Judges
We’ve engaged an incredible set of Judges from the worlds of culture and tech, all with decades of expertise in their chosen fields. They will join members of the Digital Culture Network, and a number of specialists from across the Arts Council, to form a scoring panel. Read on to find out more and be inspired!
Zak Mensah - Co-CEO, Birmingham Museums Trust
Zak Mensah is Co-CEO of Birmingham Museums Trust and has worked in the Creative Industries for over a decade. I have been part-time co-CEO of Birmingham Museums Trust since 2020. The Trust operates 9 venues on behalf of the Council with 150 staff and a turnover of £12m. Outside of the BMT role I help others in the creative industries with all things transformation. I am focused on making positive change happen. My rallying cry is “let’s make a ruckus”. I do this by helping our sector have the right people, skills and services that are adaptable to the rapidly changing landscape as a cultural business. Of late I have been experimenting with different ways of doing things including business models, partnerships, data in the arts, and sharing as much as possible publicly. Before BMT I spent 7 years in three roles at Bristol City Council for their Culture and Creative industries team. Before museum land, I worked in staff development and emerging technology. I studied multimedia Computing at university which led to this point of tinkering. I am a Trustee for the Association for Cultural Enterprises. I have spoken at over 200 conferences across the world and sometimes write at zakmensah.co.uk
Megan Jones - Digital Content Manager, National Museums Scotland
Megan Jones has led on the strategic development and delivery of digital content for a range of museum and heritage organisations, including in her current position as Digital Content Manager for National Museums Scotland. She previously worked at Leeds Museums and Galleries, where she developed the digital tone of voice and produced the Museums n'That podcast, and at Harewood House Trust where she led on the delivery of the Digital Masterplan project. Meg also works as a freelance digital content consultant for a range of cultural institutions across the UK, and serves as a trustee for Bakewell and District Historical Society.
Tom Ryalls - Cultural Consultant, Strategist, Writer
Tom is a strategist working mainly with disabled-led cultural organisations to ensure disabled people have the agency to shape our national culture. Tom has previously been a Head of Development, an Executive Director, and an “Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy Fellow” with Cause4. They are now a trustee of Unlimited, a member of the London Area Council of ACE and the Deputy Chair of the Disability Advisory Group. In 2021 he consolidated this experience when he founded BAP! - a company dedicated to nurturing the development and growth of disabled-led cultural organisations. As a writer Tom brings together pop aesthetics and accessible technology. He developed a series of shows beginning with “Education, Education, Karaoke” which removed the need for a performer to have a neurotypical short-term memory. His show “Can You See Into a Black Hole?” exploring the experience of sound in epileptic seizures, has informed how young people receive an epilepsy diagnosis.
Katy Raines - Founder and CEO, Indigo Ltd
Katy Raines (CEO, Indigo-Ltd) is regarded as one of the UK’s leading consultants on audience-centred strategy for Cultural Organisations. She has developed and led research and audience strategy for large and middle scale organisations throughout the UK and Europe. During Covid-19 she developed and delivered the UK’s largest collaborative dataset of cultural attenders’ attitudes to returning to events, including After-The- Interval, and Missing Audiences involving over 800 organisations - capturing over ½ million responses from attenders, for which Indigo won several awards, and Katy won a national award for Outstanding Leadership (Covid Response Awards). Since then she has led Indigo’s growth to become the sector’s leading audience insight consultancy, launching Indigo Share in 2023. Indigo’s collaborative research approach has delivered sector-wide research on sustainability (Act Green) and first time attenders (Tomorrow’s Audience), as well as UK-wide benchmarks on audience experience via a large cohort of participating organisations. Indigo’s work in 2023 and 2024 has included audience projects with the Young Vic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, English National Ballet, Birmingham Museums, Compton Verney, Liverpool Philharmonic, British Association of Concert Halls, Leeds Heritage Theatres, Independent Cinema Office, Theatre Forum Ireland and the Southbank Centre.
Ranjit Kaur Atwal - Communications Consultant and Mentor
Ranjit Kaur Atwal is a Communications Consultant and Mentor with extensive experience in senior marketing roles across the cultural and creative sectors. Currently leading communications at Unlimited, a disabled-led arts commissioner that is actively working not to exist, she has shaped campaigns for major venues and festivals including the Roundhouse, Thames Festival Trust, and Nelly Ben Hayoun.