Create 26: Meet our speakers, workshop hosts and panellists

A woman in a green jumper smiles thoughtfully. Text reads: BOOK NOW. Create26, A Brighter Future Together. 21 May | Harrogate. Community First Yorkshire. Yellow and blue graphic elements in the background.

Explore our listings to find out more about the people speaking at Create 26, running a workshop or facilitating one of our discussion panels.

To see more information, click on the name of the person you are interested in.

Speakers

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Kate joined NCVO in 2025, bringing nearly 30 years’ leadership experience across the voluntary sector. She has guided organisations through major challenges, delivering transformational culture change and building inclusive, results-focused teams. Before NCVO, Kate was Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Society, leading the organisation through the COVID-19 pandemic, introducing a new people-centred strategy, and strengthening finances and research investment. Previously, she held senior roles at Young Lives vs Cancer, Myton Hospice and the British Red Cross, where she became Director of Strategy shaping humanitarian response. Kate was awarded an OBE in 2024 and twice named Charity Times CEO of the Year.

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Sita has spent 40 years telling stories in prisons, on stages, in funding rooms and in moments that actually matter. She founded Settle Stories from a kitchen table after a complete professional breakdown and built it into an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation reaching 40,000 young people a year. She is a Buddhist prison chaplain and ordained by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh (Order Name: True Lotus Wisdom). Also trained by Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estés. She teaches people how to use storytelling as a professional skill and Soul Craft.

Workshop hosts

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Chris is a Chief Executive, charity entrepreneur and trainer who has been pivotal in setting up vital partnerships and user support for charities and organisations in North Yorkshire. As Chief Executive of Up for Yorkshire, his aim is to help organisations throughout the area to achieve their ambitions and potential as well as enable individuals to set up their own ventures. Projects he is actively involved with include Selby District Dementia Action Group, Selby District Equity and Advice Network, the Anti-Poverty Action Group and Selby District Green Spaces. He is also a trainer for the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA).

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Amy (Rural Arts) is a creative practitioner who helps people and organisations think differently about the future. She combines creativity, facilitation and strategic thinking to create open, practical spaces for exploring ideas.
Amy leads the Time Travel: Create the Future workshop, guiding participants through a playful process of imagining their organisation ten years ahead – focusing on what matters, what has changed and what feels meaningful. Using accessible methods like collage, drawing and words, her work supports leadership and long-term thinking and shows how creativity can be a practical tool for shaping what comes next.

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Richard has been a Finance Director for several large companies and is experienced in corporate restructuring, business acquisitions and sales. He has run a commercial finance brokering company since 2012, specialising in raising debt finance for SMEs and property developers. Alongside this, Richard has continued to be a part time Financial Director for clients and a Non Executive Director for a number of social enterprise support organisations, social enterprises and charities. With over 30 years of finance experience, Richard will help blend the commercial and charitable aims of Community First Yorkshire, ensuring a sustainable future.

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Rebecca is an award-winning community musician, composer, researcher and arts practitioner based in North Yorkshire, and co-founder of Flash Company Arts, the Community Anchor Organisation for Whitby. With over 20 years’ experience, she leads inclusive, place-based creative work across rural and coastal communities, working at the intersection of music, creative health and social impact. Her practice brings together education, folk traditions and co-creation, with a strong focus on access, participation and community voice. She is Chair of Sound Sense, the UK Development Agency for Community Music and Co-Chair of FORGE (the North Yorkshire LCEP). She was awarded a British Empire Medal in 2025 for services to music education.

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Dawn has dedicated nearly 30 years to healthcare, combining her expertise as a published author and business consultant with a strong commitment to human factors and quality improvement. After 14 years as CEO of a national charity, she stepped down to pursue new opportunities to continue making a difference. She is a Trustee of the Harrogate Homeless Project and a former lay board member of the British Association of Day Surgery, and has recently supported a patient safety initiative focused on airway management. Dawn received a Community Champion award for her charitable work across Yorkshire. She believes that kindness drives positive change daily. Her philosophy is simple but powerful: be kind.

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Valentina Hynes is Founder and CEO of SVH Inc. CIC, an award-winning social enterprise supporting organisations and communities to be strong, vibrant and happy through practical wellbeing, leadership development and community engagement. With over two decades of experience across enterprise, corporate responsibility and community-led work, she brings leadership, wellbeing and social value together, translating strategy into meaningful action in boardrooms and grassroots settings alike. Her leadership is recognised nationally and internationally: she is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society, a Yorkshire Choice Business Woman of the Year and a WISE100 Top 100 Woman in Social Enterprise, with impact.

Panellists

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Suhrab is originally from Afghanistan and arrived in the UK in December 2023 following the collapse of the country’s democratic government, which forced many, including his family, to flee. He now lives in Ripon with his wife and three children. Suhrab has over 15 years’ experience in economic and business development and capacity building, working across public and private sector organisations in Afghanistan. He is currently completing professional certification courses to align his qualifications with UK standards. Suhrab works as a Migrant Community Development Worker with the SWIFT Project at Chain Lane Community Hub, supporting individuals and families locally integration.

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Neil is a retired Senior Manager who worked in the NHS for 33 years. He is now the Equality, Inclusion and Diversity Trustee for Dementia Forward, following their support during his civil partner’s last years. He facilitate talks to all sections of healthcare on the effects of dementia on the older LGBT+ community.

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Leon is CEO of Orb Community Arts and Pioneer Projects, creative health organisations based in Knaresborough and Bentham. With Orb since 2008, he is a qualified ethnomusicologist and former professional musician with 18 years’ experience delivering creative health programmes across North Yorkshire. He believes deeply in everyone’s innate creativity and its power to transform lives and communities. Both organisations run inclusive programmes promoting wellbeing, skills, and active citizenship, particularly with marginalised groups. Leon is a strong advocate for community-led decision making and sits on several charity boards. Outside work, he enjoys music, languages, walking and dogs in Wharfedale.

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Amy Stott is the founder of Stott Secretarial Services, providing high-level virtual support to consultants, medico-legal professionals and practice owners. Her career in medical administration began during a maternity cover role, where her adaptability and reliability quickly set her apart. What started as a part-time role now supports over 12 consultants across multiple specialties. With decades of experience in hospital and private practice environments, Amy brings deep insight into medico-legal workflows and business operations. She also co-founded a private day nursery, shaping her values-based leadership. Known for calm precision, Amy champions integrity, empathy and sustainable professional relationships.

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Becky Lennon is a York‑based Creative Practitioner and co‑founder of Thunk‑It Theatre. She specialises in inclusive, participatory drama with children and young people, working across schools, arts centres and community settings. Becky has delivered youth theatre programmes in partnership with organisations including Pocklington Arts Centre, as well as SEND specialist provisions across the county. Becky is an advocate for accessible leadership within the arts.

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David is an experienced charity leader with 30+ years in public and voluntary sectors, including 20+ years in senior management. He is currently Chief Executive of North Yorkshire Youth, with a track record in organisational transformation, crisis recovery, and strategic growth. Extensive governance experience as Chair, Trustee, Treasurer, and Company Secretary, guiding charities through mergers, rebrands, and funding transitions. Skilled in charity finance, HR, compliance, and partnership building. Passionate about education and outdoor learning, holding an Open University degree in Earth Sciences and management. Brings strategic insight, operational

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Cherie is Director of Aesthetica, the internationally acclaimed British art and culture brand founded with Aesthetica Magazine in 2003. The organisation has grown into a multi-platform platform working across publishing, exhibitions and events, reaching more than 950,000 readers worldwide. With a focus on talent development in art, photography, film and literature, Aesthetica champions both emerging and established practitioners. Its programme includes the BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Film Festival, Aesthetica Art Prize, Future Now Symposium and Creative Writing Award. Cherie has also launched regional initiatives supporting creative entrepreneurship, education and skills development across the cultural industries.

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Lara is a social entrepreneur and housing leader advocating for greater racial diversity in executive and board-level leadership. She is CEO of Black on Board Ltd and a former President of the Chartered Institute of Housing, drawing on lived experience of homelessness through to executive leadership. A former housing association CEO, Lara has held senior roles across local authorities, charities and housing organisations, served on multiple boards, and now chairs a homelessness charity while supporting the next generation of women through leadership and mentoring programmes.