Karen Taws

Background

About Karen Taws

I have nearly 30 years' experience working primarily in the creative & cultural sectors in a range of environments including local authorities, the voluntary & community sectors, funding bodies & sectoral development agencies. This has focused on developing partnerships & initiatives which increase capacity in & resources available to the sector from community arts organisations through to high growth commercial businesses. Since 2001 I have been responsible for raising more than £10million investment from a range of sources including ERDF & trusts & foundations. I have a passionate belief in the role of culture & creativity as a driver of social & economic change with particular interests & expertise in: Partnership development – building relationships between organisations which add value to the quality of service & activity, increases capacity & maximises the expertise & impact of each partner; Organisational development & governance – focusing on how effective governance, business models & planning enable organisations to be creative, innovative & sustainable & responsive to changes in infrastructure & opportunities for development; Evaluation & monitoring - getting the most out of funder imposed monitoring & developing the principle of 'reflective organisations' which use evaluation as a tool to understand performance and impact & inform development of best practice, delivery models & effective advocacy and marketing; Skills development & Social Capital - particularly in relation to how personal & professional networks impact on people’s aspirations, skills, opportunities & career development; Leadership – both organisational & individual, & how this has a major impact on the effectiveness of all of the above & plays a key role in building sustainable & vibrant communities, regions & sectors