The Bradford Literature Festival Creative Economic Conference 2022 Line-up Revealed

• Sir Peter Bazalgette, Andy Haldane, and Tracy Brabin to deliver keynotes

• Exploring themes including Levelling up in the North, Digital Currency, Art and Activism, Universal Basic Income, Digital Poverty, The Future of TV, and more

Tracy Brabin (Mayor of West Yorkshire), Shiv Chowla (Senior Manager for Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Bank of England), Kersten England (Chief Executive, Bradford Council), Caroline Norbury MBE (Chief Executive, Creative Industries Federation), Ismail Amla (Chief Growth Officer, Capita Plc), Robert Seatter (Head of BBC History), Keme Nzerem (Journalist and Presenter), James Stirling (Head of BBC Centenary), Henri Murrison (Director, The Northern Powerhouse Partnership), Jamie Andrew (Head of Culture and Learning, British Library), Naomi Sesay (Head of Creative Diversity, Channel 4), Heikki Hiilamo (Professor of Social Policy, University of Helsinki), Professor Kate Pickett (Co-author of The Spirit Level), Narinder Minhas (MD, Cardiff Productions), Natasha de Terán (Co-author of The Spirit Level), Nikesh Shukla (Author and Screenwriter), Anthony Anaxagorou (Poet), Caroline Cooper Charles (Chief Executive, Screen Yorkshire), Mona Eltahawy (Writer, journalist, and social commentator) and Alan Lane (Artistic Director of Slung Low Theatre Company).

Friday 24^th June 2022, 09:30 – 19:00 | bradfordlitfest.co.uk | #BLFCEC | @BradfordLitFest
Funded by West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and supported by BBC Studios

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Bradford Literature Festival (BLF) has today announced the line-up for the Creative Economic Conference (CEC), which will focus on the crucial importance of the creative industries to the UK economy, placing the cultural sector at the heart of ‘levelling up’ in the North through economic and social regeneration.

National and northern economic and creative sector specialists will come together in the city on 24^th June at the University of Bradford to share knowledge and best practice through expert opinion, debate, discussion with business leaders, creative organisations, practitioners, and those setting off on their journey in the economic or creative sectors.

The day will feature panel discussions on topics including Levelling Up in the North, The Future of TV, Digital Currency, Art and Activism, Universal Basic Income, Digital Poverty and more.

The festival’s Creative Economic Conference combines two essential themes that aren’t commonly discussed together: culture and economics and will see experts from across the sectors tackle the most urgent and impactful challenges facing the creative industries today.

The conference kicks off with introductory remarks by Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, followed by a keynote address by television executive, and co-chair of the Creative Industries Council Sir Peter Bazalgette on Inclusive Growth in the Creative Industries. Bazalgette will share the philosophy behind A Sector Vision, an upcoming report about the latest government industrial strategy Build Back Better – A Plan for Growth and will ask how this might impact the North and its creative sectors.

Andy Haldane, CEO of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), will end the day by delivering the inaugural BLF Cultural Sector Lecture, exploring the crucial role arts and culture play in social regeneration, and what the future of work may look like. The lecture will also address the importance of lifelong learning, themes that have been central to the RSA for over 200 years. Fresh from heading up the government’s levelling-up task force, Haldane has described the levelling up agenda as “one of the signature challenges of our time” and “addressing regional disparities as a personal passion”. Yorkshire-born Haldane will talk about why levelling up and greater participatory democracy is essential to future growth and inclusion across society.

Other highlights from the CEC programme include:

Levelling up in the North

Speakers include Andy Haldane (CEO of the Royal Society of Arts), Caroline Norbury (CEO Creative England/Creative UK Council) and Tracy Brabin (Mayor of West Yorkshire).

Between Art and Activism

Anthony Anaxagorou (Poet), Nikesh Shukla (Author & Screenwriter), Mona Eltahawy (Writer, journalist, and social commentator) and Alan Lane (Artistic Director of Slung Low).

The Future of TV

Aaqil Ahmed (Former Head of Religion and Ethics at the BBC and Channel 4), Caroline Cooper Charles (Chief Executive Screen Yorkshire), Narinder Minhas (Executive Producer), Cat Lewis (Managing Director, Nine Lives Media) and Chris Curtis (Editor, Broadcast Magazine)

Digital Currency: What Will it Mean for the North?

Natasha de Terán (Advisory Member, International Strategy for Cybersecurity, and the Global Financial System), Shiv Chowla (Senior Manager for Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), Bank of England), Ismail Amla (Chief Growth Officer at Capita plc)

Black to Front

Keme Nzerem (Journalist and presenter), Emma Hardy (Director of Commissioning and Content, Channel 4), Naomi Sesay (Head of Creative Diversity, Channel 4), Katya Des-Etages (Research Executive, Strategy and Consumer Insight Channel 4), Narinder Minhas (CEO Cardiff Productions)

Universal Basic Income

Professor Heikki Hiilamo (Professor of Social Policy at the University of Helsinki),

Professor Kate Pickett (Co-author of The Spirit Level)

Digital Poverty: Is there a Creative Sector Solution?

Fiona Morris (Creative Director and Chief Executive of The Space), Caroline Norbury (CEO Creative England/Creative UK Council)

A series of workshops will also be held including Access is Not an Afterthought with Ali Wilson (Director, Every Brain), Unconscious Bias with Smitha Tharoor (Director, Tharoor Associates), Evaluation: Powerful self-reflection on your organisation’s goals and outputs with Marc Dunford (Lead Analyst, Counting What Counts) and The Current Cultural Funding Landscape with David Johnson (Director of Strategy and Programmes, Cause4).

Bradford Literature Festival CEO and Artistic Director, Syima Aslam:

“We are delighted to share highlights from The Bradford Literature Festival Creative Economic Conference, and to announce the 2022 keynote speakers, Sir Peter Bazalgette and Andy Haldane. Bazalgette and Haldane will share their insight on the crucial importance of the creative industries to the UK economy, in particular the growth and regeneration potential, and we are honoured to have them both at this year’s conference. We are thrilled to have such an incredible range of organisations appearing at this year’s conference from the cultural and business industries and look forward to learning from the knowledge and experience of our speakers on the pressing economic issues the creative sector is facing today.” 

For more information on the CEC, and to purchase tickets, visit: www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk

Discounted tickets will be available following the BLF Ethical Pricing Policy and a limited amount of completely free tickets will be made available for those who cannot afford the concession price. All tickets will include a networking lunch with access to the Bank of England Citizens Forum, and a drinks reception to close the day.

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TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets can be purchased via: 

• The BLF website
• 01274 044 140