Chief Executive Officer
Rosi is responsible for providing organisational leadership and overseeing day to day business operations. Working closely with the Board of Trustees, Rosi leads on the strategic direction of IVE, with the help of the senior management team.
Rosi has clocked up thirty years’ of work experience. More than fifteen of those years were spent in further and higher education; designing HE curriculum and lecturing in the principles of design, the creative process and related critical studies to mainly undergraduates. Rosi has since held senior management positions in a number of arts and education organisations and within Cultural heritage and tourism. Although referring to herself as a ‘designer by nature and by trade’ Rosi’s MPhil thesis The Art of Survival took the idea of design-thinking into new realms and focused on how community participation in the creative process can affect behavioural change. A theme that stuck throughout Rosi’s career, applying it in different contexts. In 2008 whilst working in the strategic partnerships office at Hull University, Rosi convened a North of England conference at the Sage Gateshead entitled ‘Creativity – A Skill for Life?’ publishing a paper of the same name alongside in the Times Educational Supplement. Rosi arrived at IVE in June 2016 taking over the reins from the organisations retiring founder Pat Cochrane.
Rosi’s other qualifications include an HND in Interior Design a BA (Hons) in Museum & Exhibition Design, a Certificate in Post Compulsory Education, a Higher Education Teaching Certificate and NVQ Assessor Training Qualifications.
Outside of the day job Rosi is into property development and currently has three separate projects on the go. She enjoys ‘open water’ swimming (sometimes spotted in a wetsuit on the beach at Hunmanby Gap on the East coast of Yorkshire), veg gardening and (responsible) green-laning in a bright red Wrangler Jeep that she refers to as the ‘Fire Engine’. Rosi lives on a farm in North Yorkshire with partner Antony, a pack of Siberian Huskies and Tig the Jack Russell.
Email: Rosi@weareive.org
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Deputy CEO, Drew Rowlands, leads our commercial strand of work and is responsible for design and delivery of our Creative Leadership training programmes. He developed his expertise of leadership and creativity through his 30+ years’ experience of senior leadership roles within education in schools, local authorities and governance. Drew now works with business leaders from a range of sectors, unlocking imagination so that problems can be seen as challenges and embracing creativity as a means of driving productivity.
Drew sits on Leeds Chamber of Commerce Leadership Group; is Chair of Education on the board of Shakespeare North; Vice Chair of a through school in Leeds and a member of the British Actors Equity Association. Drew is also a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, Manufacturing and Commerce.
In his spare time Drew is a keen writer, and had is first novel ‘Tales of an Ordinary Man’ published in 2014.
Email: Drew@weareive.org
Chief Operating Officer
Jo has responsibility for looking after the ‘business’ of the organisation and leads the Finance & Operations team.
She has experience in both the private, public and third sector, having worked in the latter for over 20 years. She has substantial leadership experience often in cross-sector organisations. She has in-depth knowledge of finance both in and out of third sector and maximizing income through tax efficiencies. She also has extensive HR experience having led an organisation through a complete pay and reward review for over 300 staff, has led a number of successful reorganisations, mergers and is experienced in handling TUPE situations. Working in the third sector means she has a wide range of experience including systems analysis and implementation, capital refurbishments, the safeguarding of intellectual property amongst others.
To keep updated with sector developments Jo is a member of ACEVO (Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations), Charity Finance Group, the RSA and CIPD.
Her main interest/obsession is cooking, she specializes in British/French cuisine but also loves the science of molecular cooking. She is also a professional chocolatier.
Email: Jo@weareive.org
Finance Manager
Sharron is the guardian of the finances and the office, keeping us all on track with her master skills in using the Excel spreadsheet. She is the one that makes sure our bills and salaries get paid on time! Sharron has 15 years’ experience at CapeUK, now IVE starting as Finance Officer, studying for AAT qualification and working up to the position of Finance Manager.
She has 20 years’ experience as a Finance Assistant working in the Private Sector in both Mail Order and Freight Forwarding companies.
Sharron has always been in finance work with all her previous roles being as a finance assistant for various companies.
Her interests are mainly motorcycling and spending all her free time and holidays touring Europe with her partner who runs his own motorcycle tour company.
