About Creative United

Professor Nick Henry is Co-Director at the Centre for Business in Society, Coventry University. Previously he was Consulting Director, Economic Development and Economic Policy at ICF GHK Consulting. He sits on Coventry University’s City of Culture 2021 Steering Group and is a member of Big Society Capital’s Community Investment Steering Group.

Nick has long run, substantial and wide-ranging experience of directing and managing research and consultancy projects on economic and social development at European, national, regional and local levels for Directorate Generals, numerous Government departments and quangos, national foundations, charities and trade associations, regional and local economic development partnerships, Local Authorities and voluntary and community sector organisations. Nick is a Visiting Fellow at Cranfield School of Management and Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Hannah Kayi Mason is strategic leader, cultural producer and change agent with an exceptional track record- natural gift of working at the intersection of inclusion, art and culture across diverse stakeholders within the public and private sectors. She has over 20 years’ experience in the arts, education, public and private sectors.

Working at the intersection of inclusion, art and culture, her experience spans music, theatre, digital media, equality and diversity, contemporary visual arts and heritage. She is currently the Head of Social Entrepreneur Support at UnLtd, Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs managing a team who deliver a complex portfolio of awards by finding, funding and supporting people from the most marginalised communities who have the solutions that change our society for the better.

As Chief Executive, Mary-Alice is responsible for the strategic leadership and management of Creative United. This involves a wide range of duties including; the exploration of new business opportunities, ensuring social objectives remain central to the design and delivery of all Creative United's programmes and services.

Having studied at Falmouth School of Art and at Courtauld Institute, Mary-Alice's background and professional expertise is firmly rooted in the visual arts. She also passionate about theatre and poetry, having spent many years working with small theatre companies, both as an actor and director.

In addition to her work at Creative United, Mary-Alice is, involved in a voluntary capacity, on the Board of a number of other arts organisations including Poet in the City, New Contemporaries and the Oppenheim-John Downes Memorial Trust.

Sanaz Amidi is a highly accomplished leader in the arts, and is known for her dedication to working with disadvantaged communities, and uses the arts as a means of bringing positive change to the lives of people facing challenging circumstances. Sanaz was a member of the British Council's Creative Hubs Advisory Board for the UK, and has worked on projects across Europe, from Sweden to Armenia.

In her own right, Sanaz is a figurative painter with a degree in Fine Arts from London's Central St Martins and Camberwell College of Art (now University of The Arts), as well as a trained accountant and an executive coach. She holds a Global Executive MBA from the IESE Business School and a Diploma in Strategy in Not for Profit Management from Harvard Business School. These multifaceted qualifications have underpinned a highly successful career in the creative industries, where she ran Rosetta Arts (2007-2013), transforming it from a small educational charity to an acclaimed exemplar of effective socio-economic regeneration through the arts, working with some of the most disadvantaged multi-ethnic communities in England.

She currently is a NED and Trustee of the English National Ballet, Chair of Creative Newham, and has been an advisor for the UK Government, especially on the essential value of arts education, and is a frequent speaker at international conferences on the creative industries.

Rosie is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Tatty Devine. The cult jewellery label was founded in 1999 in East London by Rosie and Harriet Vine MBE, having just graduated from art school. Rosie drives the business operations and manages the brand, leading a team of twenty staff, across three locations; building and retaining their jewellery production in Britain whilst representing British design on an international level. Rosie strives to promote creativity and equality and received an MBE in 2013 for services to the Fashion Industry. She recently worked for the Institute of Apprenticeships & Technical Education as a member of the Craft and Design T Level Panel helping to shape the curriculum. Rosie is also a Trustee of the Ventnor Exchange, on the advisory board for the East End Trades Guild and a Brother of the Art Workers Guild.

Suzanne joined the Board of Creative United in January 2019 & is excited about supporting Creative United to realise its ambitions.

Prior to this, she has worked in a variety of roles in the disability, arts, housing and events sectors. She has a background in pr, marketing, access consultancy and training, and fundraising. She has both a professional and personal interest in making culture inclusive to disabled people, with a focus on live music. Her work has lead to the following recognition:

• June 2013 - Honoured with an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours’ List for services to music, arts & disabled people.
• 2015 - Awarded Access All Areas Editor’s Award.
• 2015 - 2017 - Listed in Power 100, Britain’s most influential disabled people, supported by the Shaw Trust.
• 2017 - Recognised in ‘She Said So’s Alternative Power 100 List’, recognising unheard voices in the music industry. In the same year, she was enrolled into Music Week’s ‘Women in Music’s Roll of Honour.’
• 2018 - Awarded Music Week’s ‘Women in Music’s Campaigner of the Year Award.’

Suzanne is currently CEO at Attitude is Everything which improves Deaf and disabled people’s access to live music. She founded this project in 2000 and grew into a fully-fledged charity over 18 years. She is also one of the Minister for Disabled People’s, Work and Health ‘Disability Sector Champions’, who help to tackle the issues that disabled people face as customers. She represents the concerns of disabled customers & uses her influence to promote the benefits of being inclusive to the music industry.