Meet the third Collective cohort

Culture Central x people make it work x Collective is a leadership programme for those traditionally excluded from senior roles in the cultural sector.

Here at Culture Central, we want to see change within the cultural sector and recognise this happens through a plurality of experiences and a climate of inclusivity, which leads to wider dynamism and relevance of culture. Collective is a three-year project, run in partnership with people make it work, which builds on our approach and ambitions for the sector in the West Midlands.

In this third year of Collective, we have recruited 12 people to learn alongside and explore how we make change for ourselves, our peers, the cultural sector and the people and places of the region. Read the profiles below to learn more about the third cohort:

Diane Morgan

Strategic Consultant, Birmingham Hippodrome

I move between rehearsal rooms, boardrooms and communities, shaping spaces where change happens. Currently working for Birmingham Hippodrome, Leeds Playhouse and Counterculture Partnership LLP, I develop ideas, relationships and strategic roadmaps, with curiosity, courage and care. I was forever changed by producing the National Theatre’s 'Grenfell: In the Words of Survivors & North Kensington Project', working alongside bereaved, survivors and communities to amplify their stories and invest in their futures.

Fahmida Choudhury

Researcher / Fundraiser, Aston University / Punch Records

Jen Loffman

Community Producer, Severn Arts

I work with rural and other disadvantaged communities across Worcestershire to design and deliver creative projects that align with their interests and ambitions. Co-creation is a massive part of my practice, and as I primarily work with young people, I am driven to produce opportunities that inspire a new generation to join the creative workforce.

Joanne Roughton-Arnold

Opera Singer, CEO/Creative Director, Disability Advocate, formidAbility

Joanne Roughton-Arnold is an opera singer and commissioner of new work. She is equally at home in well-known and new repertoire, on the opera stage and concert platform. Joanne is Co-Founder, CEO & Creative Director of formidAbility, a Birmingham-based female- and disability-led opera company breaking down barriers on- and off-stage and challenging perceptions of disability and inclusion in the arts.

Kamaljit Suman

Director, Art at the Heart CIC

Kirsten Tranter

Freelance Creative Producer

Kirsten is a Creative Producer based in the Midlands with over 20 years of experience in the arts sector. Kirsten creates meaningful connections between artists, communities and audiences. Her journey has been shaped by a deep commitment to dance, movement and community arts practice, whilst embracing diverse cross-disciplinary collaborations. Kirsten believes that creative expression should be accessible to everyone – whether you're taking your first dance step, experiencing art from an audience perspective, or pursuing your professional practice. As a connector and facilitator, Kirsten brings together artists, young people and communities to build platforms where stories can be shared and voices can be heard. As a practicing Health Coach as well as a Creative Producer, Kirsten takes a person-centred approach to her work, nurturing people through care-led, and creative practices.

Mikayla Sinead

Head of People & Culture, Hood Futures Studio

Mikayla joins with a passion for leading with an inclusive intersectional mindset whilst centring joy. An enthusiastic gamer and passionate speaker, Mikayla encourages marginalised communities to carve space in gaming, whether for joy, wellbeing or career. Mikayla is Head of People and Culture at Hood Futures Studio, a community organisation working at the intersection of spatial, climate, cultural and economic justice to address the root causes of 'hood displacement and dispossession.

Nassy Konan

Creative Producer

Nassy Konan is a Birmingham-based independent Creative Producer working across live art, dance, theatre, and outdoor arts. Her work focuses on artist development, international exchange, and mid-scale touring for diverse audiences. She has collaborated with leading UK and international organisations, with past roles including Associate Producer for the University of Oxford Cultural Programme on Leys Festival 2025, Greenwich & Docklands Festivals, Birmingham Festival 2023, and China Plate Theatre. A Jerwood Arts awardee and Stage One bursary recipient, Nassy also leads Producer Gathering and supports a range of independent creative projects.

Sonia Levesque

Artist, Thinker and Realtime Filmmaker (Unreal Engine)

Fuelled by creative rebellion and forever in pursuit of truth, freedom, and play. I strive to create work which inspire others to commit their own mini acts of creative rebellion, to self-express and to use art as a lens to think critically about their world. I currently do this via films, virtual installations, poetry/prose and mini public art interventions. Recent work includes A Walk In The Park and AudioPULP.

Sophie Skellern

Producer, The Rep

Stacey Anne Bagdi

Cultural Development Officer, Sandwell Council

Stacey currently works at Sandwell Council as their Cultural Development Officer. She is Birmingham born and bred but prior to starting in Sandwell, she was working across the Museums Sector as a Curator for 7 years. Her museum career started in Birmingham but has taken her to many different types of museums and heritage buildings since then. When she is not working in museums/heritage/culture, she is either visiting them! Stacey wears another hat as an Archaeologist and Egyptologist as she has been excavating in Egypt for the last 8 years.

Zellah Keay

Freelance Dance Teacher & Project Manager

I’m an all-round artist, but in my day-to-day, I work as a dance teacher, lecturer, choreographer, project manager and professional dance artist, working with young people ages 7 years until adulthood. Born and raised in Birmingham with Caribbean heritage, I specialise in Hip Hop and House Dance. These styles have shaped not only my movement but my outlook on creativity, culture, and connection.