We’re a small team, spread across the UK. We’ve all worked with young people before, and now you’ll find us working inside creative agencies, where we’re soaking up agency life and culture. It gives us the knowledge and inspiration we need to talk to teachers and students about the creative industry today, and the best ways to break into it.
Heather MacRae
Chief Executive
Heather’s been with us from the start. She shaped our dream into a fully fledged charity. And she’s still our guide: giving us a strong strategy to follow and raising funds. Heather always gets a buzz from connecting people and ideas. She’s won the National Careers Award and the Arthur C Clarke Award for her educational outreach work.
Helen Poole
Creative Programmes Director
Helen lights creative sparks. She works with schools, colleges and brands to get our programmes off the ground. (She says training as a teacher and having worked in recruitment helps.) In her spare time, Helen loves to organise festivals, do yoga and travel.
Emma Hope
Company Secretary and Consultant
Emma has been working with the Ideas Foundation for over 8 years. Firstly, Emma worked with IF when delivering a social value programme for a brand, then as a volunteer and now she is in-house. Supporting us with everything from programme development, operations, and she is our company secretary. She is driven by making an impact to young people’s lives, which is why she joined us.
Belinda Peach
Northwest Development Manager
Belinda has over 20 years of experience working in the Film, TV and Creative Media talent and skills sector. Based in the Northwest Belinda has supported and developed positive partnerships with a whole host of organisations and charities in the Film, TV, and Creative Media Sector including the Ideas Foundation, ScreenSkills, the Northern Film Offices, MAMA Youth and the Manchester trade association the MPA, with the overall objective of improving work opportunity and access to the industry for people looking to start their career, particularly those from less advantaged backgrounds.
Anne Laforce
Customer Relationships Systems Lead
Anne is an authentic and engaging consultant, enthusiastic and driven, always aspiring to help improve the lives of others. She has broad industry experience in both the private and public sectors, including media, IT, education, and is currently a Business Manager of a specialist finance recruitment company. She started her career at the age of 18 in the hub of national newspapers in Fleet Street. Anne’s tenacity, drive and ambition helped her climb the corporate ladder. She loved working in marketing and in brand and media data research. Data became her specialty, a specific interest in analysing results to provide stories for the corporations involved. Anne has provided guidance, training, and marketing support to sales departments and acted as a consultant within the media and IT industry. Anne is also a mentor, being black and British, Anne’s background is relevant to many women of colour, especially professionals who do not have mentors in the workplace who look like them. Anne is progressive in supporting social mobility and diversity. This is an additional area of her expertise – sharing knowledge and empowering marginalised groups.
Benedicta Joppa
Strategic Finance Business Partner
Benedicta is a fully qualified Global Chartered Management Accountant. She has worked in Europe and Africa across various sectors: insurance, civil service, manufacturing, construction, pharmaceutical, media and charity. In her spare time she loves listening music, dancing and travelling.
Anna Forsström Morris
Creative Programme Manager
Anna has over a decade of experience working in the creative industries, from managing a literature festival to a dance venue and has spent her career supporting young people and communities in getting their ideas off the ground and delivering high impact projects and events. Anna is passionate about access and careers in the creative arts sector. She feels so privileged to be working in the midst of creative ideas and talent, and is inspired by the young people she meets.
Angela Conway
Finance and Admin Manager
Angela is always on the money. She makes sure we pay our bills on time and keep our accountants happy. She also happens to be a fine artist, photographer and film-maker.
Shafia Fiaz
Digital Content Producer
Ideas Foundation have supported me from the start and gave me that little push which enabled me to showcase my potential. I attended Manchester College and have taken part in Ideas Foundation programmes with McCann, BBC, Facebook and am now delighted to be able to help the Ideas Foundation inspire other young people to be creative.
![Peter Bakare (Lead Tutor) [photograph]](https://www.ideasfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Peter-Bakare.jpg "Peter Bakare (Lead Tutor)")
Peter Bakare
Lead Tutor
As an ex team GB volleyball player, motivational speaker and animator, Peter is a towering role model and inspirational mentor. Peter went to school at St Bonaventure’s, the same school in Newham that Matt attended. Peter’s other interests include Nutritroops – a healthy eating programme for primary school children.
![Tolu Farinto (Diversity and Inclusion Champion) [photograph]](https://www.ideasfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Tolu-Farinto-Diversity-and-Inclusion-Champion.jpg "Tolu Farinto (Diversity and Inclusion Champion)")
Tolu Farinto
Diversity and Inclusion Champion
Tolu isn’t afraid to speak up. So it’s great that he represents us on the industry- wide Diversity Task Force. He’s also worked on the Great British Diversity experiment. Like many of our students, Tolu went to school in South London, and helped his brother get into the creative industries at CHI & Partners.
Leonia Goromba
Diversity Champion
Leonia is a former project leader for IF and remains one of our diversity champions. In her spare time she runs a community organisation working with young women and girls in London.
Rachel Rands
Executive Assistant
Rachel helps provide secretarial services to Robin Wight and the Ideas Foundation.