Leadership Team

Managing Director

Forming a key part of the organisation’s Executive Leadership Team, Laura’s role is focused on delivering long-term, sustainable partnerships that align with Creative UK’s strategic priorities: to connect creative people, invest in creative businesses, and support creative ideas while championing the power and value of the Creative Industries.

Prior to joining Creative UK, Laura has worked for a broad range of organisations in the Creative Industries, including Disney, Discovery, Fremantle and the London 2012 Olympic Games Committee. Through these roles, she has developed and deployed strategic partnerships across a wide range of Creative Industries, including TV, music, video games and print publishing, as well as in the education sector.

During her most recent position at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as the Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships, she delivered revenues traversing corporate membership, sponsorship, and grants.
Laura comes from a creative background, and in past lives, has managed music artists and producers and freelanced in tour production. She currently lives in southwest London with her daughter, a cat, and a tank full of molly fish.

Director of People & Operations

Caroline was part of the founding team of Creative England and has been with Creative UK since its establishment.

Her role is focused on organisational development, shaping and delivering a people and operations strategy aligned with Creative UK’s core pillars.

Caroline’s prior experience is across HR, operations and change management of the former screen agency network and providing HR support to small businesses in her early career.

Specialising in the creative sector, Caroline is passionate about nurturing an environment in which we can all bring our true selves to work and be our very best. She believes in continuously building a strong company culture based on trust, shared values and core purpose.

Caroline is a Chartered CIPD member and a proud Trustee for Tiata Fahodzi – a company that places the stories of British African-heritage communities at its core.

Outside of Creative UK, Caroline transfers her multitasking skills for controlling her 3 sons!

Investment Director

Tim has been with Creative UK for nearly a decade and oversees all investment activity at the organisation. Tim has spent the past 15 years helping entrepreneurs to take innovative and compelling creative products to market and is passionate about the power of business as an engine for positive social change.

As an investment lead, Tim has secured over 50 investments across equity and debt, working with over 400 creative companies and supporting three exits.

His key industry focusses are: SaaS, VFX, Games, Agency and TV Production.

Tim’s prior experience includes running his own production company, the management of Creative England’s equity fund and the programme management of the South West Innovation Network programmes.

When not at work, Tim’s main interests are “what madness my son will say next,” sport and technology.

Finance Director

As Finance Director at Creative UK, Jennie is responsible for delivering the company’s financial business objectives across all administrative, financial, and risk management operations of the business. As part of the

ELT, Jennie oversees the development and execution of financial and operational strategies to ensure the financial sustainability and growth of the organisation.

A qualified Chartered Accountant with more than 15 years’ experience working in the media and entertainment sector, prior to joining Creative UK Jennie worked as Director of Production & Programming Finance at The Walt Disney Co. EMEA providing financial oversight and management of original TV & film productions and programming finance for the EMEA Disney Channels. Jennie has also worked in Production & Programming Finance roles at Warner Media & Red Bull and is passionate about working in and supporting the creative sector. An active outdoor enthusiast, Jennie loves running, hiking & skiing, preferably beneath a bright blue sky.

Director of Marketing & Communications

Rebecca is responsible for overseeing external communications at Creative UK – across media, PR and owned channels. Before joining the organisation, she was Director of Marketing and Business Development at Bluecoat – the UK’s oldest arts centre, and has previously worked as Head of Communications for the Edinburgh Fringe and Creative Scotland. She has also worked as an award-winning journalist, with bylines in The Guardian, BBC, iNews, The Scotsman and The List. Outside of work, she is a published author, and has had two full-length plays produced.

Director of Regional Programmes

Charlotte is Director for Regional Programmes, working closely with the Associate Directors of the North and South and leading five regional delivery teams, to enable CI ecologies across the UK to flourish. Most recently, in the first two years of the Create Growth Programme (CGP) we worked with over 400 diverse SMEs who have so far secured over £12M of investment and, we estimate, will have generated £86M of GVA. This year we are working with another 200 SMEs on their growth journeys and developing new interventions to augment the offer.  In her role Charlotte also produces The Big Creative UK Investment Summit, a prolific event designed to develop relationships across the commercial investment community, Creative Industry SMEs and stakeholders.

Charlotte has worked for Creative UK for nearly 5 years, managing and delivering a variety of regional programmes. She has previously had a career in theatre, most notably as General Manager for internationally renowned Kneehigh Theatre delivering festivals, training and new technology projects as well as overseeing finance, communications, operations.

As a freelancer Charlotte has worked with a range of cultural organisations including The Eden Project, The Old Vic (London), The Little Angel Theatre and Chickenshed.

Associate Director, Policy & Research

Amy is a senior policy and public affairs specialist, with over 15 years’ experience shaping strategy and delivering impact across the creative industries, financial services and labour market activation policy. As Associate Director, Policy & Research at Creative UK, she drives national-level advocacy and evidence-building to influence government and industry on core priorities for the cultural and creative industries. Her career spans senior roles at the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion and the House of Commons. Amy has a proven track record in government relations, strategic communications and policy development, with particular expertise in navigating complex stakeholder landscapes and securing influence at the highest levels.

Regional Associate Director, North

Carol is a freelance Associate Director for the North. Her role at Creative UK is to provide overall strategic guidance, leadership and management/development of key partnerships focusing primarily on the North of England, and where appropriate, national opportunities to increase the profile of Creative UK’s work and ability to impact a positive future for the creative sector, its businesses and the people who work within it.

Throughout her career, she has developed and delivered many complex capital and revenue cultural and creative sector projects. Prior to her freelance career she was Newcastle Gatesheads’s Director of Major Festivals & Events. Here, Carol led on and implemented a number of successful initiatives including Newcastle Gateshead’s successful bid to host the Great Exhibition of the North which resulted in Newcastle and its partner town Gateshead being listed by the Rough Guide as the No. 1 Place to Visit in the World in 2018. Content created focused on showcasing the region’s strengths in innovation and creativity commissioning a range of content using digital, AR and VR technology as well as the work of some of the North of England’s most respected artists.

Previously, she has worked as a senior Cultural Officer in Local government and in philanthropy for the Northern Rock Foundation – supporting many cultural organisations across the North. In 2019 she was awarded an OBE for services to the Cultural sector across the North of England.

Regional Associate Director, South

Nick is Associate Director at Creative UK, with strategic oversight of Creative UK’s portfolio of UK-wide national and regional business growth and talent development programmes. These include our flagship BFI-funded, industry-leading Creative Enterprise business support programme for screen and moving image businesses, our partnership with DCMS and Innovate UK on the sector-wide Create Growth Programme, channelling investment and growth support into early-stage creative entrepreneurs – alongside Creative UK’s network of local government partners including North of Tyne Combined Authority, West of England Combined Authority, Create South East, West Midlands Combined Authority, South Yorkshire Combined Authority and Greater Manchester Growth Hub.

Associate Director, Strategic Partnerships

Maia is Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships – leading on Creative UK’s relationships with organisations in the UK and internationally. Through working with a breadth of partners, Creative UK deliver activities, programmes, and campaigns that drive growth for creative businesses and talent.

Maia was previously the Head of Creative Partnerships at the Wellcome Trust, responsible for uniting creative thinkers and commissioning cross-sector screen projects. Maia sits on the Editorial Board of the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers. With a former career producing and directing documentaries for the BBC, Maia is always open to hearing your creative project ideas.