Meet the Mentors
VISUAL ARTS, MUSEUMS & HERITAGE
Anna Helwing (she/her)↓
Executive Director, Galerie Haas AG
With more than 20 years of experience at the forefront of the global art market, Anna has a vast international network and an extensive expertise working with collectors, galleries, private dealers, auction houses, art fairs, estate representatives, artists, museums, art historians and critics.
She successfully ran her own enterprise Anna Helwing Gallery in Los Angeles for many years and worked for the notable galleries Hauser & Wirth and Eva Presenhuber, both in Zurich, as well as for Sprüth Magers in Los Angeles. She wrote for newspapers such as Neue Zürcher Zeitung and Handelszeitung and contributed to various exhibition catalogs as well as art magazines. In August 2018, she joined the VIP Relations Team of Art Basel and in 2021 became Executive Director at Galerie Haas AG.
Anna holds an MA in Art History and German Literature and Linguistics from the University of Zurich, with a final thesis on the internationally acclaimed Austrian artist Franz West, and a CAS in Finance, Strategy and Leadership Management from the University in St. Gallen HSG.
For prospective mentees
I’d like to support individuals who want to learn to navigate the contemporary art world, helping them to find out which direction they’d like to take.
Carin Baur (she/her) ↓
Associate Director - Insight and Data Management, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Carin is Associate Director - Insight and Data Management at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. She has held this role since January 2019, building up a team of experts in Insight, Data Management and Data Protection to grow Philanthropic and Membership income.
Carin is an experienced marketing, operational and strategic leader who has improved operations, developed client relationship management, identified growth opportunities and increased revenues for leading cultural and art organisations including the Natural History Museum and Christie’s.
She is a member of the Association of Women In the Arts (AWITA) and is a Board Trustee for the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret in Southwark.
For prospective mentees
I can support those who are considering making the switch between public cultural organisations (e.g. Museums) and corporate sector (e.g. Galleries, Auction Houses etc.) and/or those who want to develop into insight, reporting or operational roles within the cultural sector. I can also support those who want assistance with searching/networking/applying for new roles in the sector.
Carrie Scott (she/her) ↓
Curator, Art Historian, TV Presenter, Art Writer
Carrie Scott is an American/English curator, art historian, TV presenter and art writer living in London. Over the past 16 years she has worked with numerous galleries, businesses, collectors and artists worldwide. While at the University of Washington, Seattle doing a Master’s in Art History, Scott worked with James Harris where she curated the first solo show of Rashid Johnson’s work outside of Chicago. From there she went on to be Director of Nicole Klagsbrun gallery in New York. In 2009, when the financial world was in total chaos, Scott launched her own business, at once an art consultancy, gallery and curatorial endeavour that exists beyond the walls of the traditional gallery.
Over the past 11 years, she has had the privilege of working closely with numerous artists, including Nick Knight, Marina Shacola, The Harold Feinstein Estate, and Federico Pestilli, helping them establish strong and sustained markets. In 2018, Scott curated the largest independent photography show ever for the Store x, 180 Strand, A Shade of Pale, exhibiting 470 photographs and most remarkably featuring 320 images from John Pawson’s series Spectrum suspended in space. Scott has published numerous articles and essays on artists, and appeared as a presenter on The Art Show, where she interviewed artists in their studios. In 2020, Scott teamed up with David Hill a curator and gallerist in London to present Harold Feinstein’s work, as well as a groundbreaking exhibition on West African Portraiture. For 2021, they will debut new work by Ben Hassett and Rachidi Bissiriou with two solo shows.
For prospective mentees
I’d like to support any budding curators, gallery directors, or even artists.
Cecily Bates (she/her) ↓
Associate Director, Events, White Cube
Cecily Bates is Associate Director and Head of Events at White Cube. She oversees all White Cube’s physical and virtual events working with Communications, Sales and Curatorial teams to develop new strands of programming to reach varied audiences. Having started as Front of House at the gallery 10 years ago she has experience developing within an organisation.
Mollie E Barnes (she/her) ↓
Curator
Mollie E Barnes is an Independent Curator based in the UK.
Mollie has worked in the Art World since she was 15, balancing different positions including as an Art Teacher, a professional Framer, a Gallery and Artist Liaison, digital marketing strategist, Partnership Manager, an Events Planner, in Special Projects, running and Art Shop and more.
Mollie specializes in exhibitions, commissions, and events to support living artists in their practice. With a focus on, and passion for, championing women artists, Mollie founded She Curates (@she_curates_), a platform that celebrates and showcases female creatives and professionals.
For prospective mentees
I hope to work with and support an emerging or early career Curator or artist (any age) who want to grow their careers. Especially those who want to work to de-centralise the art world and work with or alongside living artists.
Salma Tuqan (she/her) ↓
Curator and Cultural Strategist. Deputy Director, Delfina Foundation
Salma Tuqan is a Contemporary art and design curator and Cultural Strategist. She is currently Deputy Director of Delfina Foundation (London), an inter-disciplinary non profit dedicated to artistic exchange through residencies, exhibitions and public programming. Prior to Delfina Foundation, she was the Contemporary Middle East Curator at the V&A for eight years, where she was responsible for Middle Eastern art and design programming at the museum, curator of the biennial Jameel Prize and co-founder of the 'Culture in Crisis' series.
She has contributed to other projects as an independent curator and facilitator, including Palestine c/o Venice at the 53rd Venice Biennale (2009) and the Wind Tunnel Project in Farnborough (2014). She works closely with cultural organisations on strategy and is a committee member of the Arab Image Foundation (Beirut), The Palestinian Museum (Birzeit), The Khatt Foundation (Amsterdam), and Strategic Advisor to NuMu (Guatemala City).
Toni Sloane Lawrence (she/her) ↓
Management Consultant
Toni does Business Development at Lobus, a start-up company at the intersection of art and technology.
Prior to that, she was a Sales Assistant for an art dealer and worked in Client Strategy at the Post-war and Contemporary Department at Christie’s London. Toni has a BA (Hons) with a Specialty in Art History from the University of Toronto and Master’s in Modern and Contemporary Art through Christie’s Education London.
Vivi Kallinikou (she/her) ↓
Director of Content at Art Rabbit
Vivi Kallinikou is a digital strategist and cultural professional with extensive experience in creating and delivering projects and digital products for the arts and cultural sector.
Vivi is currently the Director of Content at ArtRabbit, a digital arts platform for promoting, discovering and appreciating contemporary art and visual culture. Its mission is to make art as accessible as possible.
In her role at ArtRabbit, Vivi focusses on building relationships with commercial and cultural organisations, growing and nurturing ArtRabbit’s user community, and creating and refining digital products.
Vivi started her career in the arts as an intern at blue-chip gallery Blain|Southern and has since worked in various roles within the sector - from art market research and production to publishing. She holds an MA in Global Arts/Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths, University of London and a BA in Art History, Philosophy and Politics from Freie Universität Berlin.
For prospective mentees
I want to support mentees who want to learn to navigate the arts and culture sector and who are interested in making arts and culture accessible to all parts of society.
Valeria Facchin (she/her) ↓
Project Manager & Assistant Curator, Fiorucci Art Trust
Valeria Facchin is a curator and researcher specialised in digital art and XR. With a focus on visual studies, her work explores the relationship between bodies, technologies and future ecosystems. She holds an MA in History of Art from Ca' Foscari University, and an MA in Curatorial Museum studies from The Courtauld Institute of Art. She is currently pursuing a specialization in Virtual Reality, Goldsmith University.
