regional producing arm of ATG. He served as Chair of South East Dance; a Trustee of English Touring Theatre, Dance Touring Partnership and Blast Theory and was Co-founder and Vice-Chair of Brighton & Hove Arts Commission - a cultural and political arms-length advisory and delivery organisation where it delivered the highest engagement with the arts of a population outside on the capital city of London. He has also served as a council member for Arts Council England both for the South East and South West Offices.

He was the first person to set up apprenticeships in theatre's technical areas for employees with disabilities for Arts Council England.

Prior to joining Creative UK, Lara dedicated her career to tackling some of the UK’s most pressing policy and campaign challenges, working for organisations such as Marie Curie, Rethink, and most recently the Royal College of Nursing as Associate Director of Policy and Public Affairs. Over decades, Lara has built diverse movements for change to drive major investment into policy solutions, develop national strategies and change laws, securing commitments and action from governments, as well as private and not-for-profit sectors.

In 2023, she completed a Masters in Global Political Economy, focusing on labour markets. She lives in south London with her artist husband.

Matthew Xia is the award-winning Artistic Director of ATC (Actors Touring Company). He was previously Associate Artistic Director at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, (where he established OPEN EXCHANGE, an artist development scheme for over 400 next generation theatre-makers); Director-in-Residence at The Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse; and Associate Director at Theatre Royal Stratford East. He was Associate Artist at the Nottingham Playhouse alongside James Graham and Amanda Whittington. 

Matthew has directed some of the UK’s most talented actors, including Daniel Kaluuya, Cynthia Erivo, Maxine Peake, David Haig, Samuel Barnett, Matt Henry, Karl Collins, Martina Laird, Christopher Colquhoun, Malachi Kirby, David Moorst, Natasha J. Barnes, Yolanda Kettle, Erin Doherty, and Joseph Quinn. 

Directing includes: The Architect (GDIF/ATC/Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation); Tambo & Bones (ATC/Theatre Royal Stratford East); the Olivier Award-winning Hey Duggee – The Live Theatre Show (Kenny Wax Family Entertainment/Cuffe & Taylor); the Fringe First Award-winning Feeling Afraid as if Something Terrible is Going to Happen (Francesca Moody Productions/Bush Theatre); Rice (ATC/Orange Tree); The Wiz (Ameena Hamid Productions/Hope Mill/BBC Big Night of Musicals); Family Tree (GDIF/ATC/Belgrade/Brixton House); 846Live (Stratford East/GDIF); Amsterdam (ATC/Orange Tree/Plymouth Theatre Royal); Blood Knot (Orange Tree); Eden (Hampstead Theatre); One Night In Miami… (Nottingham Playhouse/Bristol Old Vic/HOME); Into The Woods, Frankenstein (Royal Exchange); Wish List (Royal Exchange/Royal Court); Shebeen (Nottingham Playhouse/Stratford East); Sleeping Beauty, The Blacks (Stratford East); Dublin Carol (Sherman Theatre); Blue/Orange, The Sound of Yellow (Young Vic); Sizwe Banzi is Dead (Young Vic/Eclipse); I was looking at the ceiling and then I saw the sky (Co-Director, Stratford East/Barbican); Suckerpunch Boom Suite (Barbican/NitroBEAT). 

Matthew has worked with an array of renowned writers as a director and a dramaturg, including;  Arinze Kene, April D’Angelis, Joe Penhall, Vikki Stone, Katherine Soper, David Levi-Addai, Yasmin Joseph, Mojisola Adebayo, and Nessah Murty. He has been a respected panelist for the Evening Standard Future Fund, Yale Drama Series, the Alfred Fagon Award, BEAM, the Bruntwood Prize and most recently the Eurovision Song Contest! 

DJ / Composing / Sound Design includes: presenting a weekly award-winning Hip-Hop show on BBC 1XTRA; DJing for The London Paralympics Opening Ceremony; The People Are Singing (Royal Exchange); Free Run (Underbelly); That’s The Way To Do It (TimeWontWait); Pass The Baton, Bolero Remixed (New London Orchestra); Da Boyz, The Blacks, Family Man, The Snow Queen, Hansel & Gretel, Medea, and Squid (Stratford East). 

Matthew was a founding member of Act for Change. In 2019, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Arts London for his efforts to make theatre universally accessible by working to promote minority groups as theatre leaders, makers, and consumers.

