Stephanie Edwards is Manager of the Creative Enterprise Development Office (CEDO) at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she leads programmes and partnerships that strengthen the creative enterprise ecosystem across the institution and Scotland’s performing arts sector.

She supports students, staff, recent graduates, and creative practitioners through enterprise development, funding opportunities, and strategic engagement initiatives.

Molly helps connect students, staff, and graduates with funding and support for exciting ideas and projects, and comes into classes to talk to students about all the amazing opportunities CEDO provides. Molly also trained at RCS on the MFA Acting course 2025-2026. From here, she went on to debut her one-woman show Rockpools at the CCA and at the Fringe 2026.

As Head of Engagement, Deborah works with her team to develop and deliver the full range of Engagement services, programmes and initiatives at the Conservatoire. She has recently developed the Engagement Strategy (25/26 to 29/30), which is central to the team’s ambitions and defines work across four areas: Creative Enterprise, Innovation, Public Engagement, and Engagement Culture & Infrastructure. Deborah works alongside Knowledge Exchange colleagues in Scotland and through Conservatoires UK to advocate for the specific strengths and challenges of small specialist creative arts institutions.

Sarah is the Engagement Development Assistant within the Research and Engagement team at RCS. She manages the Engage Desk, and provides support to the RCS community with maintaining and developing their academic profiles on Pure. She also assists the Research and Engagement team with administrative support and project operations.

She has a background as a researcher, with a focus on community energy movements and critical political theory. Alongside her academic work, she has held a variety of roles within arts and music venues, both in Scotland and Catalonia.

In her role as Impact Officer, Verena develops new approaches for capturing and amplifying the impact of the work produced by our staff, students and alumni, their projects and partners. With a background in the creative application of new technologies, she is particularly excited to be working on the next iteration of Innovation Studio, supporting creative experimentation, collaboration and interdisciplinary work at RCS.

Rachael Arnold has over twenty years of experience as a leader in the creative and social enterprise sector. She builds impactful businesses and turns ideas into reality. As Chief Executive of The Future Economy Company, she leads an all-female executive team across a wide range of innovative programmes that up-skill, empower and connect the creative community. Join Rachael to chat through what your creative/professional practise, what are the challenges and how to create balance, make money and enjoy your work, positivity and creating strategies for success are the focus of these short and sharp sessions.

Briana Pegado FRSA is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She was named one of Scotland’s 30 Under 30 Inspiring Young Women in 2017 and has won a number of awards for her work as a social entrepreneur as founder of the Edinburgh Student Arts Festival (ESAF) in the creative industries over the last eight years. She has a Master of Arts with Honours in Sustainable Development from the University of Edinburgh and studied for an MBA at Central Saint Martins in 2018. She has worked across the National Theatre of Scotland, Custom Lane – Scotland’s Centre for Design & Making, Voluntary Arts Scotland (now Creative Lives), and the contemporary art world. In 2019 she became Chief Executive of Creative Edinburgh and a Co-Director of Creative Informatics an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded project to invest in data-driven innovation in the creative industries across the Lothians in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University, and Codebase the largest tech cluster in Europe. She is now a data-driven innovation ambassador for the Edinburgh Futures Institute.

She was Chair of the board and then interim director of YWCA Scotland – The Young Women’s Movement, former Co-Director of We Are Here Scotland, and former Creative Director of Fringe of Colour Film Festival.

Currently, she is an anti-racism facilitator and governance consultant who has worked with the Scottish Policy and Research Exchange (SPRE), the Universities Policy Exchange Network (UPEN), Africa in Motion Festival (AiM), Be United, Glasgow Museums, Glasgow International Festival, Glasgow Life, Stellar Quines Theatre Company, Rape Crisis Scotland, and Craft Scotland.

She is the Chair of the Scottish Government Culture Fair Work Task Force. She published her first book Make Good Trouble: A Practical Guide to the Energetics of Disruption in April 2024.