She is currently working as Assistant Curator to Milovan Farronato at Fiorucci Art Trust, London. As part of the Fiorucci Art Trust team, she is collaborating with institutions such as Serpentine Galleries. Before joining the Fiorucci Art Trust she held curatorial positions, among the others, at the Science Museum and Somerset House, London, and 58. Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte La Biennale di Venezia.
Valeria is part of NECS, European Network for Cinema and Media Studies and CAS, Computer Arts Society, and she served as a young trustee of Science Gallery Venice since its inception. She usually speaks in panels and conferences about the use and impact of digital art in contemporary art practice. She is currently developing, as part of Anthropocene Campus – an initiative by HKW and Max Planck Institute in partnership with Ca’ Foscari University – a VR art installation, which will take place during the 17th Esposizione Internazionale d’Architettura La Biennale di Venezia.
Together with Delanie Linden and Indrani Saha, PhD students from MIT, she founded W21, an on-going participatory art project focusing on post-feminism and intersectional practice in art, science, culture, and technology. In 2021, W21 was selected by the European Commission for innovation in the arts & tech.
Valeria has independently curated an array of exhibitions and collaborated, amongst others, with artists including Helen Cammock, Joana Escoval, Mona Hatoum, Susan Hiller, Lubaina Himid, Marysia Lewandowska, Kathy Prendergast, and Lucy Skaer.
For prospective mentees
I can support mentees who want to work as curators and have interest in interdisciplinary practice such as Art, Science and Technology.
Cassi Young (she/her) ↓
Senior Specialist, Head of Sales, Bonhams
Cassi Young is Senior Specialist, Head of Sales in the Post-War & Contemporary Art department. Cassi joined Bonhams in 2019 to launch the Modern & Contemporary Art sales in London and was also the Head of Sale for the inaugural Pop x Culture auction in 2020 which broke a number of world auction records. Before joining Bonhams, Cassi worked in the Post-War & Contemporary Art department at Christie's, London and also gained experience at Deutscher and Hackett, Sydney.
Cassi holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours, as well as a Double Masters in Art History and Curatorial Museum Studies from the University of Adelaide, South Australia.
For prospective mentees
I am happy to work with anyone who is interested in the visual arts commercial or curatorial side.
Dr. Cliff Lauson (he/him) ↓
Senior Curator, Hayward Gallery
Dr Cliff Lauson is Senior Curator at the Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, London. Since arriving as Curator at the Hayward in 2009, he has organised major exhibitions of work by Bridget Riley, Martin Creed, Ernesto Neto, Tracey Emin, and David Shrigley and the critically-acclaimed group exhibitions Light Show and Space Shifters. In addition, he has curated numerous exhibitions of artists in the HENI Project Space, including Dineo Seshee Bopape, Emmanuelle Lainé, Kate Cooper, and Adapt to Survive: Notes from the Future.
Cliff was a 2015-6 Fellow of the Clore Leadership Programme, and undertook the secondment component of his fellowship at Industrial Light & Magic, London. He was previously Assistant Curator at Tate Modern, working on exhibitions such as Frida Kahlo, Mark Rothko, Per Kirkeby, and World as a Stage. Prior to moving to London in 2004, Cliff was Education and Public Programmes Coordinator at the UBC Museum of Anthropology. Cliff currently serves on the British Council Collection Acquisitions Advisory Committee, is a trustee of Film and Video Umbrella, and a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. He also co-host of the Between Two Curators podcast, and is a trained life and executive coach.
For prospective mentees
I can support mentees who are interested in curatorial work in the public arts sector.
Fernanda Moraes (she/her) ↓
Art Advisor and founder of + FV Arte Bureau
Currently based in São Paulo, Fernanda has more than seven years of experience as an Art Advisor in the world art market with a focus on visual, modern and contemporary arts, and a specialization in Latin American art.During the last few years she co-founded the consultancy, events and travel company GO ART and today she is the founder of + FV Arte Bureau, an office that covers Art Advising, Consulting for private collections and exhibitions and production of cultural content.
As part of her daily work, she runs through different aspects of the art universe and understands the need for a more unified market with greater openness and the possibility of communication between different players: artists, gallery owners, institutions, auction houses , collectors and enthusiasts. Having worked at the front of her companies since the beginning, Fernanda understands the challenges of the visual arts market, knows the different entry and access doors, as well as the necessary qualifications for those who aim to enter this universe.
Isabella Coraça (she/her) ↓
Dress historian, lecturer and curator
Isabella Coraça is an independent dress historian, lecturer and curator based in London. She started as a fashion designer in Brazil, but her interest in dress history has brought her to the UK to pursue a career in the museum sector. She studied Fashion History & Theory at Central Saint Martins followed by a Masters degree in Museum Studies at University College London.
Isabella is absolutely passionate about collections and nothing makes her happier than spending a day with objects. She has vast experience in collections management and care, having worked at the British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Historic Royal Palaces and Museum of London. She is also an avid researcher, particularly interested in the relationship between dress, culture and identity. She approaches dress through multi-disciplinarian perspectives, combining concepts and theories from anthropology, sociology, ethnography and material culture studies.
Isabella enjoys sharing her expertise and enthusiasm through talks, seminars and museum/archive visits. She lectures at Central Saint Martins, University of Westminster and DeTao Studio Gottelier (Shanghai, China).
For prospective mentees
I support mentees who want to start a career in museum curatorship and collections management, who are interested in fashion history and theory or who want to diversify and de-centralise Fashion.
Petra van den Houten (she/her) ↓
Head of Major Gifts at Royal Northern College of Music
Petra van den Houten, Head of Major Gifts at the Royal Northern College of Music and founder of The Art PA, has over 25 years of experience in the art world. A Trustee of the Manchester Art Gallery, former Associate Director of Christie’s Impressionist and 19th Century Department and Deputy Director of Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern Art Department, Petra has worked extensively with Nineteenth and Twentieth Century art collectors and philanthropists in Europe, USA and Middle East. She has also worked with many photographers and emerging artists to develop their business practice.
For prospective mentees
Petra would be delighted to support anyone needing to develop connections and key skills such as relationship building, art management, arts development / fundraising (major gifts, capital, annual appeal), budget and project management, sales, marketing, mentoring and event management.
Philippine Vernes (she/her)↓
Philanthropy Advisor, Charities Aid Foundation
Philippine is an expert in developing and leading giving programmes for the cultural sector, with a wealth of expertise from across the arts and heritage industry and experience in supporting and guiding major donors.
Philippine is a trusted philanthropy advisor to (U)HNW donors and their other independent professional advisors. She works with donors and their families to develop their philanthropic strategy and transform their giving to have more impact and reach.
Prior to joining CAF, Philippine worked as a fundraiser for some of London’s leading cultural and art institutions, including the Natural History Museum and the British Museum. Her innovative and ambitious strategies focused on donor relationship management, high-quality stewardship and targeted business development to increase donor engagement and revenue.
Philippine started her career in the commercial art world, working for an art dealer in Paris and blue-chip galleries in London, before entering the heritage sector. Her Museum career began at the V&A working with the former Director Martin Roth and within the Corporate Partnerships team. Philippine holds an MA in History of Art and Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh and an MA in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art.
For prospective mentees
I can best support mentees who want to develop as a fundraiser within the cultural sector, or anyone who needs support developing key skills such as events management, relationship building and business development. I am also happy to support those who would like assistance in identifying transferable skills and finding a new role in the sector.
