Speakers – Culture: The Missing Link – A Lens on Policy

We’re thrilled to be joined by an exciting line up of speakers for ‘Culture: The Missing Link – A Lens on Policy’, hosted by Julie’s Bicycle in partnership with the British Council as part of The Climate Connection, a global platform for dialogue, cooperation and action against climate change in the lead up to the United Nations climate conference, COP26.

The event will thread together international conversations held earlier this year in the UK, Turkey, Indonesia, Colombia, Nigeria, and Italy and discuss the results of new research mapping national arts policies to climate policies, which seeks to strengthen the creative climate movement and mobilise action rapidly.

The event will take place online on Monday 25 October, 1 – 2:30pm BST.

REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS NOW ENDED.

Speakers

Alison Tickell, Founder and CEO of Julie’s Bicycle

Alison Tickell established Julie’s Bicycle in 2007 as a non-profit company helping the music industry reduce its environmental impacts and develop new thinking in tune with global environmental challenges. JB has since extended its remit to the performing and visual arts communities, and wider creative sector. With an increasing international profile JB is acknowledged as the leading organization bridging sustainability with the arts and culture.

Originally trained as a cellist, Alison worked with seminal jazz improviser and teacher John Stevens as a performer and trainer. She worked for many years with socially excluded young people at Community Music, training professional musicians in teaching, mentoring and business development, and then at Creative and Cultural Skills where she helped establish National Skills Academy for the music industry. Advisory roles include, Tonic Theatre, Observer Ethical Awards, Royal College of Arts, D&AD White Pencil Awards, Music Week, Tonic and WOMEX awards.

___

Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, Coordinating Lead Author of the UN’s 6th IPCC Assessment Report

Professor Chukwumerije Okereke is the Director of the Centre for Climate Change and Development at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike and a Visiting Professor at the Universities of Reading and Oxford, UK respectively. He is a globally recognized leading scholar on global climate governance and international development with expertise in climate justice, national green growth transition in Africa, climate adaptation, business climate strategies, environmental policy, advising governments, corporates, and international institutions (e.g. United Nations, African Union). Professor Okereke was previously the Co-Director of the Center for Climate and Justice and the Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship Programme at Reading University. He was also previously Director of the Center for Climate Change and Development at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford. Over the last 20 years, Professor Okereke has maintained an extensive high-impact engagement with national governments, businesses, and NGOs in Africa and led on several high-profile international projects on climate change policy, mainstreaming, and green economy transition in Africa. Professor Okereke is the Coordinating Lead Author of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report.

___

Magdalena Moreno Mujica, Executive Director at IFACCA: International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies

Ms Moreno Mujica became Executive Director of IFACCA in August 2017, having first joined the organisation as Deputy Director in 2014. Prior to this she was Head of International Affairs at the National Council for Culture and the Arts, Chile (CNCA) and international advisor to three Ministers of Culture. In this role, she oversaw international arts and cultural strategy; served as Programme Director of the 6th World Summit on Arts and Culture (Santiago, 2014); delivered Chile’s participation in three Venice Biennales; served on the Board of Fundación Imagen de Chile; and represented CNCA on the IFACCA Board (2012-2014).

Before this Ms Moreno Mujica was based in Australia, where she was CEO of Kultour the national peak body supporting cultural diversity in the arts (2008-2011); a member of the National Cultural Policy Taskforce for Creative Australia; and led an international initiative to strengthen south-south dialogue (The South Project, 2004-2008). She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne; is an alumna of the Asialink Leaders Program (2008) and the Australia Council for the Arts’ Emerging Leaders Program (2010); has served on several Boards, including for Diversity Arts Australia (2016-2018); and is currently a member of the UNESCO’s Expert Facility Group 2019-2022 to support the implementation of the 2005 Convention.

___

Erminia Sciacchitano, Officer, Minister’s Cabinet, Italian Minister of Culture

Erminia Sciacchitano serves in the Cabinet of the Italian Minister of Culture. She has extensive experience in European policies and research on culture, heritage, and landscape, with a focus on social values, creative economy, and regenerative management. Between 2014 and 2020 she contributed to the shaping of the EU policy on cultural heritage in general and to the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 as Chief Scientific Advisor. She previously held positions of Head of Unit for International Relations and Research in the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage. She is an Architect and holds a Ph.D. in Historical Buildings Survey and a Master’s Degree in European Studies and International Negotiations.

