Creative Economic Conference

Professor Aaqil Ahmed is the former Head of Religion and Ethics at both the BBC and Channel 4. He is currently a Media, communications and diversity consultant and a Professor in media. Aaqil is a Non Executive Director of a number of organisations including The Advertising Standards Authority, OFCOM and The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.

With over 20 years of experience in conflict and technology, Daanish Masood Alavi is collaborating with top AI labs, embedding global values, legal codes, and ethics into AI systems. For 16 years, Daanish served the United Nations. Starting in the Secretary-General’s office, he later co-led a UN innovation unit, applying cutting-edge technologies to peacemaking use cases in conflict zones. Previously, he supported Security Council missions in the Middle East and helped establish an evidence gathering mission to document ISIL’s atrocities in Iraq. Recognitions include the Geospatial Excellence Award for a pioneering satellite system aimed at measuring water diminishment and directing a VR film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Daanish co-founded the VR collective BeAnotherLab and was an affiliate at MIT’s Arts, Culture and Technology program. He holds degrees in analytic philosophy and Middle East Studies.

Javaad Alipoor is a British-Iranian writer, director, and performer who founded The Javaad Alipoor Company in 2019. His latest work, Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World, received five-star reviews and sold-out audiences at Battersea Arts Centre and HOME, Manchester, before touring internationally.

Alipoor’s previous work includes writing, co-directing, and performing in The Believers Are But Brothers. He also co-created Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran, which won a Fringe First Award and later transformed into a digital experience during the COVID-19 lockdown, touring to Sundance Film Festival and The Public Theatre’s Under the Radar Festival.

Alipoor has held directing positions at Sheffield Theatres and Bradford’s Theatre in the Mill. Additionally, he is an activist and political writer, co-founding several organizations and contributing to major publications.

Peg Alexander is a Leeds based award winning broadcaster, presenter, and journalist across TV, radio, podcasts and events. A colourful, warm, optimistic northerner, she’s all about the world we live in and life in general – people, politics, the planet, and cake. She‘s a regular on shows including Jeremy Vine on 5 and previously Steph’s Packed Lunch, and is often heard on national radio putting her twopenneth in.

Broadcasting is her 2nd career. Before moving into the media she was a charity CEO and was senior in public policy. She was also founding Director of Bradford’s UNESCO status as the world’s first City of Film. She now combines both careers.

She’s written 2 books – one on how to keep weight off long term and is currently finishing a travel-inspired memoir.

David Bryan CBE is Founder/Director at Xtend (UK) Ltd., an organisation development consultancy. He has a long history of work on organisational change and diversity in the public, voluntary and arts sectors. He is the Chair of Brixton House, Battersea Arts Centre and Creative Lives (UK). He is a member of the Mayor of London’s Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm and a trustee of Dunraven Educational Trust. He has worked with Southbank University, Goldsmiths College and Kings College (London). He was made a CBE for his services to the Arts.

Jonathan is a Partner at McKinsey & Co, where he serves financial services clients in the UK, Europe and USA on strategic and operational topics. In 2023, he co-led McKinsey’s pro bono work authoring a report on the impact of the UK arts sector, collaborating with 70+ institutions across the performing, screen, visual and literary arts. Jonathan started his career as a cellist, performing with orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia and as a chamber musician. Jonathan studied mathematics at Cambridge University and completed his studies as a cellist at the Royal Academy of Music at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.

Carlos Andrés Gómez is a Colombian American poet from New York City. A star of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and the Spike Lee movie Inside Man with Denzel Washington, Carlos partnered with John Legend on Senior Orientation, a program to counteract bullying and champion inclusive masculinities. He is the International Book Award-winning author of several books, including the poetry collection Fractures and the memoir Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood. 

Director of Bradford UK City of Culture 2025, Shanaz’s career spans film, visual arts, theatre, public art and media. Established nationally as an artist, Shanaz is also a producer at Manchester International Festival and in 2019 brought a contemporary artist’s perspective to the Yorkshire landscape for BBC television programme ‘Yorkshire Walks’. Shanaz has worked extensively for many years across Yorkshire and the UK, including for Bite the Mango Film Festival, Illuminate, Bradford City Parks, Impressions Gallery, Yorkshire Film Archive, Enchanted Parks Gateshead, and as associate artist for National Theatre Wales.

