Chief Executive recruitment

Another crucial arm of our business is our investment work, where we have been able to diversify our revenue streams. Our talented national team support creative SMEs with bespoke investments, access to funding, loans, and growth mentoring. Creative Growth Finance is our flagship £35m debt fund, and our portfolio features some of the leading lights from across the UK’s Creative Industries. Since receiving Creative Growth Finance investment, our portfolio has experienced 6% improvement of average monthly revenues, over 100% improvement of average monthly profits and 3% improvement in balance sheet liquidity.

Creative Enterprise is a National Lottery/BFI-funded bespoke set of initiatives for ambitious screen businesses to access connections, training and networks to achieve business growth.

Under Creative England, we also deliver Filming in England: offering comprehensive production support to feature film and high-end TV, assisting with everything from location scouting and crewing to studios and build space. Production highlights from the last year include 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple, Gladiator II, Jurassic World: Rebirth, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, The Immortal Man, F1 and Frankenstein.  

“Making progress on the issues which matter”

And of course – in addition to direct interventions, we call for change on a national and local level. As the national membership body for the cultural and creative industries, we are the only network to represent the breadth of the creative subsector within our remit. We’re proud to have hundreds of organisations in our network – including trade bodies, cultural institutions, grassroots organisations, higher education institutions, innovative tech companies, SMEs and much more. We work tirelessly on behalf of our members to make progress on the issues which matter.

In 2024, we published a Manifesto ahead of the UK General Election in close consultation with our membership. This set out six key priority areas for any incoming party to prioritise in order to unlock growth – including access to finance, skills and creative education, IP in the age of AI, our global soft power, greater support for freelancers and greater investment in creative R&D. These continue to be our policy priorities, and we are delighted to have seen positive change from UK Government since its publication.

All of our activity is underpinned by our commitment to equality and diversity. We are deeply committed to building a more inclusive and representative workforce, and it is key that our next leader shares these values.

“We are looking for a leader who can continue to connect us as we live out our vision”

As we begin the search for our next Chief Executive, we’re looking for an exceptional individual who can not only join the dots between the various arms of our organisation, but who can drive our business forward in unison, supporting our commercial aims and strengthening our business activity. We are looking for a leader who can continue to connect us as we live out our vision: a world where creativity is recognised as a key driver for our shared growth.

We’re looking for a changemaker, a convener, and a talented communicator to lead the charge for the cultural and creative industries. Someone with sharp commercial acumen who can deliver real growth – and in turn, grow our capacity to support the sector.

This is truly a defining role for a visionary leader who understands the intersections of creativity and business – and as Creative UK looks to its next exciting chapter, I am looking forward to meeting our new champion.

Many thanks again for your interest in the role,

Belinda Budge
Chair, Creative UK