Impact & Industry Advisory Board

Carolynn Bain

Founder of Afrori Books

A multi award-winning businesswoman, entrepreneur, speaker and event manager, Carolynn Bain is making impact across the southeast and the publishing industry.

Her heart to see diversity in a city she loves dearly, and to change the narrative for so many black and brown people led her to create the award-winning bookshop Afrori Books in 2020, a store that specialises in books by black authors. Hoping to curate a short list of books by black authors in the summer of 2020, Carolynn created the Afrori Books website. Fast forward to present day, Afrori Books is Brighton's first black-owned bookshop, and (most importantly) a hub and safe haven for black people and theory allies in East Sussex. Carolynn has featured as a pioneer on major news channels, as well as creating Brighton's first Anti-Racist Kids Club (ARK), which she delivers to schools across Sussex. She runs workshops within the shop including relationship building and hair education.

Carolynn is a sought-after public speaker, working closely with organisations across the country including social services, educations bodies, health trusts, charities and corporations, she has delivered talks, workshops for adults and young people. She regularly covers issues such as racism, feminism, entrepreneurship, publishing, equity, leadership and anti-racism.

Lizzie Bracegirdle

Head of Music, Publishing & Design at Department for Culture, Media & Sport

Lizzie leads on Music, Publishing and Design policy within the Creative Industries directorate at the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).

Lizzie’s role is to develop evidence-based advice to inform and support ministerial priorities across the creative sectors, working closely with industry and across government to understand the challenges and opportunities for socioeconomic growth. Prior to this role, Lizzie led on cultural diplomacy policy at DCMS, with a focus on Italy and the Gulf States. Lizzie’s interest in cultural policy developed through previous roles at the British Council, Science Museum, the V&A, English Heritage, the Venice Biennale and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. Her Masters in Art History and Museum Curating at the University of Sussex focused on the role of art in shaping UK national identity, with a curatorial placement at Tate Britain.

As a foster carer for children ages 5-18, Lizzie champions the role quality arts education and creative learning can play in developing a sense of belonging, self-worth and empowerment.

Topher Campbell

Freelance Artist

Topher Campbell is an award-winning artist and filmmaker. He is also an accomplished theatre director. His film credits include The Homecoming available on BFIplayer, Una Marson Our Lost Caribbean Voice for BBC, and the groundbreaking Moments That Shaped Queer Black Britain for BET. Topher is a Sussex Alumni and a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sussex. In 2024/5 he curated “Making a rukus!”, a trailblazing exhibition about Black LGBTQ+ culture and history, and also premiered “My rukus! Heart”, a new artwork, at Tate Modern.

Andy Cummins

Managing Director of Cogapp

Andy Cummins is Managing Director of Cogapp, a leading digital agency specialising in work with museums, archives, and libraries. His technical skills have been put to use over two decades at Cogapp, working as a technical intern post-university through to leading the team today.

Andy has extensive industry experience with a roster of clients that includes the National Gallery, the British Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, The Getty Trust etc.

Andy is the current President of the board of directors at the Museum Computer Network, a membership organisation dedicated to growing the digital capacity of museum professionals, and a member of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. He is also a board member at Phoenix Art Space, a unique arts organisation, located in the centre of Brighton.

Lucy Day

Executive and Artistic Director of Phoenix Art Space

Lucy Day is the Executive and Artistic Director at Phoenix Art Space, an arts charity based in the centre of Brighton, which houses over 100 artists’ studios, three galleries, and a very active community engagement programme.

Before this, Lucy was an independent curator, mentor, arts consultant and Founder Director of A Woman’s Place Projects and Day+Gluckman curatorial partnership. She is a non-Executive Director of Devonshire Collective/VOLT Gallery, an alumna of the Clore Leadership Programme (Clore50 2017) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Stephanie Fuller

Director and CEO of Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft

Steph has been Director since 2017, leading a programme of socially focussed initiatives working with community partners.  With a practice based background in craft and visual arts, she is a curator, researcher and activist and has produced exhibitions with contemporary artists and craftspeople as well as using historic material culture to tell overlooked and lesser known stories.

Previously she was founder Director of Ideas Test, an Arts Council Creative People and Places project undertaking action research into cultural activity in an area of reported low engagement.

She holds an MA in Art History and is a Research Associate of Media, Arts and Humanities at Sussex. She is currently a board member of Disability Arts Online.

Joe Hill

Director CEO of Towner Eastbourne

Joe has been Director and CEO of Towner Eastbourne since 2018. Under his leadership, the gallery has undergone a bold transformation, growing its audience to 200k annual visitors and becoming a major cultural driver for the region. Towner was named Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2020 and hosted the Turner Prize in 2023 as part of its Centenary celebrations, bringing an estimated £16 million in economic benefit to Eastbourne.

Joe is currently leading a major Levelling Up-funded capital project to create a new arts and environment centre for Towner at Black Robin Farm in the South Downs. He also serves as Chair of Culture East Sussex, advocating for the value and impact of culture across the region.

He contributes to wider sector development through national policy consultation, strategic partnerships and regional cultural planning, with a focus on the role of the arts in placemaking, regeneration and the environmental conversation.

Prior to joining Towner, Joe was Director of Focal Point Gallery in Southend, where he led the acclaimed Radical ESSEX research and place-making initiative. Originally trained as an artist, he has held curatorial roles at Camden Arts Centre, Firstsite, and as part of the Venice Biennale, with extensive experience in visual arts commissioning and close collaboration with artists. He continues to champion access to contemporary art and the essential role that galleries play in shaping communities, creativity and public life.