Email: Sharron@weareive.org
Head of Bridge
Verity leads our Arts Council funded Bridge programme across Yorkshire and the Humber. Through our Bridge programme, we work with the arts, culture, youth and education sectors to develop, increase and improve the arts and cultural offer for all children and young people. She’s also responsible for the regional Artsmark strategy and putting the Bridge programme into action in South Yorkshire.
Verity has a wide range of skills and expertise in brokering partnerships and projects with a variety of people and places. She’s an experienced trainer and facilitator and enjoys guiding individuals and organisations to dream, design and deliver new ideas and ambitions. She has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in devising creative and innovative programmes and models in and across the arts, creative and education sectors.
Verity’s passion is to help people discover and develop their creative potential, and become successful, creative and happy citizens. She spent many years teaching dance, performing and delivering a variety of creative projects in schools and community settings across the UK. Over the last 20 years, she has managed a vast range of creative learning and development programmes with ex-mining communities, footballers, young people at risk, arts organisations, schools and local authorities.
Outside of work Verity designs and makes silver jewellery. She’s determined that one day she’ll finish the novel she’s been writing for more than a decade, but currently spends most of her spare time taxiing her children to clubs or in the gym trying to get fit again.
Email: Verity@weareive.org
Programmes Director
Sarah leads on the development of Creative Learning Programmes that develop the creative potential of talented and diverse young people, preparing them for the future. Sarah’s current focus is on the delivery of Applied Creativity Labs that cultivate creative thinking skills to enable young people to find innovative solutions to real world challenges, with a focus on different aspects of climate breakdown. Sarah is also developing high level partnerships; fundraising & securing new income to support the ongoing delivery & growth of IVE’s Creative Learning Programmes. She develops & delivers commercial training products and services including Unconscious Bias workshops and Inclusion & Diversity Labs.
Sarah’s expertise includes education (including film, media, primary & advisory teaching) coaching and leadership. She is also an experienced project, budget, people and events manager.
Her previous roles include: Cultural Education Director at IVE; Programme Director for North & West Yorkshire at CapeUK; Head of Learning at the National Media Museum; Head of Education at Eureka! The Museum for Children; Advisory Teacher for Photography and Media Education and Education Officer at the National Museum of Photography, Film & TV and Primary Teacher.
Sarah shares a love of musical theatre with her daughter and outside of work spends much of her time her daughter’s singing, dancing and acting development.
Email: Sarah@weareive.org
Director of Skills and Employability
Director of Skills and Employability, Chris Strong leads on our skills and employability programmes including the development of an IVE Apprenticeship Training Provider. He ensures career opportunities are a real option across a range of industries.
Chris is experienced in Partnership Development, Vision & Strategy, Programme Management, Skills and Further Education. He develops industry study programmes, employability programmes and ensures more diverse groups of people have access to a better range of careers.
Chris’s background is in music – he is a trustee at the youth music development charity NYMAZ and sits on the Mayor of Sheffield’s Music Industry Board.
Email: Chris@weareive.org
Innovative Business Development | Marketing Manager
Passionate about art, design, photography, music, poetry and history.
Sharon has travelled the world and lived in Greece, Holland and France before making the UK her home. A multicultural mother with a bilingual family.
These great qualities go hand in hand with her choice of career: blending fashion, events, publishing, corporate business, charity work and the arts.
A bona fide visual person with a sharp and playful aesthetic. Sharon’s worked hard to make a life not just a living. In turn her personal projects focus on helping young people improve their lives and access to creativity through inclusivity, education and art. Embracing a positive attitude, Sharon has a natural sense to discover how we can grow at IVE and aims to redefine our success! Her curiosity to create new directions is all part of her elaborate strategy.
Her values include togetherness and gratitude. An entrepreneurial thinker who creates, leads and takes risks.
“We are born to shine. Art, freedom and creativity is in all of us”…
Sharon loves to converse and open up interesting dialogues. Start one here SharonL@weareive.org
IGNITE Project Manager
Marie is the Project Manager for Ignite Yorkshire, a four-year Heritage Lottery Funded consortium project to make strong, sustainable connections between young people and industrial heritage.
