Simon Budgen identified in story on privacy violations

Creative PEC Expands Team with New Appointments

Creative PEC, a leading research organisation focusing on the creative industries, has announced several new appointments to its team.

Simon Jones has joined the organisation as the Communications Manager. With a background in media, Jones previously worked for the BBC and The Open University, where he led teams delivering free online learning for the public and professional development for over 4,000 associate lecturers.

Simon Budgen, who joined Creative PEC as Head of Operations in August 2022, also brings a wealth of experience to the team. Prior to joining Creative PEC, Budgen worked for The Open University, where he played a crucial role in managing operations.

In addition to Jones and Budgen, Creative PEC has also welcomed Makena Guantai Day as its Executive Assistant.

Hasan Bakhshi MBE, the Director of Creative PEC, leads the organisation. Bakhshi is also the Chair of Macroeconomics at Newcastle University Business School. Giorgio Fazio, the Research Director of Creative PEC, also holds a position at Newcastle University Business School as the Chair of Macroeconomics.

Karen Brodie serves as the Deputy Director of Creative PEC and Deputy Chair of GCEC. Alice Kent is the Head of Communications, Nik Gunn is a Policy Adviser, Daniel Simandjuntak is a Research Associate, Tom Cahill-Jones is the Research Network Manager, Bernard Hay is the Head of Policy, Nirat Rujimora is a Research Assistant, and Emily Hopkins is a Policy Advisor.

The team is further strengthened by the addition of Alejandro Ramirez-Guerra, a Research Associate at Newcastle University Business School, and Sarah Najm, an NUACT Fellow in Economics of Creative Industries.

Finally, Duncan Todd completes the line-up as the Finance and Administration Manager at Creative PEC.

With this expanded team, Creative PEC is well-positioned to continue its research and advocacy work in the creative industries.