Bayes Business School hosts conference to address challenges in financing the creative industries.
Many of the UK’s most influential figures in the creative industries came together with investors and finance experts at Bayes Business School for a day of discussion around financing the creative industries – at the inaugural Creative Industries Finance Forum.
The sector is worth in excess of £124 billion, employs approximately 2.4 million people, and generates £46 billion in exported goods and services of games, television, film, illustration, theatre and music. It has also been designated as one of the UK’s key eight industrial strategies. Yet, despite this sizeable contribution to the UK’s economy, creatives experience an investment shortfall.
According to Creative UK, nearly half (48 per cent) of creative businesses are citing limited access to external finance as a barrier to growth.
On the flip side, investors often struggle to quantify projected returns on investment in creative sectors. The Forum aimed to bring together both sides to showcase the value and impact of creativity, while shining a light on building successful and attractive business models.
The event was organised by Katherine Parsons, Programme Lead at Bayes Business School, who has worked in the television industry for over 25 years. The Forum is linked to the aims of the new Executive Master’s in Leadership for the Creative Industries to increase business skills in the sector, which will be launched at Bayes in March 2026.
Professor Michael Mainelli, former Lord Mayor of the City of London, opened proceedings by describing the City as an “SME engine” within the “most intense cluster on the planet of many sectors” – in creativity and education just as much as within finance.
Joey Fisher, Consultant at Oliver and Ohlbaum, set the scene for the agenda about the effects digital media has had on consumer viewing habits. The day then entailed three expert panels – on what investors look for, how to monetise value chains and how to measure success where assets are often intangible – as well as presentations with a raft of major players and investors from the creative industry.
Sir Peter Bazalgette, Co-Chair of the UK Creative Industries Taskforce and the UK’s most high-profile creative industry leader and advocate, discussed his career as a pioneering creative entrepreneur with Professor Mainelli. Citing the new sector plan which he has played a pivotal role in creating, he spoke about newly announced support from the British Business Bank, the power of intellectual property (IP), the challenges creative business owners face in accessing financial support and the need to tackle skills shortages.
He also talked about his vision for “CreaTech”, where creativity meets technology to discover new ways of reaching and engaging audiences, and addressed a need to work with AI in publishing and content creation rather than against it.
Joe Puthenveetil, Partner at The Raine Group, then joined Tanya Beckett, broadcaster and financial journalist, to discuss investment in the creative industries from a global merchant banker’s perspective. Joe, who has worked on principal and advisory transactions across Raine’s music and live entertainment activities across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, spoke about developing specialisms among media sub-sectors, the processes for investing in content and how to give creatives the business infrastructure to scale further.
Two senior executives, Reemah Sakaan, (Global Chief Executive Officer, NED and Founder (BritBox Intl) and David Moody, Director of Strategy & Business Development, BBC Studios, both with extensive experience of launching and running major media businesses shared their insights during the monetisation and performance sessions.
The final presentation of the day was delivered by Laura Simpson, Chief Intelligence Officer and President of McCann’s Truth Central. Laura gave visual examples of how brands are increasingly becoming investors in content.
Katherine Parsons said:
“Investors are increasingly attracted to the creative industries due to their significant and growing economic footprint. However, a lack of sector-specific understanding continues to pose a barrier to investment.
“Today’s discussions highlighted the growth potential across screen, performance, music, createch, and other areas of the sector. The focus was on how to unlock investment by clearly demonstrating value to investors.
“This Forum has shown the impact of bringing together leaders from both within and beyond the creative industries to foster dialogue, build networks, and share knowledge. Our thanks go to all of the brilliant speakers.
“At Bayes we are pioneering a route for the next generation of industry leaders, with the aim of the Creative Industries Forum becoming a regular event to connect business with the creative sector.”
The executive master’s will be led by Katherine Parsons and Amanda Goodall, Professor of Leadership at Bayes Business School.
The programme is designed for mid to senior-level professionals in entertainment, media and performing arts, entrepreneurs, performers, investors and business leaders. Modules will examine areas of leadership, law, finance, digital disruption and branding.
Professor Goodall said:
“The Executive Master’s in Leadership for the Creative Industries has been purposefully designed to provide experienced practitioners, from investment and creative backgrounds, with knowledge and tools to monetise work in the sector.
“My own research shows that the best leaders are those with expertise in their field, rather than those who possess good management skills alone. This means that the future of creative leadership lies with people who know it best: the creatives themselves.
“Students will gain the business skills to move upwards or sideways, start or scale a creative enterprise, and make the leap from being a creative worker to successfully running a creative business.”
Find out more about the Creative Industries Finance Forum, including a list of speakers.
Read more about the Executive Master’s in Leadership for the Creative Industries.
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