Professor Jane Roscoe is President and Vice-Chancellor, University for the Creative Arts. She holds a Chair in Screen Industries and sits on the Barbican Arts Centre Board and the Advisory Board of Parade Media. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, a member of BAFTA, Royal Television Society, The Academy of Arts and Sciences and World Design Organisation. She brings fresh thinking to established learning and practice environments and actively contributes to the knowledge economy.
Sandeep Virdee OBE is the Artistic Director of Darbar Festival, an annual celebration of Indian classical music. He has a passion for photography and video and has produced 75 TV programmes for Sky Arts. He has also produced international exhibitions on the Sikh dharam at the V&A Museum in London and for the Parliament of World Religions (Melborne). He has carried out sewa to capture the major kar sewas of Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar (1997-1999) and other key Sikh shrines.
Xiaowen Zhu is an author, lecturer and currently the Director of esea contemporary, the UK’s only non-profit art centre specialising in platforming artists and art practices that identify with, and are informed by, East and Southeast Asian cultural backgrounds. With an international career spanning Shanghai, New York, Los Angeles, London and Berlin, Zhu has organised numerous contemporary art exhibitions and has been listed as one of Apollo magazine’s 40 Under 40 Asia Pacific Thinkers.
Yesomi Umolu is an arts leader and cultural strategist recognised for her work at the intersection of art and architecture. Most recently, she was Director of Curatorial Affairs and Public Practice at Serpentine and was the Artistic Director of the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial. She is an advisor to cultural and philanthropic organizations, including the Teiger Foundation, and Vice-Chair of the Horniman Museum and Gardens’ board.
Ben Pettitt-Wade is Artistic Director at Hijinx, in Wales. In his time at Hijinx, he has introduced: the Hijinx Academies (ongoing training for performers with learning disability and/or autism); the Hijinx Unity Festival (an international festival of disability and inclusive arts); and the Hijinx residencies (a series of masterclasses delivered by leading theatre companies in the UK). He has devised and directed numerous productions for the company, including Meet Fred.
David is Director of Aberystwyth Arts Centre for Aberystwyth University. He has worked in the cultural sector since 2002. First he created small startup companies, working in the arts before moving to leading roles, working at a senior level in musical theatre, contemporary dance, theatre venues, an arts centre and co-owns a community-focussed pub complete with its own small-scale theatre. He is a Clore Fellow and also chair of Creu Cymru, the performing arts agency for Wales.
Hywel Davies is Dean of M School (Fashion, Textiles, Jewellery and Materials) at Central Saint Martins. Established as a thought leader in fashion, sustainability and design innovation, Davies' work is deeply rooted in the belief that fashion is not just an industry but a powerful medium for cultural expression, social change and environmental responsibility. Davies has previously worked for London based style magazines and newspapers and authored several books.
Kerry is a British Cypriot. He leads Kyriacos And Company, a production company making TV, Film, and Theatre. He’s chair of MENA Arts UK, which empowers talent connected to the Middle East, North Africa and surrounding area. He was Artistic Director & CEO of Theatre Royal Stratford East for 13 years, forging new work from diverse voices and winning 2 Olivier awards. He was Artistic Director of The Year in 2018, awarded the Freedom of the City of London and made an MBE for services to the Arts.
Ulrich Schrauth is a leading curator and creative director in immersive media, renowned for his innovative approach to art and technology. He is the Artistic Director of the UBS Digital Art Museum in Hamburg and founder of VRHAM! Digital & Immersive Art Biennale. He leads the Immersive Programme at the BFI London Film Festival, is a jury member for awards like the Lumen Prize and Fedora Digital Art Prize and is a sought-after speaker for events including the Venice Biennale, SXSW and Cannes.
Caroline Grewar is Programme Director at V&A Dundee, responsible for the strategic leadership of public programme across exhibitions, learning and education, and partnership with UNESCO (City of Design, Dundee). Having worked in the culture sector for almost twenty years, Caroline began her career at the British Institute of Florence, Italy. She then joined V&A South Kensington, working across capital projects, major exhibition delivery and international touring exhibitions.