Dr Molly Morgan Jones is the Director of Policy at The British Academy. Molly oversees all the Academy’s policy work and activities, on topics ranging from how the humanities and social sciences can shape a post-pandemic future, to purposeful business, to understanding society and community, and higher education and skills policy. She led the team that produced the Academy’s landmark review on the long-term societal impacts of COVID-19. Prior to joining the Academy, Molly worked at RAND Europe, an independent policy research institute, where she specialised in research and innovation policy. Molly has also worked for the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She has a DPhil from the University of Sussex in Science and Technology Policy and a BA in Biology from Northwestern University.

Andrew Chitty is Challenge Director for the two Creative Industries programmes at the heart of the Creative Industries Sector Deal. This £120m investment is supported by the Government’s Industrial Strategy and delivered by UK Research and Innovation. The £50m Audience of the Future Challenge will deliver a step change in the ability of the UK creative sector to adopt immersive technologies through business led innovation, whilst the £85m Creative Industries Clusters Programme supports nine University/Business R&D partnerships across the UK. Prof. Chitty’s career began in television before founding Illumina Digital, a multi award-winning digital production company. With Illumina he won 4 BAFTAs, including two for technical innovation. Andrew is Professor of Creative Industries at Loughborough University and a Trustee of TRC Media. He is a board member of Creative Skillset and a founding director of Creative England.

Rehana is Director of the Global Creative Economy programme at British Council, where she works through a dispersed team, with governments, creative industry professionals and leaders in the cultural and creative sectors in over 30 countries. Rehana leads on building strategic collaborations and on ensuring the conditions are in place for creative individuals and organisations to thrive, reach their potential and effect relevant, sustainable change. Rehana has worked in the creative and cultural sector for 27 years, she is a fellow of the Royal Society or Arts and a member of the Creative Industries Council, a joint forum between the UK creative industries and Government.

Rehana has lived and worked in the Gulf for 6 years and in China for 3 years, where she developed her strengths in cultural diplomacy and international relations. Prior to working with the British Council, Rehana worked at Arts Council England, Southbank Centre and Creativity, Culture and Education. In her spare time she is a mentor for the Women of Colour, Global Network to support, connect and sponsor women of colour, championing them to lead fulfilling lives and careers.

I am a Senior Lecturer in History. My research interests lie in how representations of the past have shaped identities in the UK, from the eighteenth century to the present day. I hold a PhD from the University of Glasgow and an MA from Cardiff University. I am a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. 
 
I am currently Academic Lead for the Open University's relationship with the Open College of the Arts, which joined the OU Group in summer 2023.. Previously I was Director of Teaching for the OU's School of Arts and Humanities, and prior to that I coordinated the school's scholarship of teaching and learning activity. In recent years I have been awarded research funding by UKRI and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. 
 
Before joining the OU in 2016 I worked at Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University and the University of South Wales. I have also worked in advisory capacities with A-Level exam boards, Access to HE providers and colleges offering HE in FE.

EPICA Jewellery is a Kenyan-based fashion brand that designs, produces and sells bold, African-inspired, contemporary jewellery pieces. Our products currently range from earrings to
body jewellery. EPICA prides itself on being a sustainable brand. All the pieces we offer are
handmade with love using raw materials like beads and threads that are sourced locally in
Kenya. We also do not mass produce as we try to reduce and avoid unnecessary waste. EPICA is best known for helping women build their confidence as they stand out while wearing their bold and edgy jewellery pieces. Founded in 2015, the brand has reached incredible milestones and has showcased its work both locally in Kenya as well as
internationally. In February 2021 we debuted our collection in London Fashion Week under
Fashion Scout’s platform, we also took part in a runway show in Western Australia organized
by Indian Ocean Craft Triennial. In 2022, we took part in Addis Ababa Fashion Week in Ethiopia
where we got to exhibit our pieces at the Hub of Africa Addis and showcase our jewellery on
the runway on African Celebrates for the African Union.

Last year, we were part of a delegation attending London Fashion Week and Creative Africa Nexus in Egypt where we got to exhibit some of our work. EPICA has also been featured in multiple publications both locally and internationally, some of which include Vogue Italia, Harper’s Bazaar Italia, Voir Fashion Magazine UK, GQ South Africa, People Daily Kenya, Nation Newspaper Kenya, The Standard Newspaper Kenya, Business Daily Kenya, The ePreneur Kenya, Kenya Airways Msafiri Magazine Kenya and The Nairobian. Our brand is often spotted worn by major local and international
African celebrities who feel that the pieces add just the right amount of flair and extravaganza
to their performance outfits. Founded in 2015 by Sharon Wendo, EPICA is inspired by African
culture and modern fashion and aims to join these two worlds in producing their Epica jewellery
products.