Sophie Busby (she/her) ↓
Corporate Partnerships Account Manager, Tate
Sophie Busby works in the Corporate Partnership team at Tate, managing a portfolio of high profile corporate sponsors. With nearly ten years experience, she has worked at commercial and public galleries as well as at auction house Philips, working with a wide variety of stakeholders including artists, educators, high profile collectors and senior stakeholders in business and galleries. Sophie is passionate about art not only for its aesthetic value but because it builds communities and improves quality of life.
For prospective mentees
I’m looking to support people working in the visual arts who are hoping to change direction/roles.
Wells Fray-Smith (she/her) ↓
Assistant Curator: Special Projects at the Whitechapel Gallery
Wells Fray-Smith is Assistant Curator: Special Projects at the Whitechapel Gallery, London. Before that, she held similar positions Pace Gallery and the Barbican Art Gallery, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is responsible for the Max Mara Art Prize for Women at Whitechapel Gallery, where her projects include Helen Cammock: Che si puó fare, Sense Sound Sound Sense (2019) and The London Open 2021. She was research assistant for Basquiat: Boom For Real at the Barbican Art Gallery (2017) and has contributed catalogue essays on artists Fabienne Verdier (2020) and Prabhavathi Meppayil (2020).
For prospective mentees
I can best support people who want to work as curators or work directly with living artists but outside a traditional exhibition format, so commissions, festivals, live programming. I'd also be able to help those wanting to work in the commercial gallery world.
Wilhemina Madeley (she/her) ↓
Head of exhibitions at Acute Art
Wilhemina has worked in the visual arts for over a decade, with some of the industry's most notable names including Damien Hirst, Frieze and Michael Werner Gallery. She is now Head of exhibitions at Acute Art, an art and technology company specialising in VR and AR and a guest lecturer at The Royal College of Art.
Wilhemina has been a moderator and speaker at events including the New Art World conference 2020 and Aesthetica Art Prize 2020. She has contributed to various publications including The i newspaper, Wallpaper* and This is Tomorrow.
She holds a BSc in Anthropology from UCL and an MA in Contemporary Chinese Art from The Courtauld.
For prospective mentees
I can best support mentees who have reached a moment of crisis such as redundancy as well those who want to pursue a career in marketing, communications, exhibition/collection management in the visual arts. I can also support mentees wanting to work within the intersection between art and technology.
LIVE ARTS & CROSS ARTS
Ben Cooper-Melchiors (he/him) ↓
Executive Director, East London Dance
Ben is an arts leader and producer. As East London Dance’s Executive Director, he has overseen the financial direction and delivery of a £4m historic warehouse refit and capital move, the Ambition for Excellence project East Wall in the Tower of London Moat which was named in the Guardian’s top ten performances of the 21st Century and many participation, performance and artist incubation projects. Previously he was a Producer for the Young Vic utilising cutting edge network technology and Assistant to the Artistic Director, David Lan. Other roles were based with IdeasTap, the National Youth Theatre, Franko B and Battersea Arts Centre. He holds an MA in Performance Practices and Research from Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. Ben is currently a Non-Executive Director to social enterprise Gaydio.
For prospective mentees
I can support mentees interested in arts management, organisational resilience, finance direction, producing within unique or untested models and technology in the cultural sector.
Eva Martinez (she/her) ↓
Dance curator, producer, dramaturge, consultant and certified Relational Dynamics coach.
Eva Martinez was most recently Artistic Programmer at Sadler’s Wells in London (2013-2020) where she curated a programme showcasing distinctive British based artists alongside the best of international work for the Lilian Baylis Studio, as well as introducing new names to the mainstage. She led on artist development and research for this most prestigious dance house, supporting a new generation of makers to consolidate their artistic voices, bringing new perspectives on dance to a large audience, live and on-line.
Prior to this role, she was Dance and Performance programmer at Southbank Centre, London (2009-2011), Europe’s largest arts centre, working across the theatre and the growing gallery performance programme.
Born and educated in France with a Spanish heritage, she moved to the UK in 2000 and is currently based in London, where she lives with her husband, the visual artist Hetain Patel and their cat. After literature studies and a Masters in Arts Management, she joined Trinity Laban (2002-2006), then joined national dance agency Dance4 (Nottingham, 2006-2009) where she managed the delivery of nottdance, a distinctive international festival of new movements in dance, taking her first steps as assistant curator.
Now freelance with 20 years’ experience, Eva is focusing on working as a coach, mentor and dramaturge with dance artists across a wide spectrum of practices. Alongside her contribution to Sadler’s Wells artistic growth, notable independent collaborations include dramaturgy for the acclaimed British choreographer Siobhan Davies (Table of Contents, 2016), for Candoco Dance Company/Hetain Patel (Let’s Talk about Dis, 2014).
She is a Clore Leadership Fellow (2011/12), a member of the Royal Society of Arts, a board member for National Dance Agency South East Dance (Brighton) and for Independent Dance (London)
For prospective mentees
I can support anyone interested in change making, creating frames as curators, specifically BIPOC, women identifying and people from a less privileged socio-economic background. I am open to mentoring people outside of dance/performing arts depending on what they are looking for. I can mentor in French and Spanish as well as English.
Georgia Attlesey (she/her) ↓
Creative Producer
Georgia Attlesey is a creative producer making big ideas more accessible through culture and the founder of Pudding. She has programmed and delivered large scale events from prize ceremonies to festivals, gigs and performances. In the last eight years she has demystified philosophy for the HowTheLightGetsIn festival, popularised poetry at Poet in the City and the Forward Prizes and made climate change compelling to the creative community for Julie’s Bicycle. Now freelance, she runs the Achates Philanthropy Prize and oversees public programming for London Film School. A Roundhouse Creative Entrepreneur alumni and fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, Georgia has spoken on art and change at the Barbican, Southbank Centre and Wellcome Collection and regularly chairs events. She mentors for the Roundhouse and Arts Emergency.
For prospective mentees
I can support mentees who want to transition to a freelance career, those developing careers in events curation, and those interested in entrepreneurialism
Malakaï Sargeant (they/them) ↓
Artist & Cultural Producer
Malakaï is an artist and cultural producer from pre-gentrified Hackney. They like to create work that disrupts the performer/spectator relationship, dissecting subjects like queer intimacy, generational trauma, gentrification, environmental racism and Black Britishness.
Both as an artist and cultural producer, Malakaï has created/presented work with the likes of Soho Theatre, SOAS, Serpentine Galleries, the Royal Exchange and the Royal Court. malakaï is an alumnus of the Barbican Young Poets, and has since independently produced and directed work by other Black writers, pushing the boundaries of form and storytelling in live performance. malakaï also delivers anti-oppression consultancy independently as well as with organisations including Fearless Futures and Sour Lemons with clients across the cultural, charity, tech and financial services sectors.
In 2014, Malakaï co-founded producing theatre company The S+K Project, where they were Artistic Director until 2019. malakaï is currently Associate Director at Theatre Peckham and is Co-director of Afro-diasporic literary movement BORN::FREE. malakaï serves as a Trustee for Hackney Showroom and London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT), and is Chair of LIFT's Tottenham Board.
For prospective mentees
I'd be keen on supporting emerging Black artists / makers of live performance, producers, programmers/curators and workshop facilitators.
Nadia Strøm Vistisen (she/her) ↓
Events & Partnerships Manager
Nadia is a freelance special events producer & partnerships manager with ten years of experience delivering portfolios of events to complement artistic programmes.
