Originally from Berlin, London based artist Jess De Wahls creates highly intricate embroideries, couching subjects such as feminism, misogyny, fetishism and gender ideology in between pictures of delicate flowers and lush botanics. Pushing the boundaries of what embroidery as a medium can achieve within the fine arts, plays a major part in her prolific output. Her extensive body of work has been exhibited and sold internationally, featured online as well as in print.

Kate Farmer previously served in the Royal Air Force. Responsible for HR, welfare and discipline, she has worked and travelled extensively, including Iraq and Afghanistan. Her passion has always been people, whether that is working to improve the lives of Wounded, Injured and Sick personnel or improving career prospects for women in the Service. Kate now works as an HR consultant focusing on talent development.

Jan is a history graduate from the University of Cambridge, and a former chief operating officer, chief executive and managing director with over 30 years leadership experience in a wide variety of roles primarily in financial and motoring services companies such Deutsche Bank, Barclays, Legal and General and RAC. She now acts to provide discreet coaching, mentoring and board advisory. With a lifelong interest in history and the arts, she has served as a trustee director for Birmingham Museums Trust, Elmhurst Ballet School and Birmingham Royal Ballet where she was later asked to become Chief Executive. She is currently a member of the board of The Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

Tony Guillan is a producer, curator and creative consultant who works with artists and cultural organisations across the visual and performing arts, film and new media, specialising in the integration of digital and broadcast techniques, and the application of new technologies (XR, AI, Web3), to create work and engage audiences on and off-line. He has produced film and new media work, led public art commissioning, artist development, digital innovation and strategy consultancy for organisations including Tate, Artangel, UK City of Culture, The Space, IWM and The University of Oxford.

Simon Fanshawe OBE is the co-founder of Diversity by Design, a broadcaster and author. His latest book is “The Power of Difference” - the Chartered Institute Management’s Book of 2023 when he was also voted into HR Magazine’s Hall of Fame. He is currently on the Board of Powerful Women and is Chairman of Hexagon Housing Association. He was previously Chairman of Sussex University, and on the Boards of Housing & Care 21, the Museum of London and Brighton Dome & Festival.

He has long been involved in campaigns for equality and positive social change. He was a co-founder of Stonewall and of the Kaleidoscope Trust. In 2013 he was awarded an OBE for services to Higher Education and an Honorary Doctorate by Sussex for services to diversity and human rights.

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A proud Scot from Glasgow, Jo has lived and worked in London for over 30 years. A qualified accountant, she has held senior UK and International finance positions in the recorded music and music publishing industries, having worked for both Sony Music International and EMI, and headed up Finance & Operations outside North America at sports talent and marketing agency Wasserman and at UK out-of-home media specialist Posterscope. Jo joined Andrew Lloyd Webber’s global theatrical licensing and production company The Really Useful Group as COO in 2019, fulfilling a long-held career ambition and personal dream to work in theatre.

Robert Knights has worked as a freelance director, mainly in television and film all his life. His plays and series include, The Glittering Prizes, The History Man, Tender is the Night, Mosley, The Ebony Tower, Morse, Porterhouse Blue, and The Dawning. Actors he has directed include Anthony Hopkins, Tom Conti, Tony Sher, Geraldine James, Helen Mirren, Sir Laurence Olivier, Ian Richardson, Les Dawson, David Jason, John Cleese, Dawn French, Mary Steenburgen, Jean Simmons, and Jonathan Cake. Nominated three times for BAFTAS: David Jason winning one as Best Actor, and Christopher Gunning for Best Music. Won an Emmy in New York for Porterhouse Blue. Writers whose screenplays he has directed include Frederic Raphael, John Mortimer, Malcolm Bradbury, Dennis Potter, Christopher Hampton, Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran.