CivicLAB x Create Growth

The Create Growth Programme is a nationwide initiative is aimed at fostering the development of creative industries with high-growth potential across England. The programme has been working with creatives across Derby and Derbyshire to offer business support, workshops, masterclasses and other opportunities with the aim of helping them to grow and scale. At this event you will hear from experts about the impact and outcomes from the programme and what the area needs next, as well as having a chance to engage in roundtable and panel discussion on the creative sector in the county. As part of the event we are going to have a panel discussion about ‘What’s next for the creative sector’. The Panellists are Alix Manning-Jones (Director, Culture Derby), Mike Brown (Arts Development Manager, Derby City Council), Mthabisi Mlauzi (Visual Director) and Ruchita Shaikh (CEO, Artcore).

CivicLAB is based at the University of Derby which is situated in a UNESCO City of Life Long Learning and a county that is home to multiple World Heritage Sites. It has been designed to support academics, creative and cultural industry professionals and freelance creatives to share their insights on research and practice through a place-based approach to knowledge generation. 

The CivicLAB is led by Dr Rhiannon Jones, Associate Professor (Civic) at the University of Derby. CivicLAB is located centrally to the University's core business, within the Provost of Learning and Teaching. The work of CivicLAB supports the six academic themes, with close alignment to Cultural and Creative Industries. It is an interdisciplinary group that cuts across research and innovation, and teaching and learning. 

Programme

Facilitator - Mandy Fowler

Mandy Fowler is an experienced strategic consultant, evaluator and researcher working nationally, with over 20 years’ experience in the sector and a demonstrable record of undertaking research, analysis and impact evaluation, and developing strategies and models across a plethora of clients and projects. Mandy has a particular interest in working with artists and individuals whose living experiences are minoritised and underrepresented, and cultural programmes focused on delivering social change. Mandy has undertaken many evaluations as an Independent Evaluator, involving interviewing participants and stakeholders including funders, synthesising the findings and presenting them in strategic way with a road map of next steps.

Alongside her cultural sector work, Mandy is a qualified Psychotherapist (Registered member of BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy), and as such, adheres to their ethical framework of the principles of trust, honesty, openness and respect by valuing each person as a unique human being, which she also brings to her cultural sector work. She has also undertaken disability awareness training, unconscious bias training and cultural intelligence training and working in a neuro affirming way. 

Facilitator - Lara Ratnaraja

Lara Ratnaraja is a unique consultancy founded on creating meaningful change for the cultural, heritage and creative sector. Her work encompasses developing and delivering projects and policy on diversity, inclusion, leadership cultural policy and placemaking within the cultural, the HE and digital sectors. She also co-produces a series of cultural leadership programmes for people from diverse backgrounds linked to geographical place and also curates a digital Conference called Hello Culture. 

Projects include working with the 8 Welsh National Arts Companies to develop a cultural framework for diversity co-designed with creative stakeholders and residents and working in Aberdeen for Robert Gordon University, co-designing a cultural framework with private and public stakeholders. Lara is on the board of Compton Verney. She is on the UK Council for Creative UK as well as their Diversity Forum, the National Trust Midlands Regional Advisory Group and the Access, Diversity and Inclusion Group at the National Memorial Arboretum and the Board of All Saints Community Catering; a community food welfare programme. Lara was also previously a board member of Derby Theatre.

Facilitator - Adam Buss

Adam Buss is an empathetic and EDI driven leader who is passionate about the role arts, culture and the creative industries can play in changing lives for the better. Having grown up in a working class community Adam is passionate about the role Arts and Culture can play in changing lives. Adam led an NPO (QUAD, Derby) for over 12 years as CEO and then led on Derby’s bid for UK City of Culture 2025 (reaching the last eight from a record number of applications). During this time he was part of the team that successfully brought in funding for the Create Growth programme, and was a member of the initial steering group. Adam also created ‘Mainframe’ a creative industries network funded by ERDF and that supported hundreds of creative individuals and businesses. Recent work includes supporting a £multi-million bid to Arts Council England for Durham County Council, undertaking a wide ranging strategic development exercise around education and learning for Plymouth Theatre Royal, working with a range of Universities including Queen’s Belfast and Durham University on a UK wide arts research project and leading on bid writing for Ealing Borough Council’s bid for London Borough of Culture. Adam has undertaken significant training in Cultural Intelligence, unconscious bias training and safeguarding. Adam is a Trustee of Safe and Sound, an agency seeking to end the criminal exploitation of young people, a member of the Creative Industries Council regional board, a mentor for Arts Emergency and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. 

Location

Enterprise Centre
Bridge Street
Derby, DE1 3LD