Kirsty Wark is one of Britain’s most experienced television journalists. From the ground breaking Late Show to Election specials, live stadium events and, since 1993, the BBC’s flagship nightly current affairs show Newsnight, she has presented a wide range of programmes over the past twenty seven years. Kirsty hosted the weekly Arts and Cultural review and comment show, The Review Show (formerly Newsnight Review) for over a decade, and has conducted long-form interviews with everyone from Margaret Thatcher to Madonna, Harold Pinter to Pete Doherty, Damian Hirst to George Clooney and the likes of Toni Morrison, Donna Tartt and Philip Roth.

Kirsty has won several major awards for her work including BAFTA Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting, Journalist of the Year and Best Television Presenter. Kirsty was born in Dumfries and educated in Kilmarnock. Her debut novel, The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle, was published in March 2014 by Two Roads – an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton.

David is the director of the Demos Integration Hub and a former director of Demos. The Integration Hub explores ethnic integration across five distinct themes – Residential Patterns, Work and Welfare, Society and Everyday Life, Education, and Attitudes and Identity. It allows users to explore integration across England and Wales through interactive data maps.

In 2013 David published a book, The British Dream, about postwar multiculturalism, national identity and immigration.

David is also founder and former editor of Prospect magazine, which he set up in 1995, and he remains the magazine’s editor-at-large. David is a prominent figure in public debate in the UK. He is a well-known broadcaster, author, commentator and journalist who regularly writes for the national press. He has also presented several BBC Radio 4 Analysis programmes. Before Prospect, David was a correspondent for the Financial Times for 12 years – including a stint in Germany during the unification period.

Following the Scottish Parliament Elections in May 2011, Fiona Hyslop was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs. Her Ministerial portfolio covers External Affairs, Europe, Culture and the Arts, Broadcasting, Architecture, Heritage and Records.

As part of the Scottish Government’s programme of international policy, Fiona Hyslop developed strategic plans for engaging with the United States, China, India, Pakistan and Nordic/Baltic countries. She has represented the Scottish Government at the Joint Ministerial Council (Europe) for many years and has represented the UK at meetings of the European Council of Ministers.

Prior to this she was Minister for Culture and External Affairs and during that role established the cultural development body, Creative Scotland. Ms Hyslop was also previously Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning where she introduced and lead the legislation which abolished university tuition fees in Scotland.

Janet Archer took up her post as CEO of Creative Scotland  in July 2013. Since that time she has appointed a new senior leadership team and produced a long term plan for the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland ‘Unlocking Potential, Embracing Ambition’. Alongside this she has simplified Creative Scotland’s approach to funding and begun implementing a new People Strategy for the organisation.

Prior to joining Creative Scotland, Janet spent 6 years at Arts Council England as Director, Dance, working as part of the national arts strategy team.

She played an active role in developing Arts Council England’s 10 year framework for the arts: ‘Achieving Great Art For Everyone’. She also led the team that delivered the 2012 State of the Arts conference in Salford: Artists Shaping the World.

Janet’s work in Scotland includes chairing the artist-led organisation The Work Room based in Glasgow, supporting the British Council in programming their showcases in Edinburgh and as a former dancer, choreographer, founder and Artistic Director of the Nexus Dance, touring into Scotland as well as attending the Scottish Youth Dance Festivals held in Stirling in the 1980’s. She is an award winning performer who won the first Cosmopolitan Dancer of the Year Award in 1981.

Dr. Maria Balshaw is Director of the Whitworth, part of The University of Manchester, and the Manchester City Galleries.

As Director of these two major institutions, holding internationally important collections of fine and decorative art of more than 80,000 objects, she is responsible for the artistic and strategic vision for each gallery. An academic by training she has worked as a Director within the cultural sector for the past 10 years. Alongside her role as Director of Manchester City Galleries and Whitworth Art Gallery Maria has recently taken on the role of Strategic Lead for Culture for Manchester City Council. In April 2014 the Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport appointed Maria as a board member of Arts Council England. The appointment is for a term of 4 years, from April 2014 to March 2018.

Maria was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the arts in June 2015.

