Supporting responsible innovation in the creative industries through research, coaching and training

I am lucky enough to have spent my twenties in the music business, first as a member of Passenger (ie: music) and then as one half of Grasscut (Ninja Tune, Lo Recordings).

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In my thirties, I went into academia to help ensure that graduates were better prepared for creative careers than I had been myself and to research innovation in the creative industries.

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Today, I am a Professor of Innovation and Creativity at Kingston University, where I am Director of the Design, Arts and Creative Practice Knowledge Exchange and Research Institute. 

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I also keep a foot in industry through my work as a freelance consultant and a non-executive director of the Featured Artists Coalition trade body.

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I have coached leaders and managers at United Talent Agency and Arts Council England and delivered training around the world from Accra to Amman.

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As well as giving keynotes at academic conferences, I have spoken to industry audiences from KPMG in London to Thomson Reuters in New York.

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I have written for the Guardian, the Independent, the Times and the Financial Times and appeared on the BBC and CNN. 

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Different Every Time (Serpent’s Tail 2014), in which I examine how synthesizers and multi-track recording allowed musician Robert Wyatt to reinvent himself as a studio artist after paraplegia robbed him of the ability to tour, was a BBC Radio 4 book of the week. 

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Distributed Creativity (Palgrave 2019), written as researcher in residence at Digital Catapult, and associated work, was selected as a REF impact case study for its impact on policy and practice relating to blockchain technology in the creative economy. 

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I have also carried out research on other technologies, from streaming algorithms to generative AI, and am currently writing a book for Cambridge University Press on how leaders can navigate technological change.

 

My work has been supported by Research England, Office for Students, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Greater London Authority, British Council, Linux Foundation, Institute of Coding, Publicis Media and Blockchain Research Institute. 

 

I hold an MBA as well as a PhD in collaborative creativity. I am also a qualified executive and team coach. 

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I'm based in Brighton, on the UK south coast, but also work in London and online.

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100% of my coaching clients say they would recommend me to a friend or colleague.​

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Want to know more? Drop me an email.