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Source: ICO

The 2019 Women’s Leadership programme participants

Eight senior festival and exhibition managers have been selected for the third round of the Women’s Leadership programme run by the UK’s Independent Cinema Office.

The participants in the four-month development initiative run by the cinema training body include Melanie Iredale, deputy director at Sheffield Doc/Fest and interim director for the 2019 edition; Jen Skinner, founder and director of Scottish film promotion body Screen Argyll; and Juliet Tweedie, head of development at Edinburgh’s Centre for Moving Image.

The programme of talks and mentorship will feature leading industry figures including Caroline Norbury, Creative England CEO; Briony Hanson, director of film at the British Film Council; Jaki McDougall, CEO at Glasgow Film; and Gaylene Gould, creative director, presenter and cultural ambassador for London.

Of the participants from the first run of the initiative in 2015, the ICO says 75% have either moved to a new role or been promoted within their organisation. They include Holli Keeble, chief executive of Newcastle’s Tyneside Cinema since January 2018; and Gali Gold, head of cinema at London’s Barbican since May 2018. Both Keeble and Gold are among the mentors for the new cohort.

2019/20 Women’s Leadership participants

Jen Skinner, director, Screen Argyll

Julia Andrews-Clifford, young film programmers manager, Depot, Lewes

Juliet Tweedie, head of development, Centre for Moving Image

Kirsten Geekie, operations manager, Bertha DocHouse

Kitty Anderson, director, LUX Scotland

Liz Harkman, freelance programmer & consultant

Lizzie Banks, producer, Carousel, Oska Bright Film Festival

Melanie Iredale, deputy director, Sheffield Doc/Fest