Jill Miller has been Director of Cultural Services for Glasgow Life since 2009 and held equivalent posts in Glasgow City Council’s Cultural and Leisure Services Department from 1999. Prior to this Jill worked for Fife Council from 1997 in art, community development and wider leisure and learning services.

Within Glasgow Life Jill provides strategic direction for Arts & Music, Museums and Collections and leads on key initiatives such as Volunteering and Equalities. She also plays a lead role for the city’s arts sector, focusing on building partnerships and enabling artists, arts organisations and communities to develop and realise their own and the City’s creative, social and economic ambitions.  She was Head of the Cultural Programme during the ‘best ever’ 2014 Commonwealth Games which showcased the city’s arts organisations in Festival2014, an International festival with something for everyone.

Jackie Killeen is the Scotland Director for the Big Lottery Fund. She has a long background in funding, and was Head of Policy & Public Affairs for the Fund in Scotland with a remit that included leading consultation, identifying priorities, developing new programmes, learning and evaluation and wider engagement with funders, government and other stakeholders.  Jackie has a strong interest in social policy and working collaboratively with others to make a difference in communities.  Jackie has participated in a range of policy fora, awards panels and ministerial advisory and reference groups.

Jackie was previously Head of Policy and External Relations for the New Opportunities Fund, developing a wide range of programmes and managing the Fund’s communications team.  Prior to working in funding, Jackie worked in regeneration in Glasgow and in the arts.  Her academic background is in literature and social and cultural research.  She has been involved in a number of voluntary organisations, and has recently been a commissioner of the Poverty Truth Commission and is a board member of Culture Republic.

Annie George is an Edinburgh-based, Kerala-born writer, director, performer and award-winning filmmaker.  Her play The Bridge was commissioned for the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme, and is currently touring in Scotland.  Other works have also been presented at Traverse Theatre, Citizens Theatre, The Arches, Contact Theatre Manchester, Oval House Theatre London, the Scottish Parliament and Edinburgh Fringe.  She directed the critically acclaimed I Knew A Man Called Livingstone for Toto Tales at National Library of Scotland Edinburgh Fringe and Storymoja Hay Festival Nairobi Kenya in 2013.  In short film she was: Writer/Producer of film poem At Rana Plaza; Director of Curry and Irn-Bru, a Real To Reel Award winner, which was also nominated for Satyajit Ray Foundation Short Film Award, and screened at Festivals in Durban, Rotterdam, Pakistan, Suriname and Spain; Actor/Development Producer of Daddy’s Girl, winner of numerous international awards including Prix Spécial De Jury for Short Film, Cannes Film Festival 2001.  Annie was actor and producer in the mid ‘90s, with Fringe First winning CAT. A. Theatre Company.

Julia is passionate about helping people to develop as leaders, and campaigns to encourage leaders from all backgrounds to make an active and tangible contribution to their communities and to wider society. In 1989, Julia launched Common Purpose, now one of the biggest leadership development organisations in the world. She has helped in the founding of the independent think tank Demos, and of the Impetus Trust for developing venture philanthropy in the UK. Julia was involved in founding the Media Standards Trust and Alfanar, an organisation committed to developing venture philanthropy in the Arab world, sits on the boards of both as well as on the International Advisory Council for Fundação Dom Cabral, a non-profit business institution in Brazil.

Julia is the author of the bestselling book Beyond Authority: Leadership in a Changing World. Her latest book Cultural Intelligence – CQ: the Competitive Edge for Leaders Crossing Borders was published in 2014. Julia defines Cultural Intelligence (CQ) as “the ability to cross divides and thrive in multiple cultures”.

Kerry was appointed Artistic Director & Chief Executive of Theatre Royal Stratford East (TRSE) in September 2004.  Since then he’s upheld the Theatre’s commitment to develop new work & provide a platform for voices under-represented in London. In 2007 TRSE was nominated for an Olivier Award for ‘a powerful season of provocative work that reaches new audiences’. Its hip-hop production Pied Piper won an Olivier the same year. The following year, Kerry’s production of Cinderella was nominated for an Olivier, the first pantomime nominated in the Awards’ history. TRSE’s been nominated for Olivier Awards for You Me Bum Bum Train, Roadkill & for Oh What A Lovely War.  

