Anyi Hobson

Founder
SEAM Advisory

Professor Christopher Smith, FSAS, FRHistS, FSA, FRSA, MAE, FRSE

Executive Chair
AHRC + UKRI International  + Creative Industries Sector Champion

Christopher was previously Professor of Ancient History at the University of St Andrews where he was also Dean of Arts (2002 to 2006), Provost of St Leonard’s College and Dean of Graduate Studies (2006 to 2009), and Proctor and Vice-Principal (2007 to 2009), before being seconded as Director of the British School at Rome, the UK’s leading humanities and creative arts research institute overseas, from 2009 to 2017.

From 2017 to 2020 he has held a Leverhulme Trust Major Research Fellowship on ‘The Roman kings: a study in power’ and held visiting positions in Erfurt, Princeton, Otago, Pavia, Milan, Siena, Aarhus and Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Professor Smith’s research explores constitutionalism and state formation, with particular emphasis on the development of Rome as a political and social community and how this was represented in ancient historical writing and subsequent political thought.

He is the author or editor of over 20 books and in 2017 was awarded the prestigious Premio ‘Cultori di Roma’. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries Scotland, the Royal Historical Society, the Society of Antiquaries of London, the Royal Society of Arts and a Member of the Academia Europaea.

Rehana Mughal FRSA

Director of the Global Creative Economy programme
British Council

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 creative sectors in over 30 countries, to develop policies that support creative economies to thrive. 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 and in China where she lead high performing teams to deliver culture and sports projects. Prior to working with the British Council, Rehana worked at Arts Council England, Southbank Centre and Creativity, Culture and Education. With over 27 years experience, of working on arts and cultural projects and a track record as an accomplished innovator, she has led high performance arts and, cultural programmes which drive cultural engagement, build cultural relations and support strategic partnerships. Rehana is passionate about the transformative power of arts and culture and he role it plays in strengthening communities, in her spare time she is a mentor at the Global Women of Colour Network and a keen cyclist.

Mark Davy

Founder
Futurecity

 Mark Davy is the Founder of Futurecity, a multi-disciplinary agency set up in 2007 to promote culture-driven placemaking. He sees culture as the guiding narrative for the regeneration and development of towns, cities and regions. Mark has persuaded the private sector to invest in major art projects including the Crossrail Culture Line, the Illuminated River Project and a cultural strategy for Wembley Park. Mark is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Advisory Panel, a Trustee to Hypha Studios, an Executive Director for the Land Economic Society and a Member of the NLA Expert Panel for Culture and National Trust Regional Advisory Group.

Tamsin Ace

Director
East Bank

Tamsin became the first Director of East Bank in September 2023. East Bank is the UK’s newest cultural and education quarter on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London. East Bank is made up of London College of Fashion; UAL, UCL east, Sadler’s Well’s East, V&A Storehouse and Museum and BBC Music Studios. Tamsin has had a number of leadership roles including Head of Cultural Programming at London College of Fashion in 2021 and previously Director of Creative Programmes and Collections at the newly renovated Museum of the Home, where she introduced a new cultural strategy and creative methodology as part of the organisation’s transformation programme. Prior to this role Tamsin spent 12 years at Southbank Centre, eventually becoming Head of Public Programming. Tamsin's responsibilities included curating an ambitious programme of annual festivals and special projects and led several innovative festivals. In her time at this organisation, her work saw her collaborate with a wide range of partners and collaborators which ranged from hundreds of schools, high-profile artists, and commercial partners.