Simon Franglen is a multi-award-winning composer. Most recently known for the three-hour score to the box office topping Avatar: The Way of Water.

Franglen’s credits include three of the four top-grossing films of all time and six of the top-selling albums. A musical nomad, he has collaborated across the world with singers and musicians from the South Pacific Islands, Mongolia, Maori, Tunisian Malouf, Rajasthan, and Eritrea. 
Known for his cutting-edge work in immersive audio, Franglen is a consultant to several multi-national companies on the intersection of music and technology. He has major art and commercial installations running around the world.

Alongside film scores including Avatar 3, upcoming work includes a multi-year immersive and installation project in the USA, and a new orchestral and choral work to be premiered in late 2024.

Tom serves as the global co-leader of McKinsey’s Consumer Technology & Media Practice, where he coordinates our client service to companies in this industry and the investors that own them.

Since joining McKinsey, he has supported companies in television, filmed entertainment, video gaming, news, and sports as well as online marketplaces, social media, and other technology-enabled businesses. He works with teams of partners who create change with these institutions, bringing the best of McKinsey’s expertise in transformation, data and analytics and functional areas like marketing, sales, procurement, and operations.

Tom has a passion for analytics. He led the scale-up of QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, following its acquisition by McKinsey in 2015. In this role, he was responsible for growing QuantumBlack around the world to keep pace with client demands, defining its strategy with McKinsey, and sustaining its performance and health as the company scaled. He brings this expertise to help his clients in technology, media, telecoms, and beyond.

Tom stepped away from McKinsey between 2015 and 2017 to launch a direct-to-consumer TV business and grew it to more than one million customers as COO. He serves on the development trust at Magdalen College, Oxford, and on the corporate advisory board at the Natural History Museum in London.

Professor Julia Black is President of the British Academy.  She is also Strategic Director of Innovation and Professor of Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Warden-elect of Nuffield College, Oxford.   Julia is also an External Member of the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Committee and its Financial Markets Infrastructure Committee; a member of the Prime Minister’s Council of Science and Technology; and a Governor of the Courtauld Institute of Art.

She was Pro Director of Research at LSE from 2014-19 and interim Director of LSE from 2016-17.

She was Senior Independent Member of the Board of the UK Research and Innovation Council from 2017-2023.  Julia is also a director of Zinc, a social sciences, mission based incubator, and chairs ASPECT, a network of over 30 universities seeking to commercialise research in the social sciences, humanities and the arts.  

Ed Vaizey (Lord Vaizey of Didcot) is a member of the House of Lords,  broadcaster and business adviser.  He is a former Government Minister and Member of Parliament.

Ed was the Member of Parliament for Wantage between 2005 and 2019.  He served as the UK Government Culture and Digital Minister from 2010-16, and is the longest-serving Minister in that role.  He was appointed a privy councillor in 2016.

Ed presents his own weekly show on culture on Times Radio, has a weekly podcast on culture, and a weekly newsletter on tech and culture with many thousands of subscribers.  He appears regularly in many media outlets as a political commentator.

In the private sector, Ed is an adviser to a number of companies, technology funds and technology start-ups. 

Ed currently serves as chairman of the UK-ASEAN Business Council, a trustee of Tate, and a governor of St Paul’s School, London.  

In his role as digital minister, Ed was responsible for the roll out of the successful rural broadband programme to more than 4 million homes, the introduction of 4G, and tax credits for film, television, animation and video games, which have helped make the creative industries the fastest growing part of the UK economy.  Ed also helped persuade Lucas Films to make the new Star Wars in the UK, and received an on-screen credit in the first film of the series.
In addition, he played a key role in putting coding in the national curriculum for schools, and in attracting inward investment to the UK tech economy.  

In his role as culture minister, Ed published the first White Paper on Culture in the UK for 50 years, introduced a national music education programme, and established English Heritage as a stand alone charity.

Laura is a Partner in Lewis Silkin’s Digital, Commerce and Creative team.

Laura advises businesses and professionals in the creative industries and innovation sector on commercial agreements and IP strategy. She has a wealth of experience in complex intellectual property issues notably across the games, design and communications, fashion, culture and TV sectors.

Laura began her career in publishing in London before qualifying as a lawyer in Manchester and is recognised as one of the pioneers of specialist legal advice to the creative industries in the city region. She is also acknowledged as a Leading Individual by the Legal 500.

