Our people

freya@arts-emergency.org
Usual working days:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

I recruit and train young people and creative mentors for the London Mentoring Programme. I match mentor pairs, offer individual support throughout the programme, and work with partner schools and organisations to develop our services. My pronouns are she/her or they/them.

vic@arts-emergency.org
Usual working days:
Wednesday - Friday

I recruit young people from across Greater Manchester to take part in the mentoring programme, and I train arts industry professionals as mentors. I match mentor pairs, and offer individual, tailored support and advice to mentors and mentees throughout their mentoring journey. I also work closely with partner schools and organisations to develop our programme offer. My pronouns are she/her or they/them.

joe@arts-emergency.org

Usual working days:
Monday - Friday

I support a fab Programmes team to bring about our vision of a community of care and practice, connecting over 1,800 young people with our vast volunteer network and with each other. I am also the safeguarding lead for the organisation as a whole. Talk to me about best practice, learning and evaluation, safeguarding, and new opportunities and partnerships! My pronouns are he/him or they/them.

rita@arts-emergency.org

Usual working days:
Tuesday - Friday

I’m responsible for planning and implementing effective marketing campaigns that communicate our story and encourage people to get involved. I use analysis and evaluation to help inform strategies for the future, with an aim for Arts Emergency to broaden its reach and impact. My pronouns are she/her.

neileskins@arts-emergency.org

Usual working days:
Tuesday - Thursday

I have the exciting role of planning and delivering a dynamic programme of events—both in-person and online—that bring together all members of Arts Emergency. These events focus on networking, skills development, and community-building. I also work to build and maintain strong relationships with organisations that support the Arts Emergency mission. My pronouns are he/him.

tim@arts-emergency.org
Usual working days:
Monday - Thursday

I oversee our operational systems and services, supporting the smooth running of the organisation. I also oversee our financial management and coordinate work around governance, compliance and strategy. I am the company secretary for the organisation. My pronouns are he/him.

neil@arts-emergency.org
Usual working days:
Monday - Friday

I work with various stakeholders to set our direction as an organisation. I support our programmes team, fundraising and communications, manage our finances and legal compliance as a charity, build beneficial relationships with influencers and gatekeepers and act as spokesperson for the Arts Emergency cause. My pronouns are he/him.

emma@arts-emergency.org

Usual working days:
Monday - Friday

I'm responsible for Arts Emergency's fundraising - mostly keeping in touch with all our generous donors! I run our monthly donation schemes, our Bursar Club, and also manage our fundraising campaigns, appeals and events.

danny@arts-emergency.org
Usual working days:

Monday - Friday

I support our mentoring programmes and officers across the country in Greater Manchester, London and Merseyside, helping them to deliver for our amazing mentees and mentors. My favourite part of the role is seeing how the Mentoring Team care for those taking their first steps into careers in the arts and creative industries. My pronouns are he/him.

lucy@arts-emergency.org
Usual working days:
Monday - Friday

I lead Arts Emergency’s fundraising and marketing team and activities. My main goals are to ensure our impactful programmes are well-known, widely supported and fully funded. My pronouns are she/her.

blaise@arts-emergency.org

Usual working days:
Tuesday - Friday

I'm responsible for engaging with our Young Community via the monthly newsletter and Discord channel, ensuring the opportunities board is up-to-date and seeking out experiences that will broaden the community's knowledge of creative careers and cultural organisations. My pronouns are they/them.

ameena@arts-emergency.org
Usual working days:
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday

I run payroll for the team and ensure all invoices are filed and recorded correctly, manage all expenses, expense accounts and petty cash. I also bank incoming cheques and cash. I work with the Fundraising team to ensure income is accounted for and recorded, and produce financial reports when required by the Head of Operations and Finance or other budget holders. I also support our young people in making claims for travel bursaries or invoicing for commissions. My pronouns are she/her.

helen@arts-emergency.org

Usual working days:
Monday - Thursday

My main focus is on developing relationships and building support to fund Arts Emergency projects for young people. My job is to match organisations and individuals who want to be catalysts for positive change in society for young people, with our work to make this happen.

sanj@arts-emergency.org
Usual working days:
Monday - Thursday

I am responsible for the operational development and implementation of Art Emergency’s people and culture policies. This includes Human Resources, Learning & Development, Workforce Wellbeing, and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion. My pronouns are he/him.

lisa@arts-emergency.org
Usual working days:
Monday - Thursday

I provide support for the whole team on Salesforce and am responsible for development and maintenance of the database. I handle day-to-day administration tasks and make improvements based on team needs, while also reviewing how the system can be used to achieve our longer term objectives. My pronouns are she/her.

