Daniel H. Mutibwa is the Principal Investigator of the Visioning a Creative and Cultural County (VCCC) project.

Daniel is Associate Professor of Creative Industries and Digital Culture in the Department of Cultural, Media and Visual Studies, University of Nottingham.

Daniel researches and teaches in the areas of:

• the political economy of the media, cultural, creative, heritage, and digital economy industries
• innovative community-led approaches to place-making
• community-based participatory practice
• information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D)
• critical digital media studies
• science and technology studies
• and academic-policy engagement across the above-named areas.

He is the author of Cultural Protest in Journalism, Documentary Films and the Arts (2019) and co-editor of Communities, Archives and New Collaborative Practices (2020).

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Cat Rogers is a Co-Investigator of the Visioning a Creative and Cultural County (VCCC) project.

Cat is a Strategic Leader in the Economic Growth Team at Leicestershire County Council and Manager of Creative Leicestershire. She has a strong track record as an advocate for cultural and creative industries, leading on programmes that support artists and creative businesses through workshops, training and networks. She founded the highly successful WebinArt programme for Leicestershire County Council to help creative businesses survive and thrive from early career to established artists.

As an Associate, Cat has collaborated with Advantage Creative on a number of British Council initiatives including Developing Inclusive and Creative Economies in Brazil, Creative Spark in Georgia, and Creative Communities Learning Labs in Philippines.

As a co-director of Haarlem Artspace, Cat developed residencies and co-curated exhibitions focussed on rural contemporary art and supporting artists to flourish collectively in a rural environment. Cat set up her own storytelling business as new mother and continues to write short stories, which are featured in different collections including the award winning Overheard: Stories to Read Aloud edited by Jonathan Taylor and published by Salt Publishing.

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Franne Wills is a Co-Investigator of the Visioning a Creative and Cultural County (VCCC) project.

Franne heads the Department for Communities and Wellbeing Service in the Directorate of Adults and Communities at Leicestershire County Council.

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Amanda Hanton is a Co-Investigator of the Visioning a Creative and Cultural County (VCCC) project.

Amanda is Cultural Participation Team Manager for Leicestershire County Council’s Heritage and Libraries Services.

Amanda’s passion is co-creating with communities whose voices, stories and connections are not fully represented or shared in cultural sites, assets and services. Amanda has been a specialist in this area for over 25 years. She is passionate about exploring and sharing how cultural empowerment can change lives. When travelling the world for 6 years she and made it her mission to establish meaningful cultural projects in at least every continent. These ranged from building new orphanages in Cambodia, using digital technology to support the recording of tribal languages with Aboriginal elders in Australia, working with families with HIV and AIDS in Ethiopia, supporting Tibetan refugees in India and Palestinian refugees in Beirut.

Recent projects Amanda has led on with Culture Leicestershire include Black Lives Matter Too!, 50 years of Ugandan Asian’s in the UK, Exploring Memories of Migration through objects, and Home Is Where We Are!-Gypsy and Traveller Voices.

Amanda is proud of leading on the successful Arts Council National Portfolio organisation bid for Culture Leicestershire 2023-26. This inspired a unique partnership with Nottingham University and Creative Leicestershire to develop of the first co-created cultural strategy for the Council.

Amanda acts as Chairperson for the East Midland’s Heritage Volunteering Group and leads on National Heritage Volunteer Leader of The Year Awards.

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Dr Sophie Frost is Co-Investigator of the Visioning a Creative and Cultural County (VCCC) project.

Sophie’s research and professional practice focuses on the impact of digital technology on skills, leadership, and labour in the art and cultural sectors. Alongside her Co-Investigator role on the VCCC project at the University of Nottingham, she is Lecturer in Creative Leadership at the University of the Creative Arts, Research Fellow at the Institute for Digital Culture at University of Leicester, Associate for Culture24, and Research Lead for Threshold Studios.

Sophie has created three AHRC-funded research podcasts exploring the role of technology and innovation in the cultural sector: Voices of the Royal Pavilion & Museums (2020), People. Change. Museums. (2020-21) and The Hidden Constellation (2022). She regularly speaks and consults on research impact, digital justice, and workforce equity in the arts.  

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Sam Berry is a team member of the Visioning a Creative and Cultural County (VCCC) project.

Sam has worked for Creative Leicestershire alongside Cat Rogers since 2016. With a background in Graphic Design and Arts Development, Sam supports and advises artists, makers and creative businesses in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. She also writes a monthly bulletin with creative opportunities and manages Creative Leicestershire’s social media.

Before Creative Leicestershire, Sam worked in Melton Mowbray as the Cultural Arts Officer running community art projects, supporting artists and developing arts and mental health provision in the Borough.

Sam has also run her own acrylic and wood jewellery business and currently runs courses and workshops in Creative Journalling, collage and papercutting. She also works for Love Loughborough as their Digital Engagement Officer and as a freelancer on other creative projects. 

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Helen Harris is a team member of the Visioning a Creative and Cultural County (VCCC) project.

Helen is Economic Growth Manager at Leicestershire County Council.

She works with businesses through her work with the Market Towns sub-group which shares best practice amongst practitioners, including Business Improvement Districts and Town centre managers and has successfully acquired funding to deliver a Digital High Street programme. Helen co-ordinates the Leicestershire Rural Partnership, which seeks to address issues specific to rural areas of Leicestershire. Helen sits on the Board of the Growth Hub which is the first port of call for businesses looking for advice and funding.

With a degree in Geography and over 20 years’ experience in local government in regeneration and economic development, Helen is also the contract manager for the remainder of the EU funding that the County Council is a partner in and the County Council representative on the LLEP Business Board and Tourism Advisory Board. Helen also co-ordinates the LEDON group of Economic Development Officers to share best practice and is currently co-ordinating a joint proposal for business support through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for all the Districts in Leicestershire.

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