Aiwan Obinyan is a multidisciplinary storyteller and award-winning creative working at the intersection of film, sound, and culture. As a filmmaker, executive producer, and BAFTA-winning sound designer, she brings a distinct voice to every project, one rooted in community, innovation, and a deep love of craft.

Based in Leeds and working globally, Aiwan’s work spans film, television, music and podcasting. Her collaborations include major platforms and institutions such as the BBC, Amazon, VICE, Channel 4, Audible, gal-dem, GAY TIMES, and the United Nations.

In 2013, she founded AiAi Studios, a creative studio known for producing rich, narrative-driven content across audio and visual media. What began as a solo endeavour has grown into a dynamic team known for high-impact podcast, TV and documentary work.

Beyond production, she is also an educator and public speaker, often invited to lead workshops, panels, and lectures exploring sound, identity, and independent storytelling.

Driven by curiosity and purpose, Aiwan continues to push boundaries, amplifying underrepresented stories and championing creative freedom through every frame and every note.

I’m a former recruiter who placed more than 2,000 professionals into new roles, before becoming an executive coach and the award-winning (exited) Founder/CEO of the venture-backed Edtech company, Careercake - voted UK’s #1 career development platform. As founder and CEO, I defied the odds by securing both VC and angel investments across two continents, despite operating in a landscape where less than 2% of funding is invested into a female founded company. In 2022 my company was successfully acquired.

Helen Oldham is a Co Founder of Lifted Ventures. Their mission is to increase the flow of early stage capital to regional, female founders, and to promote the significant business benefits of backing women. The Lifted Ventures flywheel has an angel network at its core, alongside investment literacy education for women founders and investors. Lifted have helped to raise over £11m in under two years.

She is an Investor, a Board member of the UKBAA, a NED, and consultant.

Previously Helen was a Founding Board Director of multi award winning NorthInvest, and in 2020 she launched Fund Her North, a collective of women in VCs who support female founders to get equal access to finance.
Prior to this Helen was Managing Director of the Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman.

Jo Redfern is a leading content and platform strategist specialising in youth media and digital engagement. She is the founder of Futrhood Media, and advises global brands and sports rights holders on how to connect with young audiences, including Gen Z and Gen A, across YouTube, Social Gaming (Roblox), TikTok and broadcast.

She is known for insight-led thinking and cross-platform creativity and turning generational media behaviours into commercial opportunities. Clients include The Premier League, The R&A and previous experience with Peppa Pig, Disney, WWE and BBC in the UK including the award-winning CBeebiesLand theme park and Hotel.

She was Exec Producer of Cozmo & Friends, a YouTube-first animated series and Roblox experience and currently co-hosts the podcasts 'The Kids Media Club' and 'The Attention Shift'.

Nicole Finnan is a Film and TV expert with over 25 years of experience in the media sector and the founder of Jaeger Media Limited in June 2025. She previously served as Managing Director of Caryn Mandabach Productions (CMP), producer of PEAKY BLINDERS. Within 18 months, she restructured CMP into a profitable business, identified key buyers, and oversaw the sale to Banijay. Nicole also worked with Steven Knight and Banijay on the Peaky Brand.

Previously, Nicole spent nine years at Eleventh Hour Films (EHF) as Managing Director, with a 25% stake sold to Sony in 2018. Her achievements included leading the corporate sale to Sony and executive producing series such as Alex Rider, Safe House, Magpie Murders, and Foyle's War.

Before EHF, she worked at Ruby Films with Alison Owen, founding the TV division. She executive-produced dramas including Case Histories for the BBC and Toast. The company was nominated for Broadcast Production Company of the Year in 2010.

Nicole started at KPMG as a Graduate ACA trainee, gaining skills in corporate finance, M&A, and management. She then joined Ecosse Films as Commercial and Finance Director in 1998. Over nine years, she grew the business organically, establishing Ecosse as a recognised brand in film and TV. Revenues reached £23 million, and Ecosse featured in The Times FAST TRACK 100. Her responsibilities included complex financing, tax arrangements, and executive producing three films—Brideshead Revisited, Becoming Jane, Wilderness—and a TV film, My Boy Jack and working on TV drama series, including Mistresses and seven seasons of Monarch of the Glen.

Commercial leader with over 20 years' experience of building digital media businesses, maximising the global value of IP, and new models of tech-enabled audience engagement and content distribution. Former Director of Distribution and member of the Executive Leadership Team at ITV plc, the UK's largest commercial broadcaster. Founded, scaled and exited content and media-tech businesses across the television, film, sports and education industries.

Experienced Non-Executive Director and Trustee. Recognised in The Everline Future 50, Drum DADI Awards, Drum Online Media Awards, BIMA 100, Screen Awards and Startups 100. Oscar-nominated, BIFA-nominated and twice BAFTA Scotland-winner from early career as a film/TV producer.

Sophie is an Engagement Producer at the Film and TV Charity, empowering the industry to prioritise mental health by using the Charity’s free resources and services to support behaviour and culture change.  Sophie has 15+ years' experience across the industry, from development and production, to distribution and exhibition.   She studied the NFTS Script Development PGDip and has produced many short films, including BFI-backed Homegrown.  She managed talent development schemes BFI NETWORK@LFF and BBC Arts New Creatives Southwest, delivering 50+ shorts for BBC platforms.  Previously, Sophie was an Assistant Director on features and HETV, working closely with Mike Leigh on Peterloo. She is a MH First Aider, BAFTA Connect member and was selected for EIFF Talent Lab 2022.

Dr Tamanda Walker is a sociologist, researcher, and Executive Producer and Co-Host of Rigour & Flow - an award-nominated podcast exploring the intersections of identity, business, creativity and culture, with a growing audience across the UK and Global South. She is a Director at AiAi Studios, a Black- and queer women-led storytelling company working across podcast, film, and TV, and Founder and Director of Roots & Rigour - a knowledge consultancy that uses participatory research, storytelling, and systems thinking to address inequality and drive change.

With over 15 years of experience working across media, research, and strategy, Tamanda brings a deeply grounded perspective to the realities of founding, funding, and sustaining values-led creative businesses. She holds a PhD on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace and has worked extensively in the fields of mental health and racial justice, including as lead researcher at Black Thrive Global. Her work spans maternal health, policing, community organising, and the creative industries.

Tamanda’s own experience as a founder, researcher, and queer Black woman in production and consultancy shapes her honest take on burnout, ambition, and the myth of “having it all.” Whether on mic, on set, or in strategy rooms, she is committed to centring lived experience and building new narratives about leadership, care, and what success can and should look like for women in business.

Tanya is the co-founder of Say More Studios, a female-led company she runs with her wing-woman business partner, Amy. Her career has spanned iconic music videos with Hammer & Tongs in the late 90s/early 00s, AD-ing on TV drama, scriptwriting in Los Angeles, producing live music events, and developing documentary and factual television. Across it all, she has built a reputation for turning noisy, non-linear ideas into bold creative visions that connect people and spark change.

Her lived experience of ADHD, long-term health conditions, and repeated burnout has shown her what the industry can do to people. That’s why Say More Studios was born: to help embed access, inclusion, and care alongside creativity and craft - and to do things differently. Tanya leads with vulnerability, openly sharing her story as a way of building trust, connection, and new ways of working. She also champions Youth Voice and co-production models, ensuring young people and emerging talent aren’t just represented but directly shaping the work.

At Say More Studios, mental health, neurodiversity, and inclusion are built into every process, with an active approach to supporting colleagues and collaborators to bring their whole selves to the workplace. One of their missions is to transform working cultures and plant the seeds for lasting change.

Say More is now building a pioneering slate: developing TIPTIME, a trauma-informed training programme that moves beyond compliance, rooted instead in radical kindness; scaling a creative careers initiative for primary schools to tackle the opportunities gap early; a kid-led music show exploring creative learning through brilliant music; and an anthology docu-series capturing the raw experiences of birth parents in adoption - all through bold collaborations and partnerships that join the dots across the creative landscape.