Jenni Lewin-Turner

Founder/Director of Urbanflo Creative

Jenni Lewin-Turner is the founding director of the socially engaged arts agency Urbanflo Creative and has maintained a long portfolio career as an international creative producer, cultural broker, consultant, researcher and curator. Jenni is a PhD candidate at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama researching the impact of media representation on cultural memory. Her qualifications include an MA in Cultural Leadership and an MA in Media Practice for Development and Social Change.

Jenni's international cultural initiatives include collaborations with partners based across the Caribbean, USA, Africa, and the UK. Her national remit is a trustee of All England Dance and EDI consultant for a university group and a theatre franchise. Locally, in partnership with Brighton Pride, Brighton Fringe, Ironworks Studios and Pan-African Creative Exchange (PACE), she devised and produced 'Culture ConneX', a multi-disciplinary series of performances, visual art exhibitions, film screenings and career development masterclasses. The programme was developed to provide a unique platform for new and more diverse narratives, as well as to promote inclusive practice and intercultural dialogue.

Amongst her other local commitments, Jenni serves on the boards of Brighton People's Theatre, Creative Future, Brighton Fringe, Screen & Film School Brighton (Inclusivity Action Group) and the Lovey Foundation (UK). She was also recently a consultant for the University of Sussex 'Black@Sussex' project and at the helm of the Brighton & Hove City Council's 'Our Legacy' initiative, which explored nuanced ways to reparatively reimagine and repurpose contested heritage.

Adam Lindsay

Senior News Editor, BBC

Adam Lindsay leads teams delivering news bulletins for Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4, 5Live and 6Music, working closely with correspondents, reporters and editors around the world to create industry-leading, impartial and incisive content. He has been heavily involved in the organisation's efforts to modernise its output to reach new and underserved audiences and is one of 25 people chosen from over 900 applicants to be part of the BBC's first-ever Accelerator leadership scheme to drive positive change over the coming years. Prior to joining the BBC, Adam worked at a number of other leading media outlets, including Sky News, RTE and IRN.

Sally Staples

Team Manager: Culture & Tourism at East Sussex County Council

Sally Staples, MA, is East Sussex County Council’s Team Manager for Culture and Tourism. 

Sally specialises in creating a strategic environment which allows the cultural sector to flourish. Her involvement in the cultural sector has ranged from practitioner, facilitator, commissioner and writer to venue manager and performer. Her recent partnership projects include Create South East (a regional business support programme), the Turner Prize in Eastbourne, Culture East Sussex and the commissioning of workspace development tools. She represents East Sussex County Council on the East Sussex, Brighton & Hove Local Visitor Economy Partnership. She is an occasional contributor to Arts Professional and her previous roles include Head of Kent County Council Arts Development Unit, where she also managed the Kent Film Office, and co-Chair of the South East Creative Economy Network. She has a Masters in Writing from Sheffield Hallam University.

Hedley Swain

Chief Executive of the Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust

Hedley Swain is a distinguished museum and heritage professional with over four decades of experience in archaeology, museum leadership, and cultural policy. He is currently the Chief Executive of the Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust in Brighton & Hove (2020–present), where he leads strategic planning, programming, and organisational transformation.

Previously, he held senior roles at Arts Council England, including Area Director for the South East and Director of Museums, overseeing national museum funding and policy integration. He also served as Director of Programme Delivery at the Museums Libraries and Archives Council, managing national initiatives including the museum elements of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Earlier in his career, Swain was Head of Early London History and Collections at the Museum of London, where he led major exhibitions and public archaeology projects. He has also held various academic and advisory roles, including honorary lecturer positions and leadership in professional archaeological organisations.

Swain is a prolific author and speaker, contributing extensively to museum and archaeological literature and conferences worldwide. He holds degrees in archaeology and museum studies and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists.

Ruth Wainwright

Founder of Just Insights

Ruth Wainwright is a freelance consultant offering strategy, research and evaluation services to purpose-driven organisations. At Just Insights she works with organisations to define their vision of social justice, explore strategies to bring that vision to life and examine the systemic impact of their work.

Prior to founding Just Insights, Ruth worked as an economic consultant with experience spanning the public and private sectors, including roles at the Ministry of Justice and the Financial Conduct Authority. From 2019 to 2024, she founded and ran The Feminist Bookshop in Brighton, a vibrant local hub for feminist literature, dialogue and community engagement, and served as a Director of Brighton Book Festival in 2022 and 2023. Ruth holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford and an MSc in Economics at the London School of Economics.

Aaron Wright

Head of Performance & Dance at Southbank Centre

Aaron Wright joined the Southbank Centre as Head of Performance in Spring 2023.

Aaron has extensive experience in commissioning and curating contemporary performing arts. Previously, he was Artistic Director & CEO of Fierce, an Arts Council England NPO organisation in Birmingham (2016-2023). He curated three editions of the biennial international Fierce Festival, working with a broad range of international artists and companies. Aaron was also a cultural consultant for the Birmingham 2022 Festival, for which Fierce delivered a major public realm project, Key to the City. Aaron also helped instigate the new English performing arts showcase, Horizon. Previously, he was Programme Manager at the Live Art Development Agency and a trustee of Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. He is an alumnus of the first cohort of Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries and has a BA and an MA from the University of Birmingham.