Institutional Mandates
Culture is infrastructure. I help states and institutions treat it that way.
Advisory for governments, agencies, universities and cultural bodies that need creative economy strategy grounded in delivery, not theory. I run the tours, the festivals and the company, so the plan I write is a plan that can be built.
The institutional record
Briefed at the United Nations. Built at the border.
United Nations
The UN briefing.
Evidence and testimony on the treatment of Black and African students during the war, cited by the UN, UNESCO and the UK Parliament.
Read the case studyUkraine
A rescue operation, run in public.
Coordination for African students leaving Ukraine: transport, accommodation, cash and legal routes, with an airbnb.org housing partnership behind it. Covered by the BBC, CNN, Sky News, the Washington Post and ELLE.
- 2,000+
- Students supported out of Ukraine
- 100,000+
- Petition signatures
- £300K+
- Raised across the campaigns
- 3
- SDGs the work maps to
The work sits against SDG 4 quality education, SDG 10 reduced inequalities and SDG 16 peace, justice and strong institutions.
11
Cultural and diplomatic missions delivered
UN
Briefed on displacement and student evacuation
22 yrs
Of operating history behind the delivery arm
3
Continents worked across on live and policy briefs
Four mandates I take on.
01
Creative economy strategy
Where the value sits in a national music, film or events sector, what leaks offshore and which infrastructure closes the gap.
02
Soft power and cultural diplomacy
Programmes that carry a country's story abroad, designed around real artists and real audiences rather than showcase events nobody attends.
03
Diaspora engagement
Reaching diaspora communities as participants and investors, using the channels and cultural cues they actually respond to.
04
Evidence and briefing
Research, written briefs and testimony, including work presented to United Nations bodies and covered by international press.
How the missions work
Policy, industry and diaspora, in the same trip.
01
Government and policy
Missions that sit where culture meets policy: private meetings with heads of state and ministers, and contributions to national creative economy and soft power agendas.
02
Creative industries
Each trip maps venues, partners and talent, finds the gaps in local infrastructure, and designs touring routes, festival concepts and capacity building for the next generation.
03
Diaspora and tourism
Bridging home and diaspora through events, storytelling and curated experiences that move travel, investment and cultural exchange in both directions.
- Saudi Arabia2024
- RwandaDec 2024
- United Arab EmiratesJan 2025
- KenyaJan 2025
- NigeriaApr 2025
- EthiopiaJun 2025
- AlgeriaSep 2025
- ZimbabweNov 2025
- BarbadosNov 2025
- GhanaDec 2025
Zimbabwe, in practice
Harare, Kariba and Victoria Falls.
A cultural diplomacy and creative industry mission across three regions: meetings with business leaders and cultural custodians, heritage and tourism engagements, and time with artists and institutions building the sector on the ground.
Read the full case studyEngagements start with a scoping conversation.
Most institutional work runs as a retained advisory arrangement or a defined programme with named deliverables. Tell me the mandate, the timeline and who has to be convinced, and I will come back with a shape and a figure.
Ways in
- Retained advisory, rolling with a three month minimum
- Programme design and delivery oversight, scoped per mandate
- Keynotes, briefings and closed-door sessions