With a focus on large-scale site-specific projects, festivals and performing arts programmes, she works with a two-fold focus; building relationships with key stakeholders, funders and local authorities, whilst producing events to support creative projects. Passionate about outdoor events, she’s a firm believer that there’s no such thing as bad weather as long as you have enough ponchos.
Nadia has worked with Brent 2020: The London Borough of Culture, Science Museum Group, National Theatre (River Stage Festival), Royal Court, 14-18 NOW, LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre) and Wildworks.
She holds an MA in Creative & Cultural Entrepreneurship in Theatre & Performing Arts from Goldsmiths University in London.
For prospective mentees
I’m open to supporting mentees at the start of their careers in the performing arts and events industry whether it’s in theatre, venues, cultural programmes or arts festivals.
I can help develop skills and connections in:
- Cross-arts & large-scale programme delivery
- Events management
- Building & maintaining partnerships
- Development (corporate sponsors, trusts & individuals)
Ruby Baker (she/her) ↓
Creative Producer
Ruby works across art forms and disciplines to reimagine spaces and challenge traditional presentation methods. Her background in outdoor arts means Ruby creates performance in unconventional environments. This practice is combined with a commitment to nurturing and supporting independent creatives to achieve long-term career sustainability. Ruby divides her time as a freelancer and as Senior Creative Producer at Poet in the City leading on Collections in Verse, a national partnership project with British Library and library services across the UK which sees community co-creation, brand new poetry commissions and ambitious library takeovers take place across five cities in two years.
Prior to this, Ruby worked for East London Dance, leading on their artist development and professional performance programmes. Ruby has also worked with Remarkable Productions, London College of Fashion, Emergency Exit Arts, Feminist Review, London Mela, Latitude Festival, Mahogany Carnival Design, London Legacy Development Corporation, National Theatre, Latitude Festival and London Boroughs of Southwark, Barking & Dagenham and Brent.
Ellie Liddell-Crewe (she/her) ↓
Unlimited Project Manager, Artsadmin
I am a northern soul with my feet now firmly rooted in the South, currently the Project Manager for Unlimited based at Artsadmin. A core responsibility of the role is to manage the largest commissioning programme in support of disabled artists worldwide (co-delivered by Artsadmin and Shape Arts), covering everything from partnerships right from the application process and portal, to budgets and contracts, holding overall responsibility for artist support and showcasing. Managing the Artsadmin side of Unlimited’s international work and delivering cross sector events across the UK is also part of the role. Artist support and engagement is rooted throughout the role, working with disabled artists, audiences, theatre makers, funders and producers; as well as venues, festivals and organisations.
Having worked previously as a Venue Manager and Inclusive Artist with the wonderful O N C A (a Brighton based arts organisation that bridge social and environmental justice issues). I was able to work with a wide variety of humans including artists, performers and those in academia. I facilitated workshops with a range of people such as: adults with cancer with Macmillan, young people with SEN, homeless teenagers with the YMCA and those with hidden illnesses, to name just a few.
For prospective mentees
I am happy to support anyone who feels I may be of use, I can support mentees who are interested in starting their journey within the cultural sector, my experience lies in:
-Project and venue management
-Engagement and delivery
-Inclusive Arts practice (across performance and visual arts)
Jade Coles (she/her)↓
Events Curator
Jade Coles is a creative strategist and culture legacy designer whose niche is curating cultural event programmes that resonate with London's creative, forward-thinking audiences. Jade has over ten years experience in cultural production and event programming and creative collaborations having worked with industry leaders in the hospitality space such as Soho House, The Collective and The Wing, Festivals like Lost Village and a host of startups in the Creative Industries space including Creative Entrepreneurs.co.
For prospective mentees
I can help people
- wanting to learn more about digital events
- improve their experience in the events industry within the lifestyle sector
- who want to gain insights in cultural partnerships
- networking, relationship building and pitching
Jonathan May(he/him)↓
Arts Programmer & Creative Producer
Jonathan is an arts programmer and creative producer. Most recently he was Director for Abandon Normal Devices after completing his Clore Fellowship. Jonathan has been an arts programmer at British Council since 2015 mainly working in the Americas and South Asia. Prior to that, he was Digital Producer at the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT). He is a trustee of Arts Council England NPOs Live Art Development Agency and Strike a Light.
As an arts producer and programmer he's often found co-creating and leading cross-disciplinary teams to realise ambitious arts events, from building-wide festivals in Bogota; installations in Mexico nightclubs; to public artworks at Tate’s Turbine Hall. Jonathan has programmed and produced live, immersive work and professional development events in venues and public spaces across the UK and internationally. Through this work he has forged a global network of radical producers, makers and doers in the cultural sector exploring new forms of creative practice, and most importantly are really nice people. Jonathan’s also become a dad recently, which is fun.
Mariam Sharp (she/her) ↓
Director at CulturalSIX
For over 20 years Mariam has delivered ambitious arts projects, conferences, exhibitions, and festivals. Mariam formed CulturalSIX in 2010 to generate opportunities for cultural exchange, as she believes in the vital role that culture plays in creating positive transformations in both people and places. Attracting clients from both the private and public sector within the UK and beyond. Previously a senior manager for the Arts Council England (ACE) for 14 years, which is the UK’s main funder of cultural activity with budgets of approximately £500M per year. This gives her a wide network of cultural practitioners to support mentees
For prospective mentees
I am happy to support mentees that show commitment and determination to develop their careers and can show examples of how they have done this. Especially mentees that can show how they support and facilitate others ambitions too. I would also suggest mentees view my website to find mutually compatible interests.
Naomi Alexander (she/her) ↓
Founder and Artistic Director, Brighton People's Theatre
Naomi Alexander is Founder and Artistic Director of Brighton People's Theatre (BPT), a start up changing the way theatre is made. Through multiple workshops running every week in neighbourhoods in the city, BPT is building community and ideas for new shows. BPT's first show, Tighten Our Belts explored the cost of austerity to people in the city. The company is currently developing ideas for a new show for 2022.
Naomi has a background in community development and has worked in the community sector for most of her career. She has also worked for Battersea Arts Centre and Old Vic New Voices on their community engagement work.
In 2019/20 she was a Clore Fellow for Theatre
For prospective mentees
I can support mentees who are interested in engaging with their community or making co-created work. As Founder of a social enterprise I can also work with mentees around start up issues, organisational culture and getting clear on their motivations and aspirations.
Tobi Kyeremateng FRSA (she/her) ↓
Producer
Tobi Kyeremateng FRSA is a multi-award-winning multidisciplinary producer from South London.
Working across film, live public events, and programmes, Tobi has worked with organisations such as AFROPUNK, BBC, Institute of Contemporary Art, National Theatre, No Signal, Roundhouse, Royal Court Theatre, Samsung, Tate Modern, Young Vic and more, and has had her work featured on platforms such as NOWNESS, FACT Magazine, Complex, The Vinyl Factory and 180 The Strand.
Recent credits include: My White Best Friend (and Other Letters Left Unsaid) by Rachel De-Lahay and Milli Bhatia (2020, Royal Court Theatre), The Future Is Near (2019, Tate Modern), Skin Deep's Sonic Transmissions Series: Cassie Kinoshi and House of Absolute (2019, Roundhouse & The Institute of Contemporary Art), J'Ouvert by Yasmin Joseph (2019, Theatre503), International Women's Weekender (2019, gal-dem), BABYLON Festival (Bush Theatre), AFRO-CITY Festival (2019, Roundhouse), Pagans (2017, Old Vic Theatre).
