Creative Lives’ Policy Director, Jemma Neville, is leaving Creative Lives in December 2025 to realise her own creative ambitions.

Jemma joined Creative Lives (then known as Voluntary Arts) in 2013, and has led our work in Scotland ever since. Since 2023, she has also been leading our policy and influencing work across the UK and Ireland. Jemma’s deeply insightful and thoughtful approach to advocating for everyday creativity, as well as her exceptional leadership in Scotland, has been of immense benefit to Creative Lives, and she will be greatly missed. 

We are delighted that from January 2026, Jess Plant (currently Creative Lives’ Place Director) will move to the expanded full-time role of Policy Director. Jess will continue to build on Jemma’s work, maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders across the five nations of the UK and Ireland in order to influence legislation, regulation and policy. All of which supports Creative Lives’ aim to develop the best possible environment for everyday creativity to flourish.

Jess has been working at Creative Lives since 2020, during which time she has led on our Creative Lives On Air programme of work, promoting creativity in partnership with BBC local radio stations. She became Place and England Director in 2024, pioneering our new programme of place-based development projects in partnership with local authorities. 

Jess brings a wealth of policy-influencing experience, specifically from her lead role at the National Alliance for Arts and Criminal Justice, Clinks.

We will now be recruiting a new full-time Place Director, who will be based in Scotland but will manage our place projects across the whole of the UK and Ireland. 

Full details of the new post are available here: www.creative-lives.org/Work-with-us