Business Planning

Hi there, I’m Sophina, I’m a programme enabler, facilitator and creative practitioner. I deeply believe in compassionate leadership and creating spaces and organisations that cultivate operating from a place of trust, openness, active listening and generosity - work focused on driving change and making space for people to be their authentic selves.

I've worked across the private, public and third sector, with the majority of my work in museums, arts and culture. My work has ranged from project direction and management, workshop facilitation and event management, driving audience-centric change, implementing new websites and digital marketing, to marketing management, strategic planning and PR.

I’m part of the More than a Moment team driving radical change in the arts sector (West Midlands) with and for Black creatives. I was previously Projects Director at Culture Central and led Transforming Narratives, a four year programme connecting artists and organisations between Birmingham, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and Convene Challenge Connect – an accessible sector development programme delivered for Birmingham 2022 Festival.

Organisations I’ve worked with include Culture Central, Creative Black Country, We The Curious, Arnolfini Contemporary Arts Gallery, Good Energy, the ss Great Britain Trust, the Association of Science & Discovery Centres and the Festival of Nature..

I’m formerly board member for the Crown Prosecution Service scrutiny panel (East Midlands) for hate crime and violence against women and girls and have acted as a trustee and volunteered with a variety of organisations including the Association of Science and Discovery Centres, Circomedia, Babbasa Youth Empowerment CIC, Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust, Young Bristol and the Bath Soup Company.

Values / qualities I love in organisations that I work include curiosity and play, having a growth mindset, being kind and generous with each other, recognising that although sometimes we will be uncomfortable or get things wrong and we continue to find ways to move forward with intentionality

As a creative practitioner (artist name Brwn Girl in the Ring), I’m storyteller and facilitator through poetry, spoken word, fiction writing and theatre. I’m also an alumni of Dr Rosales Meza’s Decolonial healing collective and graduate of the Village Auntie’s Foundational Womanhood rites of passage programme and bring this learning and experience to how I show up.

I have a background in martial arts and in my spare time, I love exploring nature, travel, getting lost in music, sketching and painting. And I look forward to connecting with you!

“If you look up the words Integrity, Authenticity and Care in the dictionary, you should see a picture of Sophina, as it is with these qualities that she approaches everything she does. I have had the immense privilege to work with Sophina for a number of years, and am constantly impressed and inspired by the deep care, creativity and generosity of spirit that she brings to everything she does, and everyone she works with. Sophina is truly a remarkable person, and any team/organisation/project would be enriched by having her on board.

Oh and she’s also super good fun, creative, playful, adventurous and will (when appropriate) be delighted to put together a banging office playlist at a moment’s notice. She’s basically completely ace, and you should definitely work with her!” Stephanie Brown, Marketing Consultant & More than a Moment team member

“Sophina has worked as Director of Programmes at Culture Central and has led international and regional programmes of activity. She has worked to support artists, creatives and the sector thoughtfully and fearlessly to create positive change.

Hi there, I’m Amanda. The type of work I relish is joining the dots in complex and challenging situations and working collaboratively to articulate and plan the delivery of an organisation's ambitions. I particularly enjoy working with people across organisations, whether board members, senior teams or operational teams, to ensure that any plan can be successfully delivered. I love working in the cultural and heritage sector due to the ambition of these organisations to serve their audiences and constantly challenge themselves to do better. I passionately believe that work environments where people learn from each other, share different viewpoints and perspectives, and have the bravery to challenge the status quo are the most rewarding and deliver the best results. I have worked in a diverse range of organisations, both in finance and capital programme roles, including Tate, the House of Commons and the Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal Programme. In the future, I would love to help more organisations define their strategy and plans for successful implementation, ensuring a solid evidence base. This includes developing or adapting financial and business strategies and models to meet new strategic, financial or operational challenges. Things people say about me? ‘You have always been totally collaborative and constructive… and that has been very much appreciated across our team’. ‘I just wanted to say that I enjoyed working with you and really came to admire your analysis and the unusual combination of strategic thought and attention to detail’. ’Great strategic thinker and expert at positioning the big messages to get the desired outcomes. My sense of humour and pragmatism is often positively commented upon. My areas of specialism include strategy and business planning, programme management, business case development and approvals, change management, governance, transforming an organisation's financial management capabilities and improving financial performance and planning. I am dedicated to helping organisations make better decisions, change and develop, and gain positive results