CURATED PLACE CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Andy Brydon is Creative Director and founder of international arts organisation Curated Place. A trained anthropologist specialising in Cultural Placemaking at a city, region and hyperlocal level. He is an established and experienced cultural strategist, festival and major events director as well as a seasoned curator, trainer and arts producer. Leading Creative Europe projects since 2014 he has won multiple national event awards for his work in England and Scotland.

Andy has over 20 years experience working in a senior strategic role in arts organisations specialising in international collaboration with city development teams, visual & digital artists, performers, composers and musicians to create high-impact exhibitions and experiences that transform places.

Andy was awarded a Clore Fellowship in 2018/19.

CURATED PLACE PROGRAMME LEAD

Alison leads Curated Place Scotland from Aberdeenshire and has worked across the charity, local authority and commercial sectors in Scotland, England and internationally for the past 15 years.

Her expertise is in developing and delivering strategies in regeneration and placemaking, with focus on re-animating & re-purposing disused spaces and large-scale place making events. Her background is in theatre and performing arts but now incorporates opera, outdoor arts, music and visual arts.

A Politics graduate of the University of Strathclyde, she is a trainer, mentor and session leader for Curated Place’s international professional development programmes and has a track record in complex, multi-stakeholder projects and research.

She is an alumni of Manchester Business School’s Innovation Retreat.

INTERNATIONAL PRODUCER

Fay Jennett is a strategic consultant, creative producer, and inclusion specialist who helps shape equitable and innovative career pathways in the creative industries.

With a career spanning opera, music-theatre, inclusion consultancy and artist development, she has led transformative projects that champion equity, innovation, sustainable career pathways and working conditions for everyone working in the arts.

Passionate about the potential of creative economy, the power of original work and creating the time and space for both to develop while enabling artists to thrive, Fay produces supports both entrepreneurs and projects.

She brings extensive expertise in business and artist development, sector engagement, and strategic planning, with both a national and international perspective.

EINKOFI CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Leading Icelandic arts and creative production organisation Einkofi, Ágústa is an experienced creative director and producer who works internationally connecting music, art, design, technology, literature, performance and education. She is an expert in Creative Europe and UK/Nordic Collaboration. She is able to initiate & drive funding, strategy, development and delivery of creative projects and regularly runs training and development for creative organisations and can help you shape and develop arts, heritage, music, performance and festival projects across multiple nations and cultures.

Ágústa works with the shining lights of the Nordic creative scene to create roads into the more obscure, left-field and risk-taking innovators whilst building brands and creative businesses.

Alongside her creative practice Ágústa is also an experienced Consul and trained Anthropologist.

Ben leads The Audience Agency’s work in Scotland. His expertise is in using audience research to inform organisational development, bringing arts and cultural organisations closer to their audiences through data-driven segmentation and customer experience design.

Based in Edinburgh, Ben has worked in arts marketing, research, fundraising, grant-making and audience development for over 25 years across numerous cultural institutions including The Royal Lyceum Theatre, Perth Theatre and Concert Hall, Macrobert Arts Centre and the Royal National Theatre and Tricycle (now KILN) Theatre and Cinema. He was also an Audience Development Officer for Arts Council England's Diversity Team.

He was a founder of one of Scotland's Audience Development Agencies and a steering group member for The Source - Scotland's original cross-artform data-sharing initiative. He was a board member and Chair of Youth Theatre Arts Scotland and a long-standing board member of the UK’s Arts Marketing Association.

Originally from Baltimore, Christine Osazuwa got her start in music at 15. She holds degrees in music, marketing and data science and combined those passions into roles in data & marketing at Universal Music Sweden and Warner Music Group in London.

Currently, Christine is the founder of Measure of Music–part community, part conference, part hackathon– which introduces music & data to others while highlighting majority minority attendees and speakers.

Most recently, she was the Chief Strategy Officer for ticketing & event marketing startup Shoobs where she led their marketing & brand partnerships strategy. In addition, she sits on the board of The LIVE Association, Indie Venue Week, and Keychange US.

Phil Birchenall is a reluctant thought leader, trainer and consultant in the practical application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within business operations. With over two decades of experience in the digital, media, and creative sectors, Phil has become a trusted advisor to businesses, public sector organisations, and educators seeking to harness the full potential of AI. His approach blends in-depth AI knowledge with years of business leadership and a uniquely experimental perspective.