Before joining IVE in late 2017, Marie worked freelance for almost a decade as a project manager and consultant working with a range of public, private and third sector organisations on community projects, with arts, environmental, creative technology and place-making themes. Marie specialises in partnership working and projects connecting people with waterways. She worked in a variety of roles throughout her 10+ years working for British Waterways as an events manager, environmental specialist, and heritage advocate, regeneration project manager, securing funding and delivering grant-funded projects.
Marie has been involved in setting up a number of community groups and a charity supporting young people’s participation in outdoor activities. She is currently a Trustee of Compass Festival – a biannual live art festival in Leeds.
Her interests include ecology and gardening, watching live music and, alongside (but rapidly being left behind by) her children, learning to code.
Email: Marie@weareive.org
Cultural Education Manager (West Yorkshire)
Sarah establishes and supports the development of Local cultural education programmes and identifies regional champions to advocate for our work.
Sarah has experience in several sectors including; funding, arts/heritage and education. Her expertise includes organisational development, grant making/fundraising, teaching & learning, relationship management and media relations.
Sarah has been Press Officer for Horniman Museum and National Theatre. She was Grants Manager at Paul Hamlyn Foundation; Governor at Childeric Primary; a Committee Member at Grant Funders’ Network; Primary Teacher at Kilmorie School and Programme Officer at King’s College, London. She is experienced in grant making/management, education and arts/heritage.
Sarah’s interests are life drawing, running and theatre.
Email: SarahB@weareive.org
Regional Cultural Education Manager (North Yorkshire & Humber)
Susan develops relationships and broker partnerships across North Yorkshire and the Humber. As an expert in Arts Award she is leading on this for the whole region.
Susan has experience in; arts, cultural, education, heritage, design, youth & community, international development and volunteering. Her expertise includes programme development & management, strategic work, resource design & development, planning creative projects, alternative learning programmes, working with communities, partnership working and volunteering/supporting volunteers.
Susan has been an Arts Award Coordinator in Leeds; an Arts Coordinator Officer in Madrid; a Youth and Community Worker in Hull; a Community Development Volunteer in Ghana and an Artist in Residence in Swansea. She has also worked in education as a Cultural Education Manager in North and East Yorkshire; an Education Enabler in Hull; an Education Officer in York; an ESL Teacher in Thailand; and a Childcare Classroom Assistant in Edinburgh.
Susan loves wild swimming (mainly in the chilly north sea!), running, hill walking, illustration ( she was shortlisted for the Kelpies Design and Illustration Prize in 2016), silversmithing, travel, nature, live music, how to be a more conscious consumer, disco, good food, and spending time with loved ones.
Email: Susan@weareive.org
Finance & Operations Officer
Lisa is the Finance & Operations Officer at IVE and supports the Finance Manager with day to day tasks, mainly working on Purchase Ledger. Lisa also helps improve office Operations by supporting the Chief Operating Officer with the CRM and IT systems.
Lisa started working for IVE in 2012 as a Business Administration Apprentice and has since taken on various roles from Project Administrator to Executive Assistant. Lisa has completed her Level 4 NVQ in Business Administration and is currently working towards AAT Level 3 Advanced Diploma.
Lisa spends her spare time pampering her dog!
Email: Lisa@weareive.org
Social Media Assistant
Jenny is supporting the sales and marketing manager in the production of marketing and commercial materials, to raise the profile of IVE and advocate for cultural education.
She has a range of knowledge and practical experience from her previous course of study at Leeds City College of Technology in a Level 3 BTEC Diploma in Creative Media Production Journalism & Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship. Her expertise includes creative writing, design for print, email, some social media, copy editing and production/ video editing.
Jenny has been an apprentice digital marketing assistant, a volunteer in shop at Oxfam and warehouse staff at Belle Lingerie.
Jenny loves singing, dancing, going out with friends and just making life an adventure!
Email: Jenny@weareive.org
Marketing & Events Officer
Susie supports Marketing & Events at IVE, making sure our events, workshops and training sessions run smoothly, as well as helping to raise awareness of what we do, & supporting new business. Susie’s background is varied, from recruitment, to hospitality, to the arts, Susie’s focus has always been outward facing.