Film credits include: Blue Corridor 15 (2021, BBC Films/New Creatives, dir. by Dubheasa Lanipekun), RISE UP: The Lawyer (2021, Reboot The Future, dir. by Sophie Austin), RISE UP: The Chef (2021, Reboot The Future, dir by Sophie Austin), In Praise of Still Boys (2020, FACT Magazine, The Vinyl Factory, 180 The Strand) Roots For A Crown (2019, NOWNESS, 180 The Strand: Prada Mode, dir. by Julianknxx), Secret Life of Gs (2019, dir. by Caleb Femi), Wishbone (2018, NOWNESS, 2020 International Shorts at Screen Dance International Festival, dir. by Caleb Femi).
Tobi is a Board Trustee for Peckham Platform, Diversity School Initiative and National Youth Theatre and is the founder of award-winning initiative, Black Ticket Project.
For prospective mentees
I can support mentees who are looking to/are currently building portfolio careers and are interested in working across disciplines
MUSIC
Cleo Thompson (she/her)↓
Music Brand Partnerships, UTA
Cleo Thompson is the Director of the Music Brand Partnerships division at leading global talent and entertainment company, UTA. Based in London, she works closely with various UTA music clients which include Arlo Parks, AJ Tracey, Jacob Collier, Katherine Jenkins and Burna Boy, among others.
Thompson partnered AJ Tracey with Versace and orchestrated his live-streamed performance from the brand’s campaign set in Milan during Fashion Week, and recently secured Arlo Parks as one of the faces of “GucciFest,” Gucci’s digital film festival fashion campaign directed by Gus Van Sant. She also partnered Katherine Jenkins with Vodafone for a feel-good performance into care homes across the UK during lockdown. Additionally, she has executed campaigns for clients with brands including Mulberry, FIFAe, Lenovo, MLB, Johnnie Walker, Size? and more.
Prior to joining UTA, Cleo led the music partnerships team at Burberry, where she worked with artists such as James Bay, Elton John, Paloma Faith, George Ezra and M.I.A across global campaigns, events and original content series. She began her career in the entertainment industry as an A&R Scout at Warner Bros. Records in London.
Gilbert Johnson (he/him)↓
Artist Manager and Co-Founder, Hear This Records; Marketing Specialist, Final Draft
Gilbert is an artist manager with a roster of clients across a wide range of musical tastes and genres. His particular expertise is in helping to build artists and producers from the ground up, developing their musical sound and providing the tools at the start of their careers to create a world around them and solidify their brand. He and his partner founded an independent record label, Hear This Records, to nurture the careers of new artists. From London R&B singer-songwriter Olivia Nelson, to Dutch soulful electronic producer Jarreau Vandal, as well as singles and EP releases from other exciting up-and-coming talent.
Gilbert started his career in music at Virgin EMI Records where he worked his way up to Product Manager and led marketing campaigns for SG Lewis, Naughty Boy, Benjamin Clementine, Desiigner, Logic, Amber Mark and more. He left Virgin in 2017 to join the UK marketing team at Google, working with cultural tastemakers on activations for Google's hardware products. After a stint there he moved internally across to YouTube marketing where he led UK Brand and Distribution Partnerships for YouTube Music and Premium.
Gilbert left Google in August 2020 to realise a lifelong dream, by becoming self-employed and setting up his own company. Final Draft is a music company consisting of a marketing consultancy, where he acts as a Marketing specialist for independent artists and major labels in the UK and US, and a producer management arm. Recent signing RELYT, whose record 'Rover'- which he produced for S1mba- just reached #3 in the UK singles chart.
Marcela Moreira(she/her)↓
Director, Global Marketing (LATAM), Warner Music Group
Marcela is an experienced Marketer with 10+ years of experience in the Music Industry. Passionate about innovation and an expert in digital strategy, she is focused on helping build artists on a global level.
Currently part of the Global Marketing team at Warner Music, Marcela helps Warner’s teams in Latin-Iberia to develop global star artists such as Dua Lipa and Anitta. Before this, Marcela spent nine years at Sony Music. She started in their Brazilian office as an Intern and quickly rose to Head of Digital Marketing, before moving to London to join the Sony Music International division. Throughout her career, Marcela has worked with a diverse number of artists including Kygo, Martin Garrix, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira, Roberto Carlos, and more.
As a Brazilian living in London since 2016, Marcela has a solid international background and a strong experience working with cross-functional teams at LatAm, EMEA, and Global levels across the Entertainment and Travel industries.
For prospective mentees
I am happy to support mentees interested in the music industry (especially major labels where I have plenty of experience). I can also support people interested in making an international career move within the industry.
Paula Abreu (she/her)↓
Associate Director of Programming, SummerStage
SummerStage’s Associate Director of Programming Paula Abreu has spent much of the last decade programming shows and festivals, diversifying bills with a wide range of forward-thinking, international acts. Before SummerStage, Paula worked at the Red Hot Organization and Lincoln Center, and was inspired to pursue a career in the arts after working on a business project for six months in Angola. She holds a Master’s in Performing Arts Administration from NYU. From Rio de Janeiro, Abreu has been calling NYC home since 2010.
For prospective mentees
I can support mentees who want to pivot from a different career to arts or people who want to work as curators.
Geraldine Zanaska (she/her)↓
Founder & Director of Compass Music
Involved in the European music industry for the past 10 years, Géraldine Zanaska is the Founder & Director of Compass Music, an international music consultancy she started in 2019 which focuses on helping clients navigate the global music industry and develop internationally. Based in and focusing on France and the UK, the company works with festivals, conferences, record labels, publishers and cultural institutions, offering services ranging from one-off strategic consulting to long-term project or campaign management, business development, events, communication. Geraldine also regularly guest lectures for music business courses at schools and universities, and speaks at conferences on music export and artist development.
Geraldine is the manager of Belgian visionary alternative folk and electronica song-writer, producer, and creative force Penelope Antena. Beforehand, Géraldine worked in the UK for a record label, a music venue, live music promoters, a cultural center and a music export office, gaining experience in project and event management, programming, partnerships and PR. She moved from her hometown Paris to London in 2009, and holds a Master’s degree in Music Business Management from London’s University of Westminster.
Geraldine's Instagram
Geraldine's LinkedIn
Compass Music Website
Jess Kangalee (she/her)↓
Founder, Good Energy PR
Jess Kangalee has over a decade of experience working in broadcast media promotions for artists, festivals and events. She currently runs her own company Good Energy PR and has worked across a diverse roster including Angel Olsen, Azekel, badbadnotgood, Battles, Boards of Canada, Bombay Bicycle Club, Bon Iver, Caribou, Daniel Avery, Dinosaur Jr, Gaika, Grizzly Bear, LUMP, M83, Metronomy, Moses Sumney, Phoebe Bridgers, Run The Jewels, serpentwithfeet, Sleater Kinney, Shame, Sharon Van Etten, Sinkane, Tame Impala, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, The War On Drugs to name a few, plus Citadel, Green Man, Field Day, Lovebox and Wilderness festivals.
For prospective mentees
I can support mentees interested in the music industry.
Ryo Murad (he/him) ↓
Global Agency & Brand Partnerships at Spotify
Ryo is the Agency Development and Brand Partnerships Lead at Spotify. His focus is on developing innovative strategic partnerships with Advertising Agencies and Brands (Adidas, Google, Chanel to name a few) to maximise the impact of their marketing campaigns on Spotify.
