OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM

Hello! I’m Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu.

The types of work I love doing is collaborating with people and organisations who are ready to step outside of their comfort zones and explore possibilities and opportunities they do not think are available to them.  They are ready for real change, willing to have meaningful conversations (including the difficult ones), understand the importance of their team and can trust the journey even while hitting temporary bumps along the way.  This can be done through 1-2-1 coaching and group facilitation.

Characteristics I love to find in a client are those who are open to doing things differently, curious, able to laugh at themselves, open to being vulnerable, willing to let go of the façade, want what is best for them/their team/organisation and not with being right, want to have fun and enjoy the process.

Some of the organisations you have worked with include Dance4, Looks Like Me, AkomaAsa and Diverse City.

I’d love to do more work in the future with organisations that are ready for change, consulting on strategies that embed Diversity, Inclusivity and Equality in the heart of the organisation, empowering individuals within organisations to find strategies to lead their teams more effectively and generally creating space and time for organisations to connect with the individuals who are the foundation of their business.  

Nice things clients have said about me include my ability to create a safe space for open conversations free of judgement, enable them to own being empowered, entertained and educated, bring focus and clarity, enable them to breathe and relax, let go of anxiety, tension, doubt, to laugh (sometimes while shedding a tear).

My specialist areas are dance, theatre and people. Working from the inside out.

My work will enable you to think fierce, be fabulous and live spirited in a way that brings value to you and those around you.

Hi there, I’m Azieb, I’m a senior creative leader, arts strategist and writer, passionate about the power of culture to connect people, unlock hidden stories, and spark radical change. From 2019–2025, I led the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham, north London, helping it become a nationally recognised home for bold, Black-led creativity. During that time, I secured Arts Council England National Portfolio status for the first time in BGAC’s history, founded the Tottenham Literature Festival and BGAC Windrush Festival, rebuilt relationships with the Local Authority, and built exciting partnerships with brilliant organisations like Talawa, Dance Umbrella, LIFT, Greater London Authority, National Youth Theatre, Punchdrunk, and major funders including Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Freelands Foundation and Barings Foundation.

Before BGAC, I was Senior Programmer at Southbank Centre, London, where I led Africa Utopia, an annual festival highlighting African and diaspora arts and ideas. I also played a key role in growing and expanding the Women of the World festival (WOW), including internationally to Somaliland, Nigeria, and Baltimore, USA.  I’ve also been a trustee of LIFT, an Artistic Advisor to Manchester International Festival, a patron of the SI Leeds Prize, and a member of the Mayor of London’s Black Cultural Events Advisory Group.

I began my career as a journalist, writing for The Guardian for over a decade and contributing to The Times, Stylist, and Vogue UK. I’m also the editor of Fashion Cities Africa and the author of My Fathers’ Daughter — reprinted in 2022 as part of Bernardine Evaristo and Penguin’s Black Britain Writing Back series. I believe that for work to be truly ambitious, it must be inclusive and collaborative. My specialist areas are; creative ambition, vision, artistic strategy, artistic development, racial and gender equity within the arts and embedding diverse practices.  I’m also a Hamilton superfan, but we’ll get into that another time. 

Hi there, I'm Richard. I help run people make it work, and support or direct programmes and support the team as they work with our clients. I love helping leaders understand their amazing strengths as well as the areas that will benefit from some attention and development. I really enjoy helping organisations and their leaders to explore and develop their ideas, expanding their sense of what is possible and turning audacious ideas into real, sold cultural businesses that are resilient and create extraordinary impact in our society. I believe in people make it work, and the ethos that we all embody - that human beings have infinite potential, that each of us is always on a development journey, that connecting with our values and our organisations' mission can release huge amounts of energy, that organisations thrive when they tend relationships, support each other and grow positive cultures. We work in the arts because I fervently believe in the power of arts and culture to transform lives through helping each of us understand the world through other peoples eyes, connect with our wider humanity, see opportunities beyond our direct experience and have sublime experiences. The people in this team are a daily inspiration to me, and it's a humbling experience to support our clients in their magnificent endeavours.

Hello there, I am passionate about equality, inclusion and representation, I love collaborating with people and organisations and helping them to answer profound questions about future vision, values and strategy which is ambitious, inspiring and optimistic, but which looks unflinchingly at the challenges and vulnerabilities in our cultural sector and our society. I’m currently supporting and enabling Boards and Directors with transitions to new leadership and inclusive cultures through my work as a coach, facilitator, mentor and consultant. I am interested in collaborating with people and organisations that are committed to building a better world and creating positive change, who want to become an effectively anti-racist and anti-discriminatory, relevant and inclusive organization and are ready to champion new voices, embrace risk and new ways of working. Some of the organisations I have worked with are Coventry City of Culture, East Street Arts, Museum of London, Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature, Nottingham City Libraries, Royal Shakespeare Company, UNESCO Creative Cities, UNESCO, National Commission for the UK  and Women’s Prize Trust. In the future I would love to be an honest and challenging thinking partner and facilitator, working with more leaders from small and large organisations across the UK and internationally, and help them shape future narratives and actions that make the biggest positive impact. "Sandeep is a much-respected and influential leader with a remarkable ability to build successful partnerships in a way that combines grace with acuity.” Ruth Mackenzie CBE

Hi there, I’m Clare. I love working finding connections between people and bringing about collaborations and partnerships. I love helping organisations and individuals find their core purpose and supporting them to reach their goals. I am passionate about communication and empathy to enable effective teamwork and collaboration. I love leading creative practical workshops to help people solve problems, find their vision and work better together. I love to work with clients who are open minded, honest and up for trying new things. I love seeing clients who put people first in their work and value difference. Organisations I have worked with include the Royal Opera House, the Royal Ballet School, New Writing South, MB Associates, Transported, Artswork Bridge, Kent County Council, Wandsworth Council, Arts Council England and What Next? In the future I would love to suppport people at all stages of their career to access excellent leadership development workshops, resources and networks for mentoring and peer learning. I would love to do more work to enable cross sector collaboration and support local authorities and cultural organisations to work together more effectively. Some clients I have worked with have said that I am passionate, energetic, creative, perceptive and insightful. My specialist areas include arts and culture, dance, education and creative learning, facilitation, coaching, action learning, strategy and vision planning, evaluation