cordelia@arts-emergency.org
Usual working days:
Wednesday - Friday

I recruit young people from across Merseyside to take part in the mentoring programme and train arts industry professionals as mentors. I match mentor pairs, and am on hand throughout the programme to offer individual support and advice to mentors and mentees. I also manage the programme's admin, including communication with partner schools and organisations. My pronouns are she/her.

ingrid@arts-emergency.org
Usual working days

Tuesday - Thursday

I interact with a lot of interesting and generous people in my role as Fundraising Officer. My role involves thanking and looking after Art's Emergency's large network of supporters, who all play a vital role in transforming young people's life chances. I'm also here to answer questions about fundraising from supporters and explore new fundraising ideas for the organisation.

stella@arts-emergency.org
Usual working days:
Monday - Wednesday

I recruit and train young people and creative mentors for the London Mentoring Programme. I match mentor pairs, offer individual support throughout the programme, and work with partner schools and organisations to develop our services. My pronouns are she/her.

Yomi is a multi-award winning journalist who is a columnist at The Guardian and has a monthly column at the i paper. In 2018, she co-authored the bestselling book Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible with Elizabeth Uviebinene, for which she was named a Marie Claire Future Shaper and was awarded the Groucho Maverick award.

Jasmine has over 25 years of experience as a Head of Department, Manager, Broadcaster, Producer, Director, Inclusion Leader and Columnist at brands like Netflix UK, Media Trust, Channel 4 News, MTV and more. She is an active member of the BAFTA voting academy, the Royal Television Society Futures committee, Board of Directors at the ILUVLIVE music platform, the BPI Equity and Justice Advisory Group committee and the MOBO and BET International Voting Academy.

Silé is a Literary Agent at Mushens Entertainment, working with writers to create engaging stories and proposals for publication. Silé represents an exciting and dynamic list of authors, talent and brands and she is always on the lookout for a good story.

Sam is an experienced Civil Servant whose career has spanned policy development, strategic planning, parliamentary engagement, crisis management, and operational delivery. She has worked at the heart of government, navigating complex challenges and helping to shape outcomes that make a tangible difference to people’s lives.

Alongside her professional work, Sam is a committed supporter of the arts. She is particularly passionate about widening access and creating opportunities for young people to thrive, whatever their background. 

I am currently working in the Policy Team at the National Theatre and I also work as a Director and Facilitator on a freelance basis. All of my work aims to break down and outline the limitless ways in which young people up and down the country face barriers when accessing the arts. I strive to constantly review the creative sector, who it represents and who benefits from it and the Youth Collective is the perfect space to do so. My pronouns are she/her.

Alex is a child and adult safeguarding expert with over fifteen years experience in the public and private sectors. Until recently she was the safeguarding lead for News, Current Affairs and World Service at the BBC; she currently works as a safeguarding consultant in the charitable sector. Alex is passionate about the arts and spends most of her spare time visiting art galleries and reading poetry.

I'm a multidisciplinary cultural producer in Salford, working across writing, research, curation, facilitation, and programme coordination. My projects focus on the intersections of grassroots activism, community mobilisation, and arts/heritage/archives. Grounded in care and relationality, my practice is informed by abolitionist, socialist, and Black feminist praxis, alongside my lived experience as queer, working-class, and disabled. I have worked with the Working Class Movement Library, and currently work at Venture Arts. I'm a recipient of Cinema For All's 'Launch' bursary, to launch a community pop-up cinema. My pronouns are she/her.

Perminder is CEO of Simon & Schuster UK and International, a position she has held since May 2025. Prior to this, she was CEO of Bonnier Books UK where she led the company to significant growth and a reputation for embracing digital trends and inclusive practices.

Dimity’s career in the arts and cultural sector has always centred around participation and social impact, creating and managing artist-led engagement programmes. She studied Fine Art, specialising in painting and installation and has worked in galleries and arts centres, for a local authority culture team, and within artists and designer/maker studios. She has been Executive Director at Fevered Sleep since 2019. She has been a supporter of Arts Emergency since its early days. 

My focus is to help bring the Young Community together in the North West and also to help program events and socials for young people. I've also helped the Arts Emergency team represent the charity publicly during campaigns and appeals, and produced a short film to present the Youth Collective Manifesto. In the rest of my life I'm a filmmaker and love exploring my craft. My pronouns are he/him.

