CEDO Advisors

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.

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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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.

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.