Creative Conference 2026

Michael Taylor is the Editor TheBusinessDesk.com in the North West. He is an experienced journalist and broadcaster having been editorial director of Insider Media after a decade covering the television business. His first paid job as a journalist was interviewing rock stars and fashion designers in Australia, but has since written about tech, business, TV, music and football. He briefly worked in politics and twice stood for election, but is very happy working in digital media and embracing all the challenges of AI, video and fake news. 

I am an alumnus of Alliance Manchester Business School and received a prestigious corporate PhD scholarship from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals. It was during my master’s degree at Alliance Manchester Business School and a project on consumer behaviour that I really fell in love with the deep understanding of how consumers tick, the way they respond, shift and change.

I  teach consumer behaviour  and strategic marketing to apprenticeships, undergraduates and managers of leading household brands, MBAs from a huge cross section of industries, Government and public sector. I contribute to consumer behaviour, consumption practices and retailing research, publish in leading academic journals and present at conferences.

I am a ‘go-to’ consumer behaviour and retailing media expert, speaking to national and international media, key institutions and major retail brands. I  regularly contribute to media, including BBC, ITV, Channel 5, BBC Radio and The Conversation. You will often find me commenting on Channel 5 retailing documentaries on leading brands, most recently on Deliveroo, Tesco, Primark, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury, TK Maxx, Aldi, Subway and Coca-Cola. As a respected and trusted source, with an engaging personality, I have contributed to over 200 appearances to date across TV, radio and print.

I am a public speaker and presenter at national & international events & conferences and a panellist for events, known for conveying complex ideas with simplicity to really engage, educate and inspire an audience.

Linked in – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-amna-k-6b639b1b/

Paul Hine is CEO of Made By Mortals (MBM), an award-winning creative health organisation that uses participatory arts to bring people’s lived experiences to life through film, audio, music, theatre and interactive workshops.

Under Paul’s leadership, MBM has supported hundreds of individuals to share their stories and has gained national recognition for its innovative approach to health, care and social justice. The organisation has received numerous awards, including the UK Audio Production Awards, Royal Society of Public Health Awards, British Podcasting Awards and BBC Making a Difference Awards.

Paul has co-authored several publications on MBM’s creative methodology, with work featured in leading journals including Public Money & Management, PLOS One and Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Alongside leading MBM, Paul is involved in a range of health and social care research projects and is an Honorary Research Fellow in Nursing & Midwifery at the University of Manchester.

Jo comes from a global advertising agency background. She understands the importance of strategic campaign work and its placement in equal measure. Jo has worked across a multitude of both B2C and B2B client sectors, delivering through-the-line campaigns for the likes of: Britannia Building Society, Magnet Kitchens, DAF Trucks, Thomson Reuters and smaller SME businesses. At Truth, Jo has worked across a diverse range of industries to support TTL campaign work, including but not limited to: The Authentic Food Company, M247, Newcastle University London, University Academy 92, Shaws of Darwen and GC Aesthetics. Jo is adept at understanding the wider strategic business objectives,ensuring an integrated campaign supported by research, insight and media planning can maximise its effectiveness and ROI.

Steve is co-founder and CEO of Creative Concern. An experienced strategist, writer and communications consultant, Steve specialises in ethical and sustainability issues, integrated campaigns, city strategies, brand development and creating strange installations out of trees, lights and beautiful type.

Recent projects include work with C40 cities, World Green Building Council, World Resources Institute, Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce, Newcastle City Council, Plymouth City Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Steve’s spent the last few years also helping to create a European network of partner agencies, called Do Not Smile – www.donotsmile.com

He is currently a board member of the Greater Manchester LEP, and was recently the interim chair of the Community Forest Trust and has previously chaired Manchester’s Climate Change Partnership. A long time ago he was Communications Director at Sustainability Northwest and Head of Campaigns at the Vegetarian Society of the UK.