As the founder of Diagonal Thinking, Phil works closely with companies to design and implement AI-driven solutions that streamline operations, amplify creative output, and unlock new growth opportunities. His experience has led to working with organisations including as Discovery Education, Northumbrian Water Group, Port of

Tyne, Manchester Met, Innovate UK, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and Creative UK.

Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdóttir directs the BA Creative Industries programme at Bifröst University in Iceland. She holds a BA in Icelandic Language and Literature from the University of Iceland and an MA in Radio from Goldsmiths, University of London.

With a long career in the music and film industries, Anna Hildur has worked internationally as a producer, manager, and cultural entrepreneur. She was the first Managing Director of Iceland Music Export (IMX) 2007 to 2012 and, in that role, took over the management of Iceland Airwaves, helping to transform the festival into one of the world’s leading showcases for new music.

She later became Managing Director of Nordic Music Export (NOMEX), where she played a pivotal role in strengthening the visibility of Nordic artists and fostering cross-border collaboration in the global music market. Her production work also includes internationally acclaimed documentaries and music-related film projects, reflecting her commitment to connecting storytelling, culture, and entrepreneurship.

Tom Freshwater is Head of Visitor Programming at the National Trust, where he leads the development and delivery of creative experiences that connect people with nature, beauty and history through art, culture, and storytelling.

With a background in curating and public engagement, Tom has championed innovative collaborations with artists and communities across the UK, bringing contemporary perspectives to historic sites. His work focuses on making heritage relevant and resonant for diverse audiences, often through immersive programming and interdisciplinary partnerships that inspire dialogue and deepen understanding.

Tom started as an archaeologist, moved to museums, galleries and arts centres (local authorities, independents, universities), before moving to contemporary arts and an interdisciplinary practice as a creative programmer.

Elaine McWilliams is an experienced Account Manager within the Business Growth team at Scottish Enterprise, where she has proudly served for over 30 years. With a deep understanding of Scotland’s diverse economic landscape, Elaine works closely with companies across several key sectors, including the vibrant creative industries.

Her role focuses on identifying where businesses are in their growth journey, exploring their aspirations, and connecting them with tailored support from Scottish Enterprise and its network of partner organisations.

Elaine is passionate about helping companies unlock their potential and thrive in a competitive global market.

Mark is Creative and Cultural Strategy Manager at South of Scotland Enterprise with the responsibility of leading and enhancing the wealth of creative and cultural activity in the South of Scotland. He is a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art and a published author of the Arduino Project Handbook series which combines creativity and technology by using simple coding to bring creative projects to life. Mark represents SOSE on several national and regional strategic initiatives and is a board trustee for Paragon Music Ensemble, a cultural charity supporting music inclusion. He has worked in economic development for the past 20years in local and national government developing strategies, initiatives and supporting business in the creative industries, tourism, and food and drink sectors.

Mark was previously Screen Commissioner for South West Scotland, promoting and facilitating film and television production across the region and has recently led on the development of the South of Scotland screen strategy.

Iain Hamilton is Head of Creative Industries at Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the economic and community development agency for the north and west of Scotland. In this role, he has created a range of support programmes designed to help the region’s creative economy grow, innovate, and connect with international markets.

A musician by background, Iain brings both artistic understanding and business insight to his work, ensuring that support reflects the realities faced by creative practitioners. He played a central role in the development of initiatives such as XpoNorth, which earned national and international recognition for showcasing new talent and providing year-round mentoring and business support.

Iain has consistently championed the creative industries as a key driver of regional prosperity, contributing hundreds of millions to the Highlands and Islands economy and sustaining thousands of jobs. Above all, he is a passionate advocate for the region and the global potential of its creative talent.

Adele Patrick has been developing innovative cultural projects rooted in equalities and in academic research and community learning and teaching for over 30 years. Adele co-founded Glasgow Women’s Library (GWL) in 1991 and is currently a Co-Director. She has had a key leadership role in GWL which has grown from a grassroots project led by volunteers into a Recognised Collection of National Significance, the sole accredited museum dedicated to women’s history in the UK and an influential, change making organisation in the Museums, Library and wider cultural sectors. Trained as a designer at Glasgow School of Art (where she subsequently taught Gender, Art and Culture) Adele has been active in many projects as a curator, programmer, co-producer at GWL and in independent work as a facilitator, writer, coach, creative and trainer on EDI.