Andy Haldane was Chief Economist at the Bank of England and a member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee until June 2021. He became Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in September 2021 and is also head of the Government’s Levelling Up Taskforce. Among other positions, he is Honorary Professor at University of Nottingham. He has authored four books and is the founder and trustee of charity Pro Bono Economics and Vice Chair of National Numeracy.

Costas is a Londoner of Greek Cypriot heritage who has experience as a barrister, solicitor, investment banker, private equity executive, angel investor and board director over a professional services career spanning over 30 years. Now an executive coach, his focus is on helping leaders to build trust by leveraging transparency, collaboration, diversity and inclusion in order to achieve the best results.

Costas has lived and worked in the U.K., U.S. and the Middle East. He holds an LL.B (Hons) from Nottingham University and an M.B.A (Beta Gamma Sigma) from Columbia Business School.

Asif is the Founder and CEO of MedShr, the leading clinical case discussion network with over 2.5 million members in 190 countries. An Interventional Cardiologist with NHS and private practice in London, he is also an angel investor, mentor, and board advisor for early-stage companies.

Asif studied Medicine at Cambridge University on an Open Scholarship to Trinity College, excelling in sports and academics. He returned for a PhD and was a visiting fellow at Yale. He completed his interventional training with a fellowship in Milan and is now a Consultant Interventional Cardiologist in London, active in research and major cardiology congresses.

Asif, a serial entrepreneur, launched MedShr from the Founders Factory Accelerator in 2015. MedShr has won numerous awards, including the King’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation this year. Additionally, he is a Trustee of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.

Alexandra Pringle was Editor-in-Chief of Bloomsbury Publishing for 20 years, her authors including Susanna Clarke, Richard Ford, Elizabeth Gilbert, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Khaled Hosseini, Jhumpa Lahiri, Colum McCann, Madeline Miller, Ann Patchett, George Saunders, Kamila Shamsie, Ahdaf Souief and Patti Smith. She is a Patron of Index on Censorship, a Trustee of Reprieve and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She has been awarded Honorary Degrees of Doctor of Letters from Anglia Ruskin and Warwick Universities.

Kamran Rashid is Co-Founder & CEO of Impact Hub Bradford, a dynamic space – uniting social innovators to drive community development and engagement programs. With extensive experience in the voluntary, social enterprise and public sectors, Rashid is passionate about social innovation, particularly in Bradford. He also founded ‘The Socially Conscious Company’ (SoCo) through which over 12,500 young people have been trained in leadership, culture, and diversity.

Jared is the head of strategic communications for the Greater London Authority. He has worked in communications and marketing for over twenty years, working with global brands, governments and NGOs. He’s a frequent lecturer on behaviour change communications, and works with research institutions on programmes studying and utilising the power of narratives.

Smita Tharoor is a motivational keynote speaker and thought leader on the Unconscious Bias and how it influences all of us. Smita has spoken at conferences all over the world from Philadelphia to Penang with Berlin and Bangalore in the middle. She talks about emotional resilience, change management, leading in times of uncertainty and other similar topics all embedded by our unconscious bias. She is the co-founder of Culturelytics a company that uses artificial intelligence to understand culture in an organisation and the founder of Tharoor Associates a Training, Coaching and Organisational development company. She is a TEDx speaker, Broadcaster, Trainer, Coach, Mentor, Mindfulness Practitioner and Associate Lecturer. She also hosts a podcast Stories Seldom Told where she interviews people around the world to share their stories of Unconscious Bias.

Professor Hassan Ugail is the director of the Centre for Visual Computing and Intelligent Systems at the University of Bradford in the UK. He is a renowned computer scientist in the area of visual computing and artificial intelligence (AI). He is an advocate of AI for helping to tackle real-world issues in the areas of biometrics, digital health, innovative engineering, and sustainable societies in general. More specifically, he works in the area of human biometrics, especially the development of cutting-edge AI solutions for biometric face recognition and analysis. His work in this area includes helping to unravel the real identity of the two Russian spies at the heart of the Salisbury Novichok poisoning case – one of the biggest international stories of 2018.

Dr Afra Atiq is an Emirati poet, scholar, and teaching artist. She has spent the last 10 years at the intersection of education and culture. She completed her PhD in Creative Industries at UAE University. She also earned a Master’s Degree in international relations and diplomacy. Over the years, she has mentored, and coached, students and writers. Her artistic work explores a broad range of topics which include heritage, culture, and legacy. Dr Afra has been awarded for her poetry and has been featured on stages across the world. She writes and performs in a blend of English, Arabic and French.