Specialties: Particular areas of expertise include climate change, place making, city strategies, culture, sustainable transport, food issues and the natural environment.

Marisa Draper joined Venture Arts in August 2021 as Head of Operations & Internal Business Strategy. Venture Arts is an award-winning, Manchester-based organisation that works with learning disabled artists to develop ambitious creative practices.

Since joining, Marisa has overhauled infrastructures and policies to support the organisation’s future ambitions. Most recently, Marisa led on a significant capital redevelopment project, resulting in transformed, accessible studios with 40% more space, enabling more learning-disabled artists to join Venture Arts.

Marisa previously worked at HOME, Manchester, where she headed up the engagement team, playing an instrumental role on the senior leadership team, co-leading on the upscaling and transition that resulted in the opening of HOME in 2015.

Alex Smith has extensive experience designing spaces for universities and international private pharma clients, and is currently working with an interdisciplinary research and development institution, rolling out office and laboratory accommodation where brand is central from concept to completion. He has recently reimagined Pall Mall (Manchester) as a creative workplace and aslo served as masterplanner and architect for the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus, a new innovation district designed to retain and attract occupiers into an extended ecosystem.

Ciaron Wilkinson is Head of Partnerships and Engagement at Manchester Museum, part of the University of Manchester, and the proud winner of European Museum of the Year 2025. Manchester Museum is a sector leader in community led, values-based practice and Ciaron’s work spans public programming, communications, community engagement, and fundraising, all with a focus on building meaningful connections.

Ciaron had previous lives at Manchester City Council where he led on partnerships and stakeholder engagement within the city centre regeneration team, at Manchester’s destination marketing agency Marketing Manchester, and with the city’s international arts festival MIF.  He is currently the secretary of the European Museum Forum, one of Europe’s leading museum organisations, and contributes to the UK culture sector as a member of Arts Council England’s North Board.

Ronke Jane is Co-Founder and Director of Black Creative Trailblazers, the largest network of Black creatives in the North of England and a community platform dedicated to championing and developing Black talent.

For over four years, she has designed and delivered community-focused projects that celebrate, support, and platform Black creatives, collaborating with hundreds of artists and engaging thousands of attendees through the events she’s produced.

Her mission is simple: to nurture the creative talent within the Black community by giving people the tools, opportunities, and platforms they need to thrive in the creative industries.

Lauren Somers is a UK Chartered Trade Mark and Designs Attorney. She helps businesses from multinationals to start-ups to identify, protect and enforce their intellectual property rights. Lauren is co-chair of the pro-manchester Retail & E-commence committee and has particular experience and expertise advising retailers.

Kirsty Fairclough is Professor of Screen Studies and Research & Innovation Lead at the School of Digital Arts (SODA), Manchester Metropolitan University. With over two decades of interdisciplinary experience across screen cultures, popular music, celebrity studies, and gender representation, she has shaped scholarly discourse through numerous publications, including Prince and Popular Culture and The Music Documentary. Her leadership extends into the cultural sector in Greater Manchester—she recently concluded a six‑year tenure as Chair of Manchester Jazz Festival and holds roles as GMCA Music Commissioner, Bolton Culture Compact Chair, and trustee of Something to Aim For. A respected media commentator, she has featured across BBC News and Radio, The Guardian, The New York Times and The Creative Review.

Ruth is an experienced journalist, the director of the Wire Press publishing group and is a Chartered Business Manager (CMI 2023). In 2025, she teamed up with developer Finn Howard to create the desktop application, Story Architect (Story AI Limited), which uses AI tools to deliver journalistic grade content in seconds which is currently used by Wire Press and its clients. Having started her career in TV, she worked as a print journalist and editor for The Guardian, MEN, Metro, Time Out, FT and many more. She went on to found what’s on website Manchester Wire and Wire Press Limited, in 2012, was a board member of the Portico Library from 2022-2026, and graduated from Bruntwood SciTech Female Founders Incubator in July 2026.