A collaborator with writers, visual artists, filmmakers, architects and performers, Adele was and was a Clore Leadership Fellow in 2018/2019 and will take up a Royal Society of Edinburgh and Fulbright supported Scholarship at City University of New York in 2026. She is a member of the Women Leaders in Museums Network, sits on the Board of V&A Dundee and the EDI Advisory Group for Creative Scotland. 

In her independent practice Adele is a coach, mentor, consultant and trainer specialising in feminist leadership and governance and values lead leadership in cultural organisations.

Matt Godfrey is an experienced finance and commercial leader with a strong background in strategic financial planning, commercial growth, and operational delivery.

He currently serves as Director of Finance and Commercial at Aberdeen Performing Arts (APA), overseeing all non-creative functions including sustainability strategy, the organisation’s trading subsidiary, and core support services. Matt joined APA over three years ago as Head of Finance and Sustainability before being promoted to his current role.

Prior to this, he held managerial roles in capital projects and innovation at AGS Airports, and earlier financial management positions at Aberdeen International Airport and Aberdeen Journals.

Ben Torrie (he/him) is Director of Programming and Creative Projects at Aberdeen Performing Arts.

Ben is one of the most experienced performing arts venue programmers in Scotland overseeing the programme curation of His Majesty’s Theatre, the Music Hall and the Lemon Tree working across scales and art forms, leading on the delivery of award-winning festivals, co-producing and commissioning partnerships, and highly regarding community and creative engagement work.

Aberdeen Performing Arts is one of Scotland’s largest arts charities with a diverse business model which relies on commercially successful programming to support the wider creative and charitable objectives. Ben line manages teams across the organisation including programming, creative engagement, marketing, technical, operations and housekeeping.

He has worked for APA for 18 years having previously held the role of Sales Manager and spent a year embedding the Lemon Tree into the organisation. Prior to this, he was General Manager for Puppet Animation Scotland and was Box Office Coordinator for the Aberdeen International Youth Festival.

Iain is a creative industries consultant with 30+ years; senior management experience in private and public sectors. His work emphasises the leading role of culture and the creative industries in the renewal and growth of places, spaces and economies across the world.

He founded The Fifth Sector in 2011 and in the last five years has delivered creative sector mapping and cluster strategies in Liverpool, Manchester, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Tees Valley, Derby, Leicester, West Sussex and Greater Brighton, Surrey, Hampshire, Somerset and Herefordshire. He is currently undertaking a mapping of the Creative Industries in North East Scotland for Aberdeen City Council.

He was an agent for actors and directors at international talent agencies including William Morris and ICM. As Sector Leader for Digital & Creative Industries at Northwest Regional Development Agency (2006-11) he wrote the first regional strategy for digital and creative industries and managed a series of skills and infrastructure programmes to support the £1 billion development of MediaCityUK in Salford.

As Associate Director of BOP Consulting (2014-19), he wrote an international Creative Industries strategy for UKTI (now the Department for Business & Trade); advised Festivals Edinburgh on International Best Practice in Digital Festivals Technology; devised strategies for the computer games cluster in Leamington Spa video games and the fashion cluster in London’s Olympic Park.

Mike has been a designer and teacher for 25 years, designing objects, services, exhibitions, products and new technologies, like the Internet of Things (IoT). He holds a range of patents from his time as a Director at ‘Studio Dillon’ to his work in the ‘Knowledge Lab’ an emerging  technology research Lab, and continues to develop design innovation research through Goldsmiths Prospecting and Innovation Studio (Pi Studio), which focuses on innovation research for a wide range of international organisations.

Mike is very interested in helping organisations use design to build capability in both industry and society. With the team in the Pi Studio he has worked with governments on supporting start-ups, and community psychologists on amplifying innovations in communities from the street level to larger scales using design.

The studio has run live research projects for Goldsmiths staff and students with the BBC, LG Electronics, Microsoft Research, Kodak, BT Labs and others. Connecting research and teaching together is at the core of his approach to educating designers. He supervises PhDs with subjects connected to design innovation and technology.