Kerry originated the International Festival For Emerging Artists, known as IFEA. This initiative involved 48 partners from around the world, all identified as emerging artists who gathered in London to collaborate in the development of new work. Kerry pioneered OPEN STAGE, where TRSE became the first theatre to hand over complete programming power to its audience for 6 months in the run up to the 2012 Games.

Kerry is a founding member of Stratford Rising a consortium of organisations in Stratford, with interests in arts related productions, programming, education, training & development; a director of ActiveNewham & a member of British Actors Equity International Committee for Artists’ Freedom.

Claire Cunningham is a performer and creator of multi-disciplinary performance based in Glasgow. One of the UK’s most acclaimed and internationally renowned disabled artists, Cunningham’s work is often rooted in the study/use/misuse of her crutches and the exploration of the potential of her own specific physicality, with a conscious rejection of traditional dance techniques (developed for non-disabled bodies) or the attempt to move with the pretense of a body or aesthetic other than her own.

A self-identifying disabled artist, Cunningham’s work ranges from the intimate solo Give Me A Reason To Live – a live memorial to the forgotten disabled victims of the Holocaust, to the large ensemble work “12” made for Candoco Dance Company.  She is a former Artist-in–Residence at the Women of the World Festival (2013), Southbank, London and the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queens (2014).  In 2016 she will be a Tramway (Glasgow) Associate Artist.

See her website for more information.

Tanya Raabe-Webber has been a practising Visual Artist, devising artworks, running workshop and residencies with Deaf and Disabled participants nationally, exploring and challenging the notions of identity, a disabled self in a disabling world. Portraying and exploring notions of purity of a body politic and the representation of the nude in contemporary Art since 1987. She gained a BA(HONS) in Graphic Design at Leeds Polytechnic, an MA in Communication Design at Manchester Metropolitan University as well as a PGCE in FE-Special Education .

Raabe has exhibited as a solo artist and in many group exhibitions nationally including screening her recent portraits of Disability Cultural figures in National Portrait Gallery, South Bank and University of Plymouth which were created during a 12 month artist in residence in Tate Modern and Tate Liverpool.

See her website for more information.

Leonie Bell is Director of Arts and Engagement for Creative Scotland leading on work across the arts –  dance, literature, music, theatre and visual arts. This includes Creative Scotland’s creative learning activity including Youth Music Initiative, Youth Arts Strategy and Cashback for Creativity. Leonie is also leading on the development of an Arts Strategy and a Framework for Artistic and Creative Review.  Leonie previously had responsibility for national events including the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme.

Leonie has worked across the arts and creative industries for nearly 20 years, she began her career at Glasgow: UK City of Architecture & Design in 1999. She then moved to The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Architecture, Design & the City where she became Programme Director overseeing and curating a large exhibition, event and festival programme both in the building and nationally and internationally.

Leonie then moved to the Scottish Arts Council where she took up the role of Creative Programmer for the London 2012 Festival and Cultural Olympiad in Scotland. Within this role she was responsible for developing and delivering a Scotland-wide strategy that spanned the cultural programme for London 2012 and the development of a national cultural programme for Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Johnny McKnight is Co-Artistic Director of Random Accomplice Theatre Company, a Scottish touring theatre company with an emphasis on comedy and new writing.  He also works freelance as a writer, director, performer and educator.  His work has taken him across the world from Irvine to New York, Thurso to Hong Kong, Prague to Paisley.  He has been described in the national press as the new vanguard of pantomime (having written 12 at last count) and most recent revival work Wendy Hoose was recipient of Runner-Up Prize for Most Accessible Show at Edinburgh Festival, Winner of Edinburgh49 Certificate for Distinctive and Memorable Theatre and nominated for CATS Award for Best Technical Presentation.  He is currently under commission to Royal Court Theatre and in development for several television projects.

New Approaches Lab: 

Amanda Brown is the Marketing Service Manager for Glasgow Life. She has managed the marketing teams responsible for Music, Arts, Museums, Digital and Venue Hire since 2007. She was responsible for the development of the Glasgow Life brand and manages the company’s digital strategy. She was Marketing Coordinator (Events) at Glasgow Culture and Sport for 7 years, Marketing Manager at the Tramway for 5 years, Arts Officer Performing Arts and Venues in Glasgow for 4 years and was a Visual Arts Assistant for 3 years around Glasgow’s Year as Culture Capital of Europe. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and has an honours degree in English.

