Be inspired to make the change – Socio-economic inclusion in the Creative Industries
Webinar
>by Industry Events
Attracting and retaining a wide and diverse talent pool is a must for any forward-thinking team. Yet those from privileged backgrounds are more than twice as likely as those from working class backgrounds to land a job in a creative occupation, dominating key creative roles in the sector.
What goes on in the creative sector plays a significant role in shaping the national conversation – representation matters. This sector knows better than any other that diversity breeds creativity. Forward thinking employers within the industry are already making socio-economic inclusion a goal in their organisations, but we know there is still much work to be done.
We invite you to join the Social Mobility Commission for a discussion on the importance of socio-economic inclusion within the Creative Industries – about how you as leaders and employers can make the practical changes to make the goal – that of a diverse and inclusive creative sector – a reality.
Social Mobility Commissioner, and Editor-in-Chief at ELLE UK, Farrah Storr will chair the panel discussion, and will be joined by the following Industry insiders who through first-hand experience understand how challenging it is to access the sector and their thoughts on what practical changes are needed to ensure the creative industries become more inclusive:
Heather Carey from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) will also be joining the discussion to provide insight into their third paper in their ‘Class and the Creative Industries programme’.
Panellists:
Jamie Gill – CEO ROKSANDA and Executive Board, British Fashion Council.
Jamie grew up in Derbyshire in a working-class British-Indian home; his Mother worked part-time for the Police and his Father ran a takeaway business. His passion for art, design and luxury brands became pillars of what would be an incredible and swiftly ascended future career spanning Architecture, Design, Consulting, M&A, Venture Capital as well as scaling luxury fashion brands.
During his tenure at ROKSANDA, he has focused on: restructuring the business, delivering a number of improved key business metrics, as well as launching global collaborations, particularly with Lululemon and many in the pipeline for 2022 onwards. He has used the recent lockdown to flesh out the company’s sustainability manifesto.
Jamie is passionate about mentorship and championing emerging British brands on an international level, whilst seeing diversity and inclusion as key to positive change for the future.
Emily Jones – Senior Producer at Sage Gateshead, a music centre and charity in the North-East, and one of the largest cultural organisations in the country. Founded in 2004 with two core principles – excellence and inclusion – has meant that diversity and inclusion is a fundamental part of the organisation and the way they operate.
Della Hill – Della is the Creative Lead at Literature Wales, the national company for the development of Literature. She specialises in stretching and implementing Literature Wales’ Representation & Equality Priority and oversees Representing Wales: Developing Writers of Colour, an exciting new programme designed to further diversify the sector. Della is about to join Chwarae Teg, the charity inspiring, leading and delivering gender equality in Wales, as their Diversity & Inclusion Lead in October 2021.
Additional Information
At the event, The Social Mobility Commission will be sharing findings and guidance from their Employers’ toolkit due to be published late September 2021. Working with industry bodies, charities and employers within the sector, as well as generating new analysis and industry benchmarks, the Social Mobility Commission has created a ‘Socio-economic diversity and inclusion toolkit for Creative Industries’. It is intentionally stretching in its commentary and recommendations, and it presents a roadmap for employers in the sector to drive improvements in society, the economy and people’s lives.
The PEC paper ‘Social mobility in the creative economy: rebuilding and levelling up’, due to be published on 9 September 2021, will make the case for sharpening the focus on socio-economic diversity, set out the priorities for building a more socially inclusive creative economy and shape an agenda for change
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