Prior to that, Ryo spent 10+ years in advertising, helping brands navigate the ever-changing digital landscape and developing award-winning creative work. One of his career highlights involves creating the most retweeted brand tweet ever for Nokia’s guerrilla campaign around the Apple iPhone 5C launch, receiving 40,467 retweets and over 64 million impressions, twice as much as Oreo’s famous Super Bowl tweet.
Ryo's career has taken an interesting route to Spotify, starting from a marketing role within a major Australian publisher, followed by a 3 year stint in Investment Banking prior to kicking off his advertising career in Sydney. He is an avid snowboarder and has an undying passion for finding that perfect run.
For prospective mentees
Ryo can help support those who are looking to break into advertising, tech or music. Or who simply wants advice on a career change.
Vick Bain (she/her)↓
Vick has worked in music for twenty-five years. For six years she was CEO of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers & Authors and is now a music industry consultant and campaigner for diversity & inclusion in the music industry. She is currently the interim Director of Strategy at Attitude is Everything, a charity focused on disabled accessibility in music.
Vick is the author of Counting the Music Industry, founder of The F-List directory of female musicians and a PhD researcher at Queen Mary University looking at women’s careers in the music industry.
Vick was enrolled into the Music Week Women in Music Awards Roll Of Honour 2017 and the BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour Music Industry Powerlist 2018. Vick is also a director of the board of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, a music tech start-up called Delic and is a trustee of Parents & Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA).
For prospective mentees
I would like to mentor someone interested in the music industry. I'd be particularly interested in supporting a single mother as that was my situation for many years, but really I'd be happy with anyone!
COMMS, MARKETING & PR
Bonita Darkoh (she/her)↓
Content Strategist at KPMG / Arts and culture editor at large, GUAPMAG
Bonita Darkoh is a multi-disciplined award-winning digital advertising professional. Specialising in campaign strategy, optimisation, planning, and content development. Achieving a Bachelor’s and Masters in Business Management, Bonita uses her strong business acumen to create impact within her community through journalism and strategy. In addition to working in the corporate world, Bonita has founded a creative platform and Black women’s empowerment platform to showcase and celebrate marginalised groups (FYVS and WalkingBrandUK)
Appointed as the first-ever President for Expedia’s Black Employee Relations Group, London, Bonita has dedicated a portion of her career to D&I since 2017. As a Diversity and Inclusion Educator and Writer, Bonita has also written for HuffPost, Blavity, featured in ForbesWomen, and collaborated with TPG.
For prospective mentees
I can support mentees who are looking to gain access to the creative industry, or who want to pivot from their current industry into marketing, digital advertising or journalism.
Nina Giglio (she/her)↓
Brand & Content Marketing Manager. WGSN
Nina is the Brand & Content Manager at global trend forecasters WGSN, driving the vision and strategy for the brand's positioning, storytelling and community development. With nearly eight years experience in the creative industry, she has worked across agencies, publishing houses and design studios, crafting compelling stories through visuals and copy with a keen eye for consumers' needs.
A natural communicator who balances creative thinking and business strategy, Nina is fascinated by people — what makes them tick, how they feel and behave — and the creative possibilities brought by them. She's a firm believer that everyone should have an opportunity to pursue their passion, having mentored creatives in Brazil and the UK and collaborated in implementing WGSN's first-ever mentorship programme, Future Makers, supporting underserved individuals break into fashion.
For prospective mentees
I'd be delighted to mentor anyone in the Marketing, Design & Comms space.
Renée O'Drobinak (she/her)↓
Communications Manager, Hawkins\Brown
Once described in PRWeek as the 'Japanese Slovakian-American performance artist', Renée is an unusual breed of communications manager. Luckily, it's a role where her unconventional background is a plus. She currently leads sector-based communications for Hawkins\Brown – one of the UK’s top 10 architecture practices according to the annual AJ100 list by the Architects’ Journal.
A graduate of the Slade School of Fine Art and the London College of Communications, Renée is also a contemporary performance artist, having co-founded the artist duo Ladies of the Press* in 2007. A strong believer in empowering the public with art, she specialises in live publishing and audience engagement which has seen the duo performing for the likes of Tate, Southbank Centre and Camden Borough Council. She is an alumnus of the BME PR Pros mentorship programme and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
For prospective mentees
I can support:
- Side hustlers who want to use their experience to develop their day job career
- People starting out in in-house comms, particularly in the creative industry / built environment
- Anyone who wants to try a career in the arts, particularly if they’re interested in the public engagement side of this line of work
Pragya Tiwari (she/her)↓
Founder, Oijo and Regional Director, Flint
Pragya Tiwari studied and practiced law before taking up journalism. As a journalist she has edited major publications including Vice India and written for major publications including the NYT and Al Jazeera. She writes on culture, politics, fashion, policy, and the environment. She also holds a degree in public policy from the London School of Economics. Alongside, she founded a digital content company called Oijo and has produced and strategised content for media and culture outlets. Oijo also founded Balcony TV India - the largest indie music platform in South Asia online.
In 2019, she gave up a full time career in journalism to head up a communications and branding consultancy - Flint Asia that also has offices in London, Istanbul and the Middle East.
She is also an avid public speaker. Her areas of expertise include - writing, editing, publishing, personal branding, public speaking, content strategy and creation, social media strategy.
For prospective mentees
I can support people who are looking to find their personal brand, are struggling to make up their mind about career choices, attempting to work in more than a couple of fields, are keen to set up their own business, want to pitch and write for publications or are keen on writing a book.
Fiona Livingston (she/her)↓
Associate Director, Marketing and Communications
Fiona Livingston has a degree in Geography and an MSc in Conservation, and had a view to becoming an academic. Realising that countless essay writing was not for her, she decided to focus on other avenues and dived into a 'squiggly career' path.
During these years of exploration previous roles included research positions at Department of Energy and Climate Change and London Zoological Society, working for an Army charity, digital programme and media roles at Handel and Hendrix in London, Highgate School and National Portrait Gallery. Four years ago she brought all of these skills and experiences together and joined the world of marketing and communications at HarrisonParrott (HP), an international music management company.
During her time at HP Fiona has successfully pivoted the business to lead in digital, and diversified its audience to include B2C by launching a podcast series 'The Culture Bar' and a digital streaming platform for classical music and the arts 'Virtual Circle' during the COVID19 pandemic. Fiona specialises in B2B and B2C arts and culture communications with a strong focus on project management, website design, consultancy, content and SEO, and campaign realisation. She is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and is currently working towards her chartered marketer status.
For prospective mentees
I can support mentees who want to grow and develop their skills in marketing and communications in music and the arts or are thinking about this as a career path, or mentees who would like to pivot into this sector.
Jessica Barlow (she/her)↓
Founder, No Agency Method
Jessica Barlow started two businesses in the middle of a pandemic. The first is, changing how care is being delivered in Hackney and the second is making PR easy for startups like Freddie's Flowers and Teapigs to do themselves - she calls it the No Agency Method. Before that, she studied Graphic Design and Illustration at Central Saint Martins and worked in Advertising for brands like Adidas, Redbull, Samsung and Channel 4 and in marketing and communications for start-ups, like the Karma app, where she put words into Obama’s mouth! (Yes, really!)