Her interests include making a mess in the kitchen, long walks in the countryside, and long journeys to new places.
Email: Susie@WeAreIVE.org
Schools Engagement Manager
Aoibheann supports a network of educational settings to develop and celebrate their commitment to arts and cultural education and embed creativity across their whole curriculum, through Artsmark.
Originally from Northern Ireland and now based in Leeds, Aoibheann has been working in the arts and cultural sector for almost twenty years, with experience as a teacher, performer, consultant, practitioner, and manager in a multitude of different settings including theatres, hospitals, schools and communities. She has much experience in using theatre and drama as a catalyst to raise awareness about important issues, drive change and fully believes in the arts’ capacity to transform, illuminate and galvanise.
Her experience as a teacher and school governor has enabled Aoibheann to develop a detailed understanding of the challenges schools face but also about the incredible possibilities forging new partnerships and applying creative approaches can bring for young people and educators alike.
As a side note, Aoibheann also plays the Harp.
Project Support Officer (South Yorkshire & Artsmark)
April provides support to the development of Local Cultural Education Programmes in organising and attending meetings, events and developing resources.
She comes from a digital marketing background and has 6 years’ experience working across two busy creative agencies, primarily in project management and client facing roles across a broad range of sectors.
April is an arts and culture advocate with a particular passion for film and her interests involve spending a lot of time in art galleries, playing bass guitar, running a poetry newsletter & far too many Instagram accounts!
Email: April@weareive.org
Project Support Officer (North Yorkshire & Humber, & Arts Award)
Sarah provides support to the development of Local Cultural Education Partnerships in North and East Yorkshire through organising and attending meetings, events and developing resources. She also supports schools and organisations across the region in their planning and delivery of Arts Award and Artsmark.
Sarah’s background is in Fine Art and she has experience in arts administration, sales and events. Sarah has experience in project management and event planning from previously working in roles where she led on projects including public and private art exhibitions, corporate training events and children’s residential trips. She has years of experience working with young people in informal education settings including outdoor activities, forest schools and children’s art festivals. She also has experience working with young adults with Special Educational Needs.
Sarah enjoys cooking and baking, exploring the great outdoors and aerial arts. Ice cream is her absolute favourite food and she loves being beside the sea, probably because she can always get an ice cream there.
Email: SarahF@weareive.org
Ignite Project Support Officer
Becky supports the IGNITE Project Manager with the development and delivery of the Kick the Dust IGNITE programme by providing project management support.
Trustee
Aimee is a marketing specialist with a decade of experience working across a variety of sectors including not-for-profit, higher education, utilities, professional services and hospitality. She is the Client Partnerships Director at Narrative, an integrated marketing agency in Newcastle and co-founder at tech platform Marketing Engine.
Aimee attained her Silver Arts Award when she was at Bingley Grammar School and because of this experience knows how arts and culture can be life-changing for young people. She has worked with IVE for three years and joined as a trustee in 2019.
Deputy Chair of Trustees
Isobel previously worked as a Civil Servant in the now no more Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber, responsible for getting money into the region to tackle disadvantage and deprivation. This included delivering programmes into the most left behind parts of the region and running European Funds.
She has written five novels since her retirement but says she doesn’t take rejection well, so these have only been read by her husband and son.
Isobel has a pet ginger cat called Douglas.
Contemporary Artist - IVE Board
Pippa Hale is a contemporary artist whose practice centres around social history and geography and her work includes large-scale installations both in heritage venues and the public realm.
Pippa studied at the University of Leeds. Her previous projects include ‘Consumption’ for Ripon Museums Trust; ‘Seat’ for Pannett Art Gallery (Whitby) with Arts & Hertiage, ‘Beyond The Dustheaps’ at the Dickens Museum (London); ‘Pool’ a temporary installation at Leeds International Pool commissioned by Leeds City Council and ‘North and South’ for Southampton Art Gallery.
Pippa recently returned to full-time practice after co-founding The Tetley Centre For Contemporary Art on South Bank, Leeds which was developed from a small-scale artist-led space into an award-winning gallery with trading arm.
Trustee
Caroline has a wide range of experience gained in blue chip commercial businesses and major organisations in the not for profit sector. An excellent team player with a reputation for building partnerships with other department heads and widening access to the finance department.
