DCMS unveils Creative Industries Taskforce members

The Taskforce members include Framestore Co-Founder Sir William Sargent; Creative UK CEO Caroline Norbury; tech investor Saul Klein; and BECTU Head Philippa Childs (see below for full list).

The Creative Industries Taskforce, which is co-chaired by Baroness Shriti Vadera and Sir Peter Bazalgette, was first announced in November.

The government said it will develop a Creative Industries Sector Plan and “unlock growth in the UK’s highly valued creative industries, one of the eight growth-driving sectors of the Industrial Strategy.”

The plan will be published in the spring, alongside the government’s overarching Industrial Strategy, and will set out new policies and government interventions.

The creative industries have been identified as a key growth-driving sector in the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

Creative Industries Minister Sir Chris Bryant said: “The sector will have a critical role to play in helping us deliver the mission of this government to drive economic growth into all of our towns and cities. This taskforce will be central to achieving that goal, by helping to draw up a bold and ambitious Sector Plan which will enable further growth and innovation in the creative industries by unlocking private investment, boosting exports and developing our highly skilled creative workforce.”

The taskforce will work closely with the wider Creative Industries Council (CIC), from which several of its members are drawn. 

It was announced last month that Sir Peter Bazalgette, the incumbent CIC industry co-chair, will extend his term until summer 2025 before stepping down, having served in the role since 2021. Baroness Vadera will then serve as industry co-chair for 18 months, alongside the Culture and Business Secretaries.

The members of the Creative Industries Taskforce are:

• Baroness Shriti Vadera (co-chair), Chair, Royal Shakespeare Company, and future CIC Co-Chair
• Sir Peter Bazalgette (Co-Chair), current CIC Co-Chair
• Francesca Hegyi OBE, CEO, Edinburgh International Festival
• Prof Hasan Bakhshi MBE, Director, Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre
• Caroline Norbury OBE, CEO, Creative UK
• Stephen Page, Executive Chair, Faber
• Caroline Rush CBE, CEO, British Fashion Council
• Prof Christopher Smith, CEO, AHRC
• Tom Adeyoola, Co-Founder, Extend Ventures, and non-executive board member, Channel 4
• Lynn Barlow, academic and TV producer
• Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
• Philippa Childs, Deputy General Secretary, Bectu Sector of Prospect
• Saul Klein OBE, investor and member of the Council of Science and Tech 
• Sir William Sargent, Chair and Co-Founder, Framestore
• Prof Jonathan Haskel CBE, Professor of economics, Imperial Business School
• Syima Aslam MBE, Founder and CEO, Bradford Literature Festival

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