John Newbigin works a freelance cultural entrepreneur and writer and is Chairman of Creative England; of the cultural web publisher Culture24; and of CAV Networks Ltd, the network company of a group of major arts and cross-arts centres in England.

He is a mentor and occasional tutor on the Clore Leadership Programme. As Special Advisor to the Minister for Culture, Rt Hon Chris Smith MP, he was closely involved in developing the UK government’s first policies for the creative industries.

He was Head of Corporate Relations for Channel 4 Television and executive assistant to Lord Puttnam as the Chairman of the film company Enigma Productions Ltd. As a policy advisor to the Leader of the UK Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition, Rt Hon Neil Kinnock, MP, he had responsibility for environmental and cultural issues, among others. He was a youth worker in East London for six years and writer-in-residence for Common Stock Theatre.

John is a Board member of several arts and educational bodies including First Light Movies and the East London Keen Students School. He is an External Examiner for the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi and holds the honourary position of Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney. ‘Wired’ magazine lists him as one the UK’s hundred top ‘digital power-brokers’.