Jessica Teal (she/her) ↓
Founder and Principal, Teal Media
Jessica Teal is the founder and principal of Teal Media, a full-service creative and design agency with offices in Washington, DC and Detroit, MI. Jessica leads the creative vision and strategy for Teal's nonprofit clients who are taking on the most important social justice issues of our time.
Before founding Teal, Jessica served as Design Manager for the 2008 Obama presidential campaign. She also served as a special consultant to the Obama White House, advising on digital strategy, user experience, and visual design. Jessica was recently named in the top 5 “2018 Responsible Designers to Watch” by Graphic Design USA, has been featured in Forbes as part of the ongoing Self-Made Women series, and has been a speaker at SXSW Interactive, NTEN, NOI, RootsCamp, and Netroots Nation.
Phoebe Dodds (she/her) ↓
Founder, BURO155
Phoebe is a business writer and the founder of content strategy consultancy BURO155. She’s been writing for publications like the Huffington Post, the Guardian and the Holland Times since the age of 15, and founded her first business at the age of 19.
After a stint at business school, from which she graduated with a Masters degree in Entrepreneurship, Phoebe combined her writing and business background to found BURO155.
In her first year of business, over 800 entrepreneurs have taken her online courses, covering all aspects of building a content strategy. Phoebe has hosted workshops for everyone from the London College of Fashion, to a gourmet marshmallow brand stocked at Harrods and the British government.
Her business has been featured by the likes of Forbes and Grazia, and she’s currently a columnist for the Holland Times and Found and Flourish, writing about innovation and entrepreneurship. Phoebe is also a Host Entrepreneur for the European Commission.
For prospective mentees
I can support someone who wants to start their own creative business, or work within the fields or marketing and social media
SPORTS
Barbara Casara (she/her)↓
Football Marketing Director EMEA, NIKE
Involved in several areas of Marketing and Advertising throughout a 17-years career, Barbara worked on different roles in advertising, digital, community management, events, PR and brand strategy.
Born and raised in Porto Alegre, a city in the very south of Brazil, Barbara started her career as an account executive in local advertising agencies. Determined to combine her passion for sports with her professional goals, Barbara decided to chase her dream job and applied for an advertising role at the Nike Brazil office.
In 2011, she moved to Sao Paulo to diversify & expand knowledge, build new professional relationships, increase cultural education and specially motivated to reach high accomplishments at Nike during the golden era of Brazilian sports’ history.
After taking part in the football strategy & execution for World Cup 2014 and Rio Olympics 2016, Barbara was transferred to Nike’s European Headquarter in Amsterdam to take a broader international role in the company and develop brand management & leadership skills across Europe, Middle East and Africa.
For prospective mentees
I can support anyone interested in brand strategy and sports marketing, anyone who wants to build an international career, or anyone who has the intention to transition from the advertising industry to the client side.
Carol Almiron (she/her)↓
Communications Manager
Carol Almiron is an experienced Communications Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the sports industry, having worked for FIFA for over eleven years, responsible for Media Relations and Media Operations, and for Conmebol as Media Officer. She is also the Communications Advisor for company Organismo Bieto by visual artist Bieto.
Marta Gut (she/her)↓
Global PR Manager, Rapha
Marta Gut is the Global Public Relations Manager at Rapha with 8 years experience in various marketing roles within the arts and sports industry. During her time at Rapha, Marta saw the company grow from a start-up to global reaching business and a community platform. This journey has given her an invaluable insight into strategic PR, dynamic marketing and communications within a fast-growing business.
Marta's background is in the arts and photography which enriches her perspective and sets her to benefit from creative thinking within her marketing role at Rapha. Marta is also a co-founder of a London based female photography collective Skin and Blister.
For prospective mentees
I can support mentees who want to develop their skills in marketing and communications as well as those who seek to work on their softer skills from confidence building to teamwork and networking.
FASHION
Isabel Atherton (she/her)↓
Head of Global Partnerships, LYMA
Isabel has over six years of experience working with the world’s leading luxury fashion and beauty brands. In 2020 Isabel swapped fashion for wellness, at a time when prioritising health and wellbeing has never been so important, and the industry was seeing continued growth.
She is currently Head of Global Partnerships for wellness brand LYMA. LYMA is redefining the wellness industry, and its products find the perfect balance of science, nature and technology. In her role, she is responsible for building relationships and strong partnerships with like-minded individuals and companies all over the world.
Previously she spent five years at NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER, managing communications with brand partners and working on a wide range of brand projects. During her tenure at the business, she worked between Communication and Buying, where she honed her creative and commercial skills. Prior to her time at NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER, Isabel explored opportunities in Styling, PR, Events and Social Media.
She has a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Leeds University, where she developed her interests in communications and relationship building. Isabel is still incredibly passionate about the fashion industry and is increasingly interested in the circular economy and championing second-hand clothing.
For prospective mentees
I’d love to focus on mentees interested in careers in communications or partnerships, within fashion or wellness.
Helena Knightley (she/her) ↓
Ecommerce Trading Manager, Dr. Martens
Helena started her career in Merchandising at Charlies Tyrwhitt over 9 years ago. She has since worked up the merchandising career ladder at Boden, Thomas Pink and made the jump to Ecommerce at Dr. Martens.
She has been at Docs for almost 4 years now, starting as an Ecom Planne and now managing a team of seven who look after the day to day running and trading of the European websites. As a business and a digital team we have seen huge growth over the last few year.
Her own role and how she conducts her day has changed significantly as the team has grown. Helena would love to be able to share some of her experiences and learnings with others looking to grow in digital careers or new managers who need a bit of guidance with adapting to the changes needed.
For prospective mentees
I'd love to share about being a manager, how to manage different people and how to be successful and agile in an ever changing digital profession.
Jodi Muter- Hamilton (she/her)↓
Founder, Other Day
Having worked overseas in a large factory and returning to the UK to launch her own ethically Made in Britain luxury swimwear brand in 2009, Jodi understands the complexities of creating a brand and business with strong values.
For the past 8 years, she has worked across communications and marketing helping fashion technology start-ups to connect with their audience in a meaningful way.
Feeling the need to explore and push forward the conversation around sustainability in fashion, in 2017 Jodi founded Black Neon Digital an independent editorial and podcast platform. Black Neon Digital has since flourished into a communications and sustainability consultancy that helps founders and businesses to build brands with integrity.
As Partner and Communications Director at Fashion Roundtable, Jodi works to ensure there is effective dialogue between the fashion industry and policy leaders.
After years of striving to find out what ‘sustainability’ means for the fashion industry, Jodi feels there has to be a way to make it easier for brands and consumers to understand what they make and buy. And importantly what impact their decision making has on society and the planet. She came up with the idea that a garment traffic light system - known as Project 2030 - could be the solution.
For prospective mentees
I can support mentees that want to pivot from:
- Fashion to tech
- Tech to fashion
- Fashion brand owner to comms/marketing
- Comms/Marketing to Fashion brand owner
- Standard fashion production practices to more sustainable ways of working
- Fashion to fashion sustainability for fashion
CREATIVE BUSINESS & SOCIAL IMPACT
Francesca Polo (she/her)↓
Coach & Vastari Co-Founder
As a certified coach, I use my background in strategy and operations within the startup world to help entrepreneurs and creatives structuring and automating their businesses to generate more resources and freedom.
For prospective mentees
I'd like to support founders (or management teams) of start-ups that are preparing to scale, or freelancers and solopreneurs, who want to grow their businesses in the creative, ed tech and sustainability tech sectors.
