Governance The Creative Society is governed by a diverse board of trustees including members who have previously been participants on Creative Society programmes. Board of Trustees Richard Greer, Chair of Trustees Chair of the Creative Society, Richard is a patron and collector of Contemporary Art. Richard is Treasurer of Grizedale Arts in Cumbria, a contemporary art institution in Cumbria with the motto "Make Art Useful." Having lived in Asia for seventeen years, mostly in Japan, he now does venture capital investing in China, the Middle East, and the UK. He has philanthropic interests in Gaza and Northern Iraq, both of which he visits regularly, and helps coding academies and incubators in the region. He is a non-executive director of the Schroder Japan Growth Fund and is a trustee of Goods for Good and Bring Hope, both registered charities. Anne Foster Head of BBC Workforce Diversity and Inclusion, Anne Foster specialises in supporting people through building inclusive workplace cultures. Former Sony Pictures Entertainment Director of Diversity, Leadership and Organisational Development for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Key work includes strengthening leadership capability, developing apprenticeships, and supporting staff inclusion networks. Before this, Anne was the Head of Diversity and Inclusion for the House of Commons, where she was responsible for leading the strategy to embed equality into all practices and policies, improve access for all, and create a more inclusive culture for staff, Members of Parliament, and the public. Anne is a member of London South Bank University's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, and an Associate of Inclusive Employers. Marcus Mason, Treasurer Marcus is a senior policy official at HM Treasury. Prior to working for government, Marcus was Head of Business Education and Skills Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, where he was responsible for the BCC's school outreach programme and regularly represented the BCC in the media. Marcus has advised government on reforms to the apprenticeship system, and previously was the Managing Director of the Creative Society during the start-up years. Hiba Mohamed Hiba is a writer and cultural producer who founded Taming Lions, a zine showcasing the work of emerging artists. Through Creative Job Studio, she was recruited as an advisor for Create Your Future, a personal and professional programme to support women of colour into sustainable employment. Since then she joined Creative Society to manage the Creative Job Studio programme in North London. In her spare time Hiba writes Side Hustle Sundays, a self-development blog which takes inspiration from her work supporting people into employment to write about the 'come up.' Alex Simpson Creative Society alumnus Alex Simpson has been on the board since 2017. He currently works as Channel Manager at Fully Focused, a youth-led organisation that uses the power of film to challenge perceptions, raise awareness and transform lives. He is also the Artistic Director of the eMeNDè drama company and prides himself on being able to mingle and make connections with other like-minded organisations and build partnerships. He is a regular at our Creative Society Lates and has been a strong supporter of the work we are doing to establish our Creative Society Collective. Mike SmithGlobal President of Downtown Music Publishing, Mike Smith started as an A&R man and has signed Blur, PJ Harvey, Elastica, Supergrass, Teenage Fan Club, Doves, Stairsailor, The Beta Band, The Avalanches, Gorillaz, The White Stripes, The Libertines, The Scissor Sisters, The Arcade Fire, and Arctic Monkeys. He was previously President of Music at Virgin EMI Records,Managing Director of Columbia Records and President of Mercury Music. Flo Tasker Flo has worked in the Film and TV industry for 10 years as a Graphic Designer in the Art Department on numerous UK productions. Her most recent work is TV show 'The Great' (MRC /Hulu) and films Official Secrets, Tolkien and Blithe Spirit. Flo is a strong supporter of deaf & disabled rights and awareness. Flo is committed to mentorship schemes and nurturing new talent. Tony Wilson Director of Institute of Employment Studies, Tony has more than ten years' experience of policy and research, project management and delivery across a range of roles in HM Treasury, the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus. At Inclusion Tony has led on a range of projects with a particular focus on welfare to work programmes, support for disadvantaged groups, local partnership working and the fit between employment and skills. Before this, he was responsible for the design and delivery of several Department for Work and Pensions employment projects, including the development and introduction of the Future Jobs Fund, which successfully created over 105,000 temporary jobs for long-term unemployed people. He was an expert policy advisor to David Freud on his independent review of welfare to work, published in 2007. Former Director at Learning and Work Institute and Policy Director at the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion.