Nicole Elizabeth Davenport Director of Finance and Strategy

Matthew Knight Director of Planning

Thea Park-Reeve Director of Partnerships and Development

Millie-Beth Wright Director of Communications

Young People in the Arts - the network for arts professionals at the outset of their careers - has announced its new leadership team. The team includes Nicole Elizabeth Davenport as Director of Finance and Strategy (Membership Manager, Institute of Contemporary Arts), Matthew Knight as Director of Planning (Promotion and Production Executive, Schott Music), Thea Park-Reeve as Director of Partnerships and Development (Events & Partnerships Assistant, Cancer Research UK), and Millie-Beth Wright as Director of Communications (Access Coordinator, Institute of Contemporary Arts). YPIA’s current Directors - Tessa Deterding, Angharad Muir-Davies and Shannon St Luce - will step down in July 2024 following a handover period with the new team. 

Millie-Beth Wright, incoming Director of Communications, said: “As Thea, Matthew, Nicole, and I assume our respective director roles in 2024, we are brimming with excitement about the future of YPIA. Each of us brings unique ideas, and we are eagerly anticipating the moment we can share these plans with everyone. As a cohesive team, we have already laid a foundation of collaboration, and we are committed to strengthening these bonds further. Our collective goal is to expand our reach, cultivating a larger following of attendees and memberships, thereby growing our audiences and YPIA family. Our time on the YPIA committee has been transformative, providing us with opportunities to experiment, learn, and grow. Now, stepping into leadership roles, it becomes a special responsibility to facilitate similar experiences for new recruits. As we step into the 2024 season, supported by an exceptional team of volunteers, we are enthusiastic about creating avenues for an even broader audience of early-career arts professionals. Our aim is to provide them with access to valuable opportunities and thrive within the vibrant YPIA community". 

Tessa Deterding, current Director, said: “We’re incredibly excited to be announcing the new generation of YPIA Directors, who have all demonstrated passion and ambition for the organisation through their work on the committee and through the application process. My fellow current directors and I are very much looking forward to what these talented young leaders will bring to YPIA in the coming years.” 

YPIA will begin its recruitment for the 2024/5 committee this May, which will be led by the incoming directors. Roles will include project managers, marketing managers and regional managers at various levels. The current committee works across the arts industry including organisations such as London Symphony Orchestra, the British Museum, Natural History Museum and Oxford University Press. 

Events will continue for the remainder of the season, including networking drinks and professional development workshops. 

All upcoming events can be found at https://www.ypia.co.uk/events.

For more information, please contact info@ypia.co.uk. 

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Since its foundation in 2008, YPIA has run over 150 events with more than 200 speakers from the cultural and creative sectors, including Sir Nicholas Serota, Jude Kelly, Magdalen Fisher, Darren Henley and Sir Peter Bazalgette. The organisation's engagement programme has given over 5,000 young people the chance to hear from the sector’s top leaders, and share ideas and insights with their peers to make change in the arts world.