Virginia Crompton, Chief Executive Officer
virginia.crompton@big-ideas.org
Virginia leads on creative direction, developing partnerships and working with funders to realise our ‘big ideas’. Big Ideas builds on her work at the BBC and the British Council. Virginia founded Radio 4’s The Long View and the BBC’s international school partnerships project World Class, which brought her into the world of the London Olympics as a core legacy of the BBC’s offer. She left the BBC to develop Football Remembers for the British Council in partnership with the FA, Premier League and English Football League. Big Ideas projects challenge stereotypes and bring communities together, embrace diversity, and include communities in national events. Virginia finds the Big Ideas strap line exciting – programmes that ‘change the way you see the world’. She has an English degree from the University of Cambridge, an English PhD from the University of East Anglia, a One World Media Award for Behind the Frontlines with Ebola and a Race in the Media Award for BBC World Class.
Emily Hadwen, Communications Director
Emily heads up the Communications team, managing the communications strategy across digital and print and leading on branding, design and visual identity. Emily also leads on programme delivery for three of the six projects under way in 2018. Emily cut her teeth at the Institute of Contemporary Arts where she managed the strategy and delivery of marketing campaigns primarily targeted to young and hard-to-reach audiences. Her subsequent work at Film London and the British Film Commission cemented her work in industry-facing communications and strategy. As a freelancer, Emily co-curated public-facing exhibitions and events with BAFTA, provided design consultation, and oversaw key projects as part of the global Shakespeare Lives programme for the British Council.
Sarah Giles, Partnerships Director
Sarah leads on partnerships and engagement work at Big Ideas, developing programmes and connecting networks and community groups to get involved in Big Ideas initiatives. Prior to working for Big Ideas Sarah worked in the arts and culture sector, most recently for the British Council developing a large-scale international programme called Shakespeare Lives, connecting people in countries across the world through projects within the arts, education and English-language teaching sectors.
Clare Cleary, Project Manager
Clare Cleary is the Project Manager for Big Ideas, bringing over twenty years experience working in the Arts and Heritage sector. For Clare the role is about audience development, engaging and enhancing people’s experiences and understanding of heritage and culture and finding ways for communities to look at the world afresh. Clare’s prior positions include Senior Consultant for Public Art, Place Services at Essex County Council, Head of Exhibitions at the Hub, National Centre for Craft & Design and Business Development Officer at the Craft Council and she is a qualified Prince II practitioner.
Cassie Cramer, Programmes and Engagement Officer
casaurina.cramer@big-ideas.org
Cassie helps to deliver projects by developing content, providing resources and information and engaging with community groups. Before Big Ideas Cassie worked at the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage in Rome. She also worked at Visiting Arts on projects which brought artists from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific to the UK for cultural exchanges. Cassie has a BA in Archaeology and an MA in Cultural Heritage Studies from University College London.
Ruth Hunt, Community Engagement Manager
Ruth works with and expands the vast and varied network of community groups that Big Ideas engages with and enjoys seeing their exciting projects come to life. She has always enjoyed and been motivated by the community outreach and engagement aspects of her previous roles, particularly her recent school engagement work with The Challenge, a social integration charity and provider of the National Citizen Service. Music is a huge part of her life, and she has recently been involved in various music outreach projects.
Briony Latter, Communications Officer
Briony delivers external communications for the Remember Together 2018 programme as well as internal communications for the company. She previously worked in the creative industry as a photographer and retoucher, and in Communications at King’s College London. Briony has a BA in Photography & Video and is currently studying a part-time MA in Climate Change: History, Culture, Society, where her dissertation is looking at climate change engagement and communication with the older generation.
Anthea Longo, Programmes and Events Officer
Since completing her MA in Japanese Studies at SOAS, Anthea has been working on projects aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion in the arts and heritage sector. Starting out as Cultural Heritage Trainee for the Heritage Lottery Fund, she then became a Radio and Events Producer looking after world music and cultural shows for community radios and events programmes for heritage institutions and education charities. Truly committed to making culture engaging and accessible to wider audiences, Anthea is also interested in video production and archives.
Bex Milner, Community Engagement Coordinator
Bex engages with a range of different community groups to take part in the projects at Big Ideas. Her previous roles have been in the arts and education, where she has worked on several projects, including coordinating a storytelling project that engaged Catalan children to read more in English. She has worked with at risk young people and most recently at Ovalhouse theatre in their participation department. She is passionate about bringing communities together and the effect this has on them. She has a Masters in Applied Theatre: Drama in Educational, Community and Social Context.
Lottie Selwyn, Community Engagement Coordinator
Drawing on her previous experience within the education sector, Lottie is leading on the schools engagement element of the outreach programme. Prior to working for Big Ideas, Lottie worked for the youth empowerment organisation, WE, where she assisted school groups and young people to coordinate a wide variety of citizenship and volunteering projects. Lottie has seen first-hand the benefits that community engagement has for young people and enjoys working with a broad range of organisations.
Ailsa Sinclair, Design Officer
Ailsa Sinclair is the in-house graphic designer at Big Ideas working across both print and digital. Ailsa comes from a multidisciplinary background having completed a Masters in Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art. Her previous work has encompassed a diverse range of media from graphic and furniture design to performance and radio; exploring the idea of constructed conversation and human connection. Have previously worked as an educator and curator, Ailsa is passionate about connecting with communities and working with ethnic minority groups.
Jamie Singleton, Ringing Remembers Campaign Coordinator
Jamie coordinates Ringing Remembers, the campaign to recruit 1,400 new bell ringers in memory of the 1,400 bell ringers who lost their lives during the First World War. Before this he worked at the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Tate, where he was part of the Learning team that engaged young people with the gallery’s collection through innovative participatory programmes. He also managed the activities of an HLF-funded organ restoration project in Notting Hill, with a focus on increasing access to this ‘King of Instruments’, and continues to manage popular silent film screenings accompanied by the restored organ – Notting Hill Silents.