New members join the UK Council to drive forward Creative Industries Sector Plan commitments

Creative UK is delighted to confirm the new members joining our UK Council as we kick off activity for 2026-28 with the first meeting of the new financial year taking place on 30 April 2026.

 

Our UK Council, chaired by Nick Poole (CEO, Ukie), plays a vital role in determining and shaping Creative UK’s impact priorities, steering policy positions and sharing crucial insights from across industry and the UK. The council champions the priorities of its membership in our collective mission to ensure the best possible conditions for the growth, success and sustainability of the cultural and creative industries. 

Council members represent each UK nation and region, a full spectrum of industries, and organisations big and small, as well as voices from the freelancer community, creative practitioners and education providers. Each member is responsible for listening to and voicing the concerns, opportunities and ideas of their creative communities and regions, sharing insights on their behalf. These insights are an integral component to the UK Council’s outputs, informing its priorities and Creative UK’s wider advocacy work with the UK Government.  

 

Joining existing UK Council members, the newest additions have been selected from a pool of nearly 100 applicants, with the openings only available to those within Creative UK’s membership network and in place for a two-year term. During this time, the UK Council has agreed it will focus its energy on driving forward commitments from within the Creative Industries Sector Plan, dedicating time and expertise to advocacy work across the Sector Plan’s key pillars, which broadly capture:  

• Access to Finance (Creative Industries)  

• Access to Finance (Cultural Sector)  

• Regional Growth  

• Skills  

• AI and Tech Adoption  

• Trade & Export  

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)  

 

A very warm welcome to our incoming members: 

• Ali Jafarey – EDI Lead, Victoria and Albert Museum 

• Alix Manning-Jones – Director, Culture Derby 

• Amanda Parker 

• Amy Ross – Director of Development, Southbank Centre 

• Andrew Craissati – CEO, Auddy 

• Claire Walker & Hannah Essex – Co-CEOs, Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre 

• Claire Ward – Executive Director, Curve 

• Fiona Evans – CEO, Into Film 

• Hailey Willington – Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, BPI 

• Henny Finch – Executive Director, Donmar Warehouse 

• Iain Bundred – Director of Policy and Public Affairs, BBC 

• Jen Burrows – Head of Organisational Strategy, Birmingham Hippodrome 

• Jo Keen – Sector Specialist, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority 

• Jon Williams – Founder & CEO, The Liberty Guild 

• Kate O’Connor – Executive Chair, Animation UK 

• Matt Hood – Managing Director, Spotlight 

• Matthew Hodgkin – Global Sales Director, Pinewood Studios Group 

• Michael Marsden – Dean, School of Art and Design, Nottingham Trent University 

• Rathna Ramanathan – Provost, Central Saint Martins and Executive Dean, Global Affairs, University of the Arts London 

• Rob Bartholomew – Director, Bartle & Wood 

• Robin Webber-Jones – Deputy Chief Executive & Executive Director of Curriculum, The Bedford College Group 

• Sarah Gregory – Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Creative UK 

• Stephen Crocker – Chief Executive & Creative Director, Norwich Theatre 

• Tina Saul – AI Champion, KINTAL 

• Vittoria Federici – Public Affairs Lead, UK & EMEA, Tencent