Who we are 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 of Bring Hope, both registered charities. Anne Foster Anne Foster specialises in supporting people through building inclusive workplace cultures. She works for Sony Pictures Entertainment as the 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. Prior to 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. Lisa HommelLisa is the Practice Development Director at Mischon de Reya (a large city law film based in London and New York). She is a fully qualified (non-practising) solicitor with a specialist role working across both business and development and the legal departments. With over 25 years of practical and business experience within some of the top 50 UK law firms, she combines the disciplines of a legal training with the creativity of strategic business planning. Lisa leads Mischon's Business Insight team which analyses industries and sectors so as to identify issues affecting the client base. Her role also involves market perception and brand awareness studies as well as heading up the key client relationship programme. Yolanda MercyYolanda Mercy is a London based Actor and Playwright who trained at the Brit School, Laban and Central School of Speech & Drama. She was named Artist to Watch by the British Council, part of the BBC Writersroom and her writing has featured in Huffington Post. Yolanda is a published author with Oberon Books. Her five-star productions have been described as 'relatable, funny and very honest.' Comedy, spoken word, music and audience participation are the key ingredients that make up her unforgettable shows. She was previously Trustee and on the grant giving committee for National Youth Arts Trust. Mike SmithPresident of Music at Virgin EMI Records. 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 Managing Director of Columbia Records and President of Mercury Music. Tony Wilson Policy Director at the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion. 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 ona 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. Prior to this he was responsible for the design and delivery of a number of 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.