Mike Tucker

Head of Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation
Coram

Mike is Head of Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation, a national cultural education charity that transforms lives through the unique power of Shakespeare. Since the charity was founded in 2000 by the creator of the BBC’s Shakespeare: The Animated Tales series, Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation has engaged more than 340,000 young people in primary, secondary and SEND schools nationwide. Its work supports young people in building their knowledge, confidence and essential skills. Passionate about giving as many children as possible the opportunity to take part in oracy and performance programmes, Mike has worked at the charity for 10 years, following a variety of roles in the higher education sector. Mike studied Law at King’s College London and LSE, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Kirsten Dunne

Senior Manager, Cultural Infrastructure & Public Realm
Mayor of London

Kirsten leads the Space for Culture Team at the Mayor of London's Office. The team works to ensure that culture, creativity and community are hardwired into the fabric of our city, by protecting, creating, improving and promoting the many types of space that make up London’s rich cultural ecosystem. The team is responsible for the delivery of Creative Enterprise Zones, London Made Me pop up & business development programme, Creative Land Trust, Culture & Community Spaces at Risk, Fourth Plinth and Public Commissions, as well as new cultural infrastructure including East Bank and Fashion Residency at Studio Smithfield and supporting cultural organisations and businesses to find appropriate space – often in partnership with new developments. Kirsten was a founding board member of London's Creative Land Trust and Margate's Creative Land Trust and led the team that placed the first statue of a woman in Parliament square.

Kemi Akinola

Deputy Leader
Wandsworth Council - LB of Culture

Kemi Akinola is Deputy leader of Wandsworth Council, and leading on  London borough of culture 2025.

 She is CEO of the charities Be Enriched and Brixton People's Kitchen. Both charities work to tackle food insecurity, social exclusion and food waste in the Wandsworth and Lambeth areas, through Community Canteens and London's first ever Food Bus, an on-board grocery store and café that brings affordable food to those in need. Kemi seeks to increase access to arts and Culture, high-quality, healthy food and in particular improve young people’s aspirations. Kemi is also a trustee of the Independent Food Aid Network and One Drum foundation.

Shazia Hussain

Chief Executive
LLDC

Shazia has over 20 years of senior strategic and operational delivery experience within Local Government that spans parks and open spaces, place making with economic and social regeneration, corporate policy and strategy, community safety and transformational change. Having started her career within regeneration she is committed to improving the social, economic and cultural condition of communities within east London.

 Shazia was appointed as Chief Executive of LLDC in September 2024. Shazia’s focus is driving the third phase of the legacy, ensuring that growth and development are inclusive, and that investment provides east Londoners with the opportunities they need to succeed. Shazia was previously Deputy Chief Executive at the London Borough of Waltham Forest; before her role at Waltham Forest, she was Assistant Chief Executive at Brent Council and before that, Divisional Director for Tower Hamlets - holding roles with accountability for strategic partnerships, service integration, learning and leisure and customer service. Earlier in her career she was Director of Community Development for Leaside Regeneration, providing another strong connection to the regeneration of east London.

Kianu Glasgow

Vice Chair of the Elevate Board
Elevate

Kianu Glasgow is a vice chair of the Elevate Board and works as a community engagement expert, freelance programme manager, facilitator and event producer. She was educated in Hackney and in 2019 became a young founder and co-founded Dipped In Creative Engagement CIC, focusing on empowering and engaging with underrepresented young people aged 16–30, inspired by her own experiences in the care system, school exclusion, and early career challenges as a young professional.

With 9 years extensive experience managing programmes and projects across the children and young people sector and employment and skills sector, alongside leading her own social enterprise and community initiatives, Kianu brings invaluable knowledge and expertise to organisations and teams.

Gemma Dean

Head of Development
Creative Land Trust

Gemma is Head of Development at Creative Land Trust, a charity founded to tackle the loss of affordable creative workspace in London. Her work focuses on property partnerships and policy development that facilitates growth and recognises the positive contribution of creative production to sustainable places.

Gemma’s previous experience spans the real estate finance industry having worked on European commercial transactions in banking, restructuring and advisory roles at international firms based in London. Throughout her career, she has championed sustainability and wellbeing, as well as providing business and development advice to arts organisations in London. Gemma is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and sits on the Building Development Board at the Albany Theatre in Deptford.