Binda is a governance and programmes specialist and is Director of Innovation Sutton Trust, who champion social mobility. She also has extensive experience of evaluation and measuring impact and has been a long-time supporter of Arts Emergency.

My name is Adebukola, and I love art, creative businesses, and poetry. With the Youth Collective, I hope to make a difference by offering my skills of project management, collaboration, and experimentation to change the perception of university students pursuing creative degrees and provide non-arts based university students opportunities to explore the arts and inspire them to take a chance on their creative interests. My pronouns are she/her.

I’m Gen! I’m a black, queer, gender-nonconforming visual designer based between London and Plymouth. To put it simply, I love culture, and therefore, I love people. My work is centred around weaving stories for communities close to my heart. Advocating for underrepresented folk is at the heart of my craft and I am very excited to continue to do so as a member of the Youth Collective this year! My pronouns are he/she.

I am currently working in the Policy Team at the National Theatre and I also work as a Director and Facilitator on a freelance basis. All of my work aims to break down and outline the limitless ways in which young people up and down the country face barriers when accessing the arts. I strive to constantly review the creative sector, who it represents and who benefits from it and the Youth Collective is the perfect space to do so. My pronouns are she/her.

I’m Freda, and I’m all about design. I’m working toward becoming a ceramic artist, designer, and craftsperson, and being part of the Youth Collective lets me channel that passion in so many ways. From creating event posters to designing logos and illustrations, I love bringing ideas to life and adding a creative spark! My goal is to help our projects shine and to represent the Young Community in the best light possible. I’m a big believer that we’re stronger when everyone’s included, and I’m so excited to be part of a team making a real difference! My pronouns are she/her.

Currently I work as an admin assistant at Gate Theatre. I am also a freelance writer-producer, literary magazine editor and hairstylist. I love to read and I love theatre! My creative work explores existence in a Black, female body and celebrates personal and collective identities. I co-run a black literary magazine called Wordstew and I enjoy creating communities that nurture sustainable productions of creativity in all formats. Being a member of the Youth Collective is an opportunity to do more organisational work and arts activism to facilitate creative, nurturing spaces for working-class people. My pronouns are she/her.

I’m Ayah and I love zombies! I’m working towards being a journalist covering climate change and raising awareness the injustices that come with climate change, as well as raising the voices of those who are doing whatever they can to tackle this problem. I’m also interested in increasing representation within the art industry. But zombies and writing tragic angst short stories is where my heart ultimately lies! My pronouns are she/her.

I'm a multidisciplinary cultural producer in Salford, working across writing, research, curation, facilitation, and programme coordination. My projects focus on the intersections of grassroots activism, community mobilisation, and arts/heritage/archives. Grounded in care and relationality, my practice is informed by abolitionist, socialist, and Black feminist praxis, alongside my lived experience as queer, working-class, and disabled. I have worked with the Working Class Movement Library, and currently work at Venture Arts. I'm a recipient of Cinema For All's 'Launch' bursary, to launch a community pop-up cinema. My pronouns are she/her.

Based in a darkened room on the outskirts of Liverpool, I am a stop motion animator and puppet maker passionate about moving tiny men and making the arts accessible for working class young people! I'm looking forward to coming out of my tiny worlds to (hopefully!) make a positive change in our big one! My pronouns are she/her.

I am a performer, access support worker and creative producer based in Manchester, and have worked in the West End, at Off Fest, and toured with Box of Tricks. A self-described social justice menace, I use my platform to advocate for the environment and intersectional accessibility within the arts. I am honoured to join the Youth Collective as Arts Emergency has been instrumental in its passion for advocacy. My pronouns are they/them. Photo: AKTA Photography

My focus is to help bring the Young Community together in the North West and also to help program events and socials for young people. I've also helped the Arts Emergency team represent the charity publicly during campaigns and appeals, and produced a short film to present the Youth Collective Manifesto. In the rest of my life I'm a filmmaker and love exploring my craft. My pronouns are he/him.

I'm Louis, a representative for the Youth Collective in the North West and an aspiring architect. I focus on empowering young people to explore careers in the arts. Through my work with the Youth Collective, I aim to inspire youth and create opportunities for them to pursue their artistic interests. My goal is to help young people see themselves in creative careers and encourage them to follow their aspirations. My pronouns are he/him.

I currently work in creative outreach for a variety of creative charities. I work towards making the arts accessible for disadvantaged communities, specifically young people. This has been through curating exhibitions, hosting workshops and events. I also study Visual Effects and use photography and filmmaking within my personal practice. My pronouns are he/him.