We’ve been trying to shout from the outside in but now we can represent the outstanding work in the North East
The leader of a North East-headquartered music development organisation has been named on an influential Government-led body.
Generator CEO Mick Ross is among a tiny handful of leaders from UK-wide cultural institutions, trade bodies, creative businesses, regional leaders and representatives, representing sectors and subsectors, such as film & TV, music and design, whose role is to bring together The Sector Plan’s themes of innovation, finance, skills and trade.
The Creative Industries Council (CIC) was established in 2011 and sits in the Department for Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS), serving as a strategic forum for industry leader and government collaboration. The council provides a unified platform for senior figures across the creative sectors to engage directly with ministers, ensuring a coordinated voice on key issues.
Alison Lomax, managing director of YouTube UK & Ireland, Laura Weir, CEO of the British Fashion Council, Ben Roberts, CEO of the British Film Institute and Sinead Rocks, chief executive of nations and regions for Channel4, are amongst those joining Ross on the new council.
Mick Ross said: "Naturally, it’s a great honour to be invited to join the Council. I sit alongside stellar names from a wide range of creative sectors, all of whom contribute wonderfully to the UK economy. I’ve spoken in depth for some time about the need for the North East, particularly for its flourishing music industry, to be heard in central corridors of power.
"For too long, we’ve been trying to shout from the outside in. Having a seat at the table means we can more confidently represent the outstanding work going on right across the North East, and right the way across the North, which is now attracting not just national, but global attention."
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy, who co-chairs the CIC, said: "The Creative Industries Council is vital to ensuring that we are effectively understanding and addressing the needs of the sector. Our ambition is that every corner of this country will flourish, cementing the UK’s position as a creative superpower.
“We are committed to delivering the Creative Industries Sector Plan, as part of the Government’s Plan for Change, and the remodelled CIC will continue to play a critical role in that.”