___

Rami Tawfiq, Director of Partnerships, British Council

Rami Tawfiq is Director of Partnerships at the British Council, building strategic alliances with the private sector, government agencies and the philanthropic community. He is also the global partnerships lead for The Climate Connection – an initiative that builds climate cooperation through arts and culture, education and the English language, in support of COP 26.

Prior to joining the British Council in 2017, Rami spent eight years at Thomson Reuters, assuming leadership roles in business development and government relations across the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions. He then served as Head of Enterprise Partnerships for the Global Emerging Markets division. Rami began his career in the UK as a news producer and strategy consultant.

Rami is a certified executive coach, diversity and inclusion sponsor at the British Council, and a member of the organisation’s Anti-Racism Taskforce. He received his MSc in International Management from SOAS University of London, and his LLB Law Degree from Queen Mary University and the University of Utrecht.

___

Juliana Olayinka, Broadcast journalist and communications consultant

Juliana Olayinka is a broadcast journalist and communications consultant with over 15 years of industry experience.

She has contributed to output in the world’s leading newsrooms including Bloomberg, BBC, Thomson Reuters and ITN. Throughout the years Juliana has contributed to the launch of several English language news channels in London as an executive producer and as an on-air personality.

As a communications consultant Juliana works with African focused businesses to help them achieve greater exposure and a strategic change in narrative. This work extends to the public sector. Juliana was recruited to work in London for the successful 2019 Nigerian presidential campaign which resulted in the re-election of Muhammadu Buhari.

Juliana was also a communications advisor for Rory Stewart during his campaign to become Mayor of London in 2019. Past communications projects also include working with start-ups on stakeholder mapping and reputation management.

Juliana is the anchor and executive producer of a weekly business show, Channels Business Global. The show airs on Channels Television, a multi-award-winning 24-hour news organisation.

___

Anne Grady, Cultural Policy Unit of the Directorate General Education, Youth, Sport and Culture

Since May 2016, Anne works as a seconded national expert with the Cultural Policy Unit of the Directorate General Education, Youth, Sport and Culture in Brussels promoting, inter alia, both the intangible and tangible cultural heritage of Europe. Anne, as Head Cultural Heritage Advisor, played a key role with the management of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 with a reach of over 12 million people and is now actively working on its legacy. Anne has a special interest in sustainability – especially the impact of climate change on cultural heritage (European Green Deal) as well as sustainable cultural tourism. Before joining the Commission, she was a senior manager with the National Museum of Ireland and was responsible for a number of areas including ICT, governance, business planning and the development of a wide range of museum policies and guidelines. She was also a member of the Member States Expert Group on Digitisation and Digital Preservation and a member of both the UK and USA Overseas Tourism Marketing Initiative Working Groups. Anne introduced a number of initiatives in Ireland, notably the National Heritage Fund and Heritage Week. Anne has qualifications in a number of areas including history, marketing, education, strategic management and corporate governance.

___

Performer: Nidia Góngora

Colombia. Traditional Singer, Composer, cultural and community leader, one of the most outstanding artists of the Colombian Pacific, founder of the musical group and training project ‘Canalón de Timbiquí’, leading voice of the groups Ondatropica, Pacifican Power, and co-founder of the musical project Quantic and Nidia Góngora.

Nominated for a Latin Grammy for best folk album in 2019, with her work she has managed to build bridges between the traditional music of her land and other genres of the world.

___

Darren Henley OBE, Chief Executive, Arts Council England

Dr Darren Henley OBE is chief executive of Arts Council England. Before joining the Arts Council, he led Classic FM for fifteen years first as managing editor and then as managing director. The author of two independent government reviews into music education and cultural education, his books include The Virtuous Circle: Why Creativity and Cultural Education Count (2014), The Arts Dividend: Why Investment in Culture Pays (2016), and Creativity: Why It Matters (2018). He holds a doctorate in professional studies, master’s degrees in management and in history of art, and a degree in politics. He is a Certified Coach and a Certified NLP Master Practitioner. Appointed an OBE for services to music, he received the British Academy President’s Medal for his contributions to music education, music research and the arts.

___

We will also hear an update from Julie’s Bicycle’s Climate Connection partners IKSV, 5 Cowries, Inspirit, & Fondo Acción – summarising the roundtable events which have taken place over the last few months, with Turkey, Indonesia, Nigeria and Colombia.