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Julia is a multi-award-winning theatre artist and co-Artistic Director of Glasgow-based theatre company Disaster Plan (Tero Buru, Move). Over two decades working as a writer, director and performer across stage and screen, she has gained a reputation for creating ground-breaking, formally fearless work. Julia and her plays have toured widely and have been produced internationally. Her productions won multiple awards, including Fringe Firsts (Heads Up), Critics Awards For Theatre Scotland (Beats) and the Dario Fo Award for Drama (Blow Off). She formed Disaster Plan with long-term collaborator Kieran Hurley as a commitment to keeping their radical, independent performance practice alive. The company’s first production, Move, was the flagship Made In Scotland production at the Edinburgh Festival 2020. In response to the pandemic, Julia transformed the show, initially conceived as an intimate studio theatre play, into an epic outdoor performance, which then toured to 12 of Scotland’s most beautiful and remote beaches.

Paul’s current role is Chief Executive at Chamber Music Scotland, where he leads on strategy, creative direction, partnerships, artist development and international projects. Chamber Music Scotland works with artists, promoters, audiences, and communities across Scotland. They aim to cultivate an innovative and progressive identity for chamber music in Scotland, which draws on our places, peoples, and culture. Their work encompasses artist residency programmes, creation of new music projects, funding for concert series and touring, developmental support and community work, as well as working in partnerships to deliver UK-wide and international projects.

Paul has worked as a freelance musician, creating and performing in the UK and internationally within jazz, folk and theatre. He has also been employed as a tour manager, arts administrator, educator and in the finance sector, where previous employers included Scottish Ensemble, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, East Neuk Festival, Edinburgh College, and KPMG. Paul regularly guest lectures at RCS and has presented at industry events such as the ABO Conference.

Paul is driven by the chance to make a change in terms of who gets the opportunities to make and consume music. He grew up in the small Scottish mining town of Loanhead and is now based on the Isle of Skye.

Ciara Barry and Rosie Crerar founded barry crerar in 2016. barry crerar is a BAFTA nominated independent production company based in Glasgow and Belfast, with a first look deal with BBC Film. We make stories that inspire, provoke and entertain for both film & TV.

From nurturing and developing new and emerging local screen talent, to realising dynamic & ambitious international co-productions, across the board we tell stories that connect contemporary global audiences with resonant and ground-breaking voices & themes.

Our latest title is Everybody to Kenmure Street (2026), a feature documentary by Felipe Bustos Sierra which won a Special Jury Award at Sundance Film Festival 2026 and is currently on release in UK cinemas. Find screenings here.

GIRL (2023) is currently available to view in the UK on BBC iplayer. GIRL is a tender mother & daughter drama written & directed by Adura Onashile and starring newcomer Le’Shantey Bonsu who received nominations from BIFA & London Critics’ Circle for the role of Ama.

PINEAPPLE (2025) is also currently available on BBC iplayer, a short romantic comedy from writer Rachelle Atalla and director Alia Ghafar, commissioned by BBC Writers Room for BBC Three.

Previous films include BAFTA winning RUN starring Mark Stanley & Marli Siu and BAFTA nominated short EXPENSIVE SHIT.

International co-productions include NOBODY HAS TO KNOW shot on location in the Isle of Lewis and SEBASTIAN, shot in Glasgow, London and Brussels. barry crerar’s film slate includes world premieres in competition at Sundance, TIFF and Tribeca.

Two-time Law Award winner Philip Hannay is Managing Director of Cloch Solicitors Limited, a leading Scottish legal boutique specialising in business law & intellectual property and is well-known for assisting creative entrepreneurs in generating money from ideas and artistic practice. Recently, he managed the brand of a UK-based newco from £zero to a sale value of $1Bn, all in under five years.

In addition to creating value (uniquely), Philip also defends clients’ intellectual wealth and has ranked in the UK top 10 for appearances before the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office Tribunals in relation to contentious IP matters.

Away from private practice, Philip acts as a Governor of the Baillie’s Institution, and he holds senior teaching positions in the University of Strathclyde School of Law – having directly tutored around 1,000 students over a 15-year period.

David has led Brett Nicholls Associates, a small growing accounting and consulting practice, since 2018. He is passionate about building a purpose-driven business and proudly achieved B Corp certification in 2023. David’s firm has many creative sector clients, and he provides general accounting and tax advice as well as specialist support in Creative Industry Tax Reliefs.