Outside of work Laura is a patron of Factory International and enjoys theatre & live music, city life & country walks, family & friends (not necessarily in that order).

Carys Taylor is the Director of Climate Content and Sustainability at BAFTA, the British Academy for Film and Television Arts, leading the work to support industry efforts in climate storytelling. 
Carys recently began this role, following her leadership of BAFTA albert, the BAFTA-owned, industry-backed organisation which supports the screen industry to reduce the environmental impacts of production and to create content that supports a vision for a sustainable future. 
Prior to BAFTA, Carys was at National Grid where she worked on policy recommendations to decarbonise transport, the biggest contributor to UK carbon emissions. She is no stranger to the TV industry however, having also worked at BBC Studios as an advisor to Tim Davie, and developing policy for the UK creative sector through the Creative Industries Council.

Carys has also worked in UK Parliament and studied international politics where she examined the role of media in shaping international attitudes to global events for her dissertation. 
Away from work, Carys is happiest enjoying the landscape of her home region of North Wales."

I am the Skills Manager at CrewHQ, Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD) new on-site training centre for crew at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. CrewHQ supports below-the-line crew at all levels with skills development and training. 

In my role, I lead on the new CrewHQ Trainee Programme, an entry level scheme for below-the-line crew, a visible and inclusive route into production, it includes bespoke industry-led training and paid placements where possible on WBD shows.

Before WBD, I was at ScreenSkills delivering the ScreenSkills Apprenticeship Programme pilot which explored the workability of apprenticeships as a route into and progression within the freelance world of film and TV production. Studio partners included WBD, Netflix, Amazon, Sky, Banijay and Fremantle.

Lilli is Deputy Director of the Creative PEC, responsible for supporting the team to realise the centre’s potential in achieving policy change, long term sustainability and international profile for the Creative Industries at the core of UK economic growth. 

Previously, she was Director of Jerwood Arts, the leading independent funder, where she channelled £10 million of funding to over 1000 early-career artists, makers, curators and producers between 2018-2023 and significantly grew its reach and partnerships across the UK. She led a national exhibitions programme of new work including Jerwood Collaborate!, featuring Array Collective, Turner Prize-winners 2021, and launched Jerwood Survey, now in its third edition. With a strong focus on improving socio-economic diversity and inclusion, she created almost 100 year-long jobs through Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries, and took an innovative approach to funding processes, piloting random selection with the 1:1FUND. 

She has also worked for Arts Council England, and as a theatre producer including for the Almeida, the Arcola, and as co-founder of new writing company Hightide in the East of England. She is a trustee of Fuel and Project Europa, and an Arts Emergency Mentee.

Philippa Childs is the Head of Bectu, the UK’s union for the creative industries.

She is the first woman to hold the position of Head of Bectu, a role she took on shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic brought much of the creative industries to a sudden halt and created unprecedented challenges for the sector’s workers. 
This was closely followed by the almost total shutdown of the UK’s film and TV industry in 2023, following historical industrial action in the United States, during which Childs continued to advocate for increased support and improved rights for freelancers.

Childs oversees Bectu’s five divisions, covering broadcasting, film and TV production, and arts and entertainment – championing the rights of nearly 40,000 staff and freelance workers across the creative industries. 

As the largest union at the BBC and with a strong presence in many of the UK’s leading theatres, arts centres and independent broadcasting and production companies, Bectu is uniquely placed to secure workplace fairness and equality on behalf of its members. 

Childs has spent much of her career in trade unions, with previous tenures at the National Union of Civil and Public Servants (now PCS), the Trades Union Congress National Education Centre and EMA, now part of Bectu’s parent union Prospect.

Taran Singh is the Chief Technical Officer at Birmingham Open Media (BOM) and a highly accomplished business leader with over 20 years of experience. He has achieved remarkable success in his entrepreneurial journey, building a thriving business under Taran3D and making significant contributions to the field of 3D technology and education. 

In 2023, Taran3D merged with BOM, a non-profit social enterprise. The merger with the immersive arts organisation signifies Taran’s commitment to continuous growth, social purpose and dedication to staying at the forefront of technological advancements.

At BOM, Taran leads a dynamic and passionate team, working closely with clients to bring their projects to life. With a strong belief in making immersive technology accessible to all, he actively supports this vision by partnering with inspiring organisations and fostering the growth of the next generation of tech talent in the industry through inclusive learning programmes.