The last ten years of Caroline’s experience spans working in senior management roles for Foundation Leeds and the Bronte Society whilst serving on a number of boards and committees including Leeds College of Music, Square Chapel Arts Centre, Halifax and Bradford Dioceses. Prior to this, Caroline was Finance Director at Northern Ballet.
Trustee
Jonathan Straight is a Yorkshire-based entrepreneur, writer, photographer and television presenter. In addition to sitting on IVE’s board of trustees He is currently a director of water saving NGO Waterwise and contemporary art gallery and learning space The Tetley. Jonathan is engaged as Brand Ambassador to Approved Food, a Sheffield-based food redistribution business. He is also involved with several charities including the international food waste campaigning charity, The Real Junk Food Project. Jonathan has invested in several start-ups, including solid-state photonic cooling business Inclusive Designs Limited where he chairs the board.
Through his business career, he is best known as the founder of Straight plc, the UK’s leading supplier of waste and recycling containers. 10 years after founding the business he floated it on the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market. He exited the business in 2014 having led it for 21 years and having delivered more than 50 million recycling bins. At least half of the households in the country will have had at least one Straight product at some point in time.
Johnathan is a former winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year competition with a long-standing passion for entrepreneurship and is currently an Enterprise Ambassador for the Leeds University Business School.
Jonathan is a regular presenter on local television. He is currently working on a memoir of his career to date.
Chair of Trustees
Rashik is the Leader of IBM’s European technical community and an IBM Distinguished Engineer.
He is currently advising clients on their cloud innovation roadmap from a technology and business perspective drawing on thirty-three years of practical experience in IBM. Rashik was appointed to the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership Board and chairs the business communications group. He is helping develop the innovation strategies to accelerate growth of this £55bn marketplace.
Rashik was previously President of IBM’s Academy of Technology. He has worked for financial, retail and manufacturing clients on IT transformation projects of all sizes. Overall, he specialises in ensuring the technical success of complex IT projects that transform business models.
Rashik was awarded an MBE as part of the HRH Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday honours for his contribution to business and innovation.
Trustee
Sue is a consultant in the arts, education and charity sectors including the University of London, Institute of Learning, Ovarian Cancer Action and overseeing the marketing and communications for English National Ballet in support of its new Artistic Director. She has wide experience of organisational launches, repositioning, crisis communications, rebranding, advocacy and change management.
She previously had a long career in the BBC, starting in educational broadcasting and holding various senior communications roles before becoming Director, Marketing, Communications and Audiences, BBC Audio & Music, responsible for setting strategy for marketing and communications for the BBC’s national radio services and all television music. During this time BBC Radio saw record audience figures and high public approval.
Sue is a Trustee of Dance UK.
Hello! We are IVE. We’ve been around a long time now and we’ve got a real passion for creativity and the transformative power this has on people so they can reach their true potential. Creativity is not just about the arts but a life-long skill through which we can inspire and engage our young people.
We’re lucky to have an amazing staff team that are drawn from schools, colleges, universities, arts organisations as well as the private sector. They have a wealth of experience and expertise from the arts, creative, education and business sectors.
The one thing that unites all our staff is their passion and belief in the power of creativity to change lives. You can take a look at us here.
Chief Executive Officer
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Chief Operating Officer
Finance Manager
Head of Bridge
Programmes Director
Director of Skills and Employability
Innovative Business Development | Marketing Manager
IGNITE Project Manager
Cultural Education Manager (West Yorkshire)
Regional Cultural Education Manager (North Yorkshire & Humber)
Finance & Operations Officer
Social Media Assistant
Marketing & Events Officer
Schools Engagement Manager
Project Support Officer (South Yorkshire & Artsmark)
Project Support Officer (North Yorkshire & Humber, & Arts Award)
Ignite Project Support Officer
Trustee
Deputy Chair of Trustees
Contemporary Artist - IVE Board
Trustee
Trustee
Chair of Trustees
Trustee
All our current vacancies are listed below and we are always looking out for talented people. If you are interested in working with us but do not see the right vacancy, on an employed, freelance or volunteer basis, please get in touch with a copy of your CV.