Ida Norheim Hagtun (she/her)↓
Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation
Ida is a Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation, working on global leadership engagements. The foundation is a group of impatient optimists working to reduce inequity: ensuring more children and young people survive and thrive; empowering the poorest – especially women and children – to transform their lives; combating infectious diseases that particularly affect the poorest; and inspiring people to take action to change the world.
Ida’s role at the foundation is a mix between strategist, communicator, and ‘tour manager’, working to ensure that all global leadership engagements – whether that’s high-level political meetings, major events, or field visits – are as impactful as possible, advancing the interests of the communities served.
Ida’s background is in policy, advocacy and strategic communication for social impact, with organizations like the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Iran, the UN Relief & Works Agency for Palestine refugees in Lebanon, and Oxfam GB in the UK. She’s passionate about the unique role of the arts, creative campaigning, and digital innovation in changing hearts and minds and advancing social causes, and has been involved in a range of creative work including an award-winning Norwegian digital campaign to change attitudes around overseas development aid; film and theatre production in the Middle East and UK to challenge preconceived notions about refugees and asylum-seekers; and a mobile crowdsourcing project to save lives after the Haiti earthquake.
Ida’s educational background is focused on international relations and humanitarian affairs, at schools including the United World College in New Mexico, the London School of Economics & Political Science, the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, and Harvard University. A traveller at heart, Ida grew up on an island in Arctic Norway and is, partly as a consequence, deeply passionate about issues of climate change, nature conservation, wellness, and nutrition. She is based in Seattle with her husband Hanif and her newborn daughter, Noor. She is very excited to work with you on imagining the future!
For prospective mentees
I ’m open to working with people at various stages of their careers, from recent graduates to more established people. The best fit would probably be someone who is driven by social impact and global issues of inequity, and who is trying to make the connection between their own work and interests, and the chaotic world of global development.
WRITING, JOURNALISM & PUBLISHING
Adrienne Klasa (she/her)↓
World Digital Editor, Financial Times
Adrienne is the Financial Times world digital editor, focused on creative commissioning, digital innovation and visual journalism across international news coverage. Previously she was a reporter and editor at FT Group publications This is Africa, The Banker and fDi. She has reported from over 20 countries in Africa, as well as traveling widely in Europe and Asia. Her writing has been published by Foreign Policy, the Guardian, Slate, Forbes and Project Syndicate, and she has appeared as a speaker and commentator for the UN, the OECD, London Business School, the BBC, Radio France International, Al Jazeera and many others. She holds two degrees in political science from McGill University and SOAS, University of London.
Claudia Canavan (she/her)↓
Digital Beauty and Health Editor, Women's Health
Claudia is a digital health and lifestyle journalist, with 8 years of experience working on some of publishing's biggest titles. These include Red, HuffPost and, today, Women's Health.
After leaving home in Yorkshire, she completed her BA at the University of Manchester, followed by a Magazine Journalism MA at City University. Next, she kicked off her career at Esquire. While at HuffPost, she won a company-wide competition to launch sustainable living microsite, Sourced, for which she was the editorial lead. She covers areas such as reproductive and mental health, as well as nutrition and beauty, and commissions widely.
For prospective mentees
Claudia can help any aspiring health/ lifestyle journalists hoping to learn skills and to hone their copy, as well as any current journalists who are in the very early stages of their career and would like help developing. Her contacts are based mostly in the U.K., so a U.K.-based mentee would be most appropriate.
Kitty Stogdon (she/her) ↓
Project Editor, Bloomsbury Publishing
Kitty Stogdon is a project editor at Bloomsbury Publishing working on the Cookery and Illustrated Non-fiction list. She started her career at Hodder & Stoughton as a PA, moved to Headline’s editorial team working on crime thrillers and women’s fiction before joining Bloomsbury where she’s been for the past 3 years, and has worked with authors such as Fuchsia Dunlop, Yasmin Khan, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Sarah Raven, Ryan Riley and Dishoom
For prospective mentees
I would like to support mentees interested in entering or furthering their career in book publishing in general, but I may be most helpful to those with an interest in editorial, cookbooks or other full-colour publishing i.e. gardening, lifestyle, gift books.
Louise Rowland (she/her) ↓
Novelist and Freelance Business Writer, Speechwriter and Journalist
As a writer, Louise Rowland's career has been as squiggly and non-linear as they come - and all the more fun for it. She's written for everyone from the CEOs of Shell and Texaco, to public sector organisations, start-ups, campaigning charities such as Friends of the Earth and Women for the People's Vote and a wide range of publications including efinancial news, Best Execution, Time Out, For Working Ladies and Thrive Global.
After 11 years working and bringing up a family in Germany, France and the Netherlands, she's a huge advocate of personal reinvention, particularly for women returning to work after a career break. A recent stint on the Brexit team at KPMG showed her just how rewarding jumping right out of your comfort zone can be. Her debut novel, The Girl’s Book of Priesthood, was published in 2018. She is currently working on her second, as well as co-writing a musical, A Small Life.
For prospective mentees
I'd love to help someone interested in exploring writing as a career - and also anyone keen to dive back in after taking a career break.
Kuba Shand-Baptiste (she/her) ↓
Society and Arts Editor at The Conversation
Kuba Shand-Baptiste is Society and Arts Editor at The Conversation. She was previously acting Deputy Editor for The Independent's Voice's desk where she also wrote a weekly column on politics, pop culture, social justice and arts and has written for publications such as GQ, Vogue.co.uk and The Guardian. Kuba is also currently working on her own book project, focusing on Windrush migration and the subsequent Windrush scandal.
For prospective mentees
I can support mentees who want to get into the journalism industry, whether from scratch - i.e. no experience or portfolio whatsoever - to those who are a little further along - e.g writing for student papers, independent publications, personal blogs, or those with a couple of national or local bylines
Lauren Rosemary Hook (she/her) ↓
Interim Executive Director & Publisher, Feminist Press
Lauren Rosemary Hook is Interim Executive Director & Publisher at the Feminist Press, where she has worked for over six years. She also oversees production and foreign rights. As an editor, she seeks to continue FP's long legacy of publishing diverse international feminist works and has acquired titles in translation from Equatorial Guinea, Thailand, Mexico, and Bosnia, among others. She also acquires and edits many English-language fiction and nonfiction titles, including the Amethyst Editions imprint, founded by Michelle Tea. She has edited titles including Grieving and The Iliac Crest by MacArthur Fellow Cristina Rivera Garza, translated by Sarah Booker; Fiebre Tropical by Juli Delgado Lopera, a singular work of Spanglish named a finalist for the 2020 Kirkus Prize for Fiction; Against Memoir by Michelle Tea, winner of a 2019 PEN Literary Award; and Love War Stories by Ivelisse Rodriguez, a finalist for the 2019 PEN/Faulkner.
For prospective mentees
I'd like to support mentees interested in an editorial career in book publishing, and I can also speak to rights or production work.
Sara Nisha Adams (she/her) ↓
Editorial Director and Author
Sara Nisha Adams studied English Literature at Cambridge University before joining the trade publishing industry, initially at a Literary Agency before moving into adult fiction publishing. She has worked at Headline, Vintage and now works at Hodder & Stoughton as Fiction Editorial Director, where she specialises in commercial fiction. Sara is also an author, and her debut novel is being published by HarperCollins in 2021.
For prospective mentees
I’d like to support fiction writers, and people looking to get into trade editorial/publishing roles