New Insights Lab: 

Anne Gallacher is the Director of Luminate: Scotland’s annual creative ageing festival, which was launched nationwide in October 2012.  The festival includes activities aimed at older participants and audiences, intergenerational projects that bring young and old together, and work that explores what it means to all of us that society is ageing.  Anne’s early career was in Scotland, and she moved south in 1991 to work for Birmingham City Council in their arts and events team.  She later became Education Director for Birmingham Royal Ballet and Executive Director of Watford Palace Theatre.  After 3 years working as a consultant for organisations ranging from Chinese Arts Centre in Manchester to The Royal Opera House, she returned to Scotland to take up her current post.  Anne is a member of the Board of Directors of Scottish Ballet.

New Partnerships Lab: 

Kevin Harrison is the Director of Artlink Central, a charity and social enterprise designing creative experiences in conjunction with artists, public bodies and led by disadvantaged or marginalised people particularly in health, social care or criminal justice contexts. Kevin joined the organisation five years ago and was previously Arts and Wellbeing Manager with Sense Scotland since 2006, supporting a Scotland-wide participation in the arts for disabled people with communication needs. Kevin who has a degree in theatre and film from Roehampton University and who undertook postgraduate studies in Arts Management and Policy at Birkbeck University of London is also a trustee for Scottish Prison Arts Network, chair of Dementia Friendly Forth Valley as part of a Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) programme. Previous posts include freelance editor and administration roles with key national disability arts organisation, Shape Arts and public sector roles in Arts Development and as Business Manager, Creative Academy, Slough Borough Council, supporting a multi-million pound EQUAL creative industries inclusion programme . He also has experience of managing Music 4 Slough, a Youth Music Action Zone.

New Insights Lab: 

Maggie Maxwell leads on equalities, diversity and inclusion in Creative Scotland.  She encourages and supports artists and organisations to develop inclusive and accessible arts programmes and attract audiences that reflect the diversity of Scotland today.

Maggie joined Scottish Arts Council (SAC) in 2000 as Crafts Officer and became Head of Equalities in 2006. Prior to SAC, Maggie worked in the visual arts sector, the Robert Gordon University, and as curator of Grampian Hospitals Art Trust. After 2 years as Equality & Diversity Manager at the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff, she joined Creative Scotland in 2010.

She studied history of art at St Andrews University and human resource management at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

New Partnerships Lab: 

Jackie Shearer is Arts Manager with Glasgow East Arts Company (GEAC), currently seconded part-time to steer the ship at Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock. Under the auspices of GEAC, Jackie has managed Platform, Easterhouse’s dynamic arts programmes at the award-winning facility, The Bridge. Jackie has led high quality creative programming, produced with communities and in regeneration contexts. Since Platform’s launch in 2006, a quarter of a million people have participated in a varied programme from public art commissions to performing arts residencies, outdoor events and the widest range of participative activity. GEAC has won a number of awards including a Scottish Urban Regeneration Forum award for programming in a partnership context, a Leadership in Audience Development award and a Saltire Commendation for Alex Frost’s New Easterhouse Mosaic. Jackie led the successful VELOCITY public art programme for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

New Approaches Lab: 

Sarah is the co-founder and director of design at Snook. Sarah focuses on making social change happen by re-thinking public services from a human perspective. With a Masters of Design Innovation from Glasgow School of Art, Sarah is a social entrepreneur, working on how the value of design on the inside and outside of government and defining a meaningful role for designers within the public sector.

Her work challenges the role design can play within the public sector, and as the winner of the first Scottish Social Innovation Camp, Sarah is ambitiously challenging the way governments operate and make policies through initiatives such as MyPolice.

As a fellow of Google, Sarah has a flair for using technology as an enabler and thrives leading processes of change, putting design at the heart of organisations and complex systems.

New Technologies Lab: 

Dianne Greig is an Associate Director of Culture Republic with a background in research, marketing and business administration. Dianne is a social sciences graduate with first-hand experience of marketing roles within two of Scotland’s national performing arts companies and one major Glasgow venue. Specialising now in communications and digital innovation, she has a proven track record of devising and implementing successful strategies to increase public engagement across Scotland’s cultural sector.

