Creative Access is delighted to announce the launch of their Steering Group; a brand-new initiative bringing together a group of 16 individuals from the Creative Access community. This unique year-long programme will provide a leadership pathway for participants to becoming trustees or non-executive directors of other creative organisations, social enterprises or charities. The group will also provide feedback, input on and steer various Creative Access programmes and areas of development.
Creative Access – a leading diversity and inclusion social enterprise – has selected members of the Steering Group from its own alumni community; candidates from groups that are under-represented in the creative industries in terms of ethnicity, socio-economic background or disability. By the end of the year-long programme, participants will be supported to apply for leadership positions.
Josie Dobrin, Executive Chair, Creative Access said: “We are hugely excited about this new initiative. Our community have a huge amount of skills and energy to offer to leadership teams of commercial and not-for-profit organisations. All too often, job descriptions require applicants to have experience for non-executive roles, so by creating this leadership pathway, we are removing obstacles for progression. In the long run, we’re creating a pipeline of candidates from communities that are under-represented at non-executive level, who will help organisations to innovate, future-proof decision-making and better reflect the organisations in which they serve. Any organisations interested in hearing from our budding trustees should get in touch!”
The new programme – which will be repeated annually – offers members the opportunity to share perspectives and network with people working cross-sector in the creative industries, gain insight into the responsibilities that come with being a trustee, and give members the chance to meet and be mentored by senior figures in the creative industries. This reflects Creative Access’ wider goal of creating sustainable change across the creative economy.
Lizzy Burden, interned via Creative Access at The Times in 2017 and is now the Europe, Middle East & Africa Economics & Government Correspondent at Bloomberg TV, will act as co-chair of the committee. She said: “Creative Access opened the door to my dream career in journalism so it’s important to me that I pay forward that opportunity. By co-chairing the steering group, I want to learn how the organisation runs — both financially and in terms of strategic decision making — so that I can help to drive its success further.”
Hetty Ashiagbor, who started off as a researcher at Lime Pictures through Creative Access in 2015 and is now a managing producer at BBC Good Food and OLIVE magazine, explained: “I am so excited to be part of the steering group for Creative Access. I am most looking forward to making an impact in the creative industries regarding diversity and inclusion, addressing challenges and evoking positive change. Creative Access played a huge part in kick starting my career in broadcast. It is an honour to be able to give back, share my experiences and knowledge and be part of positive change.”
Appointments to the Steering Group will last for a one-year term. During the course, the Group will attend workshops with multiple external speakers, covering themes including charity and Community Interest Company status; the role and duties of a trustee; financial literacy and liabilities; principles of good governance and trusteeship; responsibilities of non-executive directors.
The members of the 2022-23 Steering Group are:
- Abs Gandhi, PR Manager, EMEA, Snowflake
- Alex Zepherin-Pinnock Founder / Creative Director, Don Dada Studio
- Amir Amirsolimani, Development Editor, SunnyMarch
- Arshdeep Kaur, Product Lead, Sky Glass, Sky
- Cameron Myers, Commissioning Editor (Penguin Business), Penguin General
- Charlotte Gray, Creative Designer /Partnerships Assistant, Freelance / SafetyWing
- Cheyney Smith, Marketing Manager (Macmillan Children’s Books), Pan Macmillan
- Hetty Ashiagbor, Producer (multiple platform film/video producer)
- Isabella Silver, Branded Content Editor, Hearst
- Lizzy Burden, Europe, Middle East and Africa Economics and Government Correspondent, Bloomberg TV
- Nikou Asgari, Reporter, Financial Times
- Nitin Rishi, Producer / Director / Cinematographer
- Rabeeah Moeen, Audio Publishing Assistant, Pan Macmillan
- Saphia Abrahamovitch-Venner, Assistant Curator: Artist Development & Engagement, Spike Island
- Shamima Noor, Communications Co-ordinator, Fuel Theatre