New Technologies Lab: 

Antonia Lee-Bapty is Marketing & Operations Director at Euan’s Guide, the disabled access review charity. Making the world a more accessible place, Euan’s Guide – an award winning website and app – shares people’s experiences and encourages venues to shout about their disabled access. With a passion for all things tech, Antonia firmly believes in technology as a tool for promoting access to the arts.

New Technologies Lab:

Jo McLean is the Chief Executive Officer of The Touring Network.  A former classical musician, who has played and toured with world class orchestras including the Hallé Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Opera and BBC orchestras, Jo joined the team at Cove Park in 2006, supporting the visual arts and crafts residencies and developing a series of music residencies to support emerging musicians and composers. In 2011 Jo became senior producer for UZ Arts where she developed and produced a wide range of festivals and events, including one of the signature events for Homecoming 2014 – the International Launch of The Kelpies and the John Muir Festival. Jo has worked as a consultant and producer across Scotland and internationally, commissioning small and large scale works across a wide range of art forms. More recently she has specialised in site responsive work in a European context.

New Partnerships Lab: 

Dr. Rami Ousta is the CEO of BEMIS Scotland: a democratic representative organization that was acknowledged by the EU parliament as a best practice organization in Europe. Dr Ousta’s experience covers a wide range of senior roles and responsibilities related to Race Equality, Human Rights Education & Democratic Active Citizenship, Policy Development, Strategic & Community Re-generation at various levels, Training & Consultancy work, Research work, and representation at National, UK and EU advisory forums and policy committees in relation to Equality and Human Rights Education.

New Approaches Lab: 

Jan-Bert van den Berg is the Director of Artlink Edinburgh and the Lothians.

“My interest is in relevance. How does an arts organisation working within a social situation make sure that what it supports and produces is relevant to its user group? How do we support artists to create work within this context that supports relevance without compromising artistic quality and outcomes? These are the questions which are continuously at play within our work and challenge us to respond in a way which addresses individual aspirations or experience.”

Got Soul is a soul music choir led by the soul powerhouse Maryam Ghaffari. They sing and groove to music by artists such as Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Chic, Angie Stone, Lauryn Hill, Mary J Blige and many more. They currently have two choirs, Edinburgh’s Got Soul Choir and Glasgow’s Got Soul Choir. Their workshop terms run for 14 weeks twice a year in February and September with each culminating in a grand, uplifting raucous concert with special guests such as Sharlene Hector (Basement Jaxx) & Kele Le Roc (winner of two MOBO awards).

Fèis Rois

Founded in 1986, Fèis Rois enables people of all ages to access, participate and enjoy traditional music and activities linked to the Gaelic language and culture.

Fèis Rois is regarded as one of Scotland’s leading youth arts providers. Foundation Funded by Creative Scotland, and with considerable experience in delivering community workshops, residential courses and schools projects, Fèis Rois provides a wide range of opportunities for over 3,000 young people across Scotland each year.

One of our projects this summer included the Ceilidh Trail, which provides young people aged 16 – 25 with the opportunity to learn about life as a professional touring artist.  The Fèis Rois Ceilidh Trail takes high quality traditional music to places where visitors will be in peak summer months and is a successful cultural tourism initiative.  This summer the group performed at venues from the Cambridge Folk Festival to The Reel in Orkney.

To find out more information visit their website 

Indepen-dance is an inclusive dance development company for disabled people and their carers, to enjoy, express, and fulfill their potential through dance. Our purpose is to enable participation in high quality arts provision. We provide weekly  creative movement and dance classes throughout the year, quarterly training courses, performances, outreach and education work as well as employment  and volunteering opportunities for disabled and non disabled dancers.

Our artistic approach is to ensure the arts and dance in particular, is inclusive, that children, young people and adults who have physical and/or learning disabilities are fully included in the creative process of making, performing and being an audience for dance.

All our activities are offered to people with and without disabilities. Providing everyone with the opportunity to learn from each other and share a creative experience.

Indepen-dance 4 is a fresh, young inclusive dance quartet creating inspiring and engaging dance. The dancers over the past few years have developed this small tight, inclusive ensemble who have toured Scotland and performed across Europe.

For more information please visit their website.