Ruth Naomi Brooks24 Stonehouse, 199 Eade Rd, London N4 1DN | 07739904369 | brooks_photography@hotmail.com

Personal Profile

I am a highly personable workplace innovator with extensive experience of the public sector (including central government experience) and charity environments, and a large network of contacts in both the commercial and cultural film, skills and education sectors. I thrive on the challenge of developing and improving systems and bringing people together to solve problems collaboratively. I am passionate about the cultural and education sectors and am driven to improve the outlook of the next generation.

After having achieved success in helping existing organisations with business improvement as an employee I have recently become a business owner, taking over operational control of a private art school in North London. I am hugely enjoying being able to use my skills and knowledge to create a positive outcome that I am in complete control of and also taking on the challenge of widening my skills in the private sector.

Skills

Strategy. A natural strategist and problem solver with a proven ability to come up with solutions in difficult situations.

Partnerships. Particular skill in facilitating working relationships, with a large amount of experience in using diplomacy and negotiation to great success in tense or even combative working environments. Cross team collaboration both internally and both formal and informal stakeholder collaboration externally, with a wide variety of partners.

Communication. Line management, workshop delivery, public speaking, stakeholder management and negotiation, excellent written skills, ability to build brands, engage with online/print press, commission comms work, social media.

Continuous Business Improvement Trained in LEAN systems, methodical process improvement and intuitive performance systems such as dashboards and data visualisations.

Project & Programme Management. APM practitioner with experience of projects involving internal change, database construction, comms strategy and set up of new national schemes. Proficient in standard practice such as risk registers, RAG reports, impact analysis, budget management and monitoring & evaluation systems.

IT. Ability to use all Microsoft Office programs competently, advanced Excel user. Familiar with both PC and Mac and content management systems including Sharepoint. Working knowledge of most Adobe Creative Suite programs.

Employment

July 2015 – Present. Managing Director, Blake College

Business owner of a London based independent art and design college, established in 1986 Presiding over all operational and strategic aspects of College operations Developing new marketing strategies to help the College grow and thrive in a commercially competitive

environment Project managing a move to new North London premises including sourcing a premises, redecorating, installing

all elements needed for operation Managing government funding from the Department for Education and sourcing further funding streams such as

dealing with the Business Growth Service to maximise potential for the business to increase turnover and improve profit margins

Modernising processes and systems in the College to create greater efficiencies and aid business improvement Expanding the College’s remit to include new, innovative courses with a professional development focus

Jun 2014 – July 2015. Partnerships Manager, Into Film Identifying, brokering and maintaining partnerships from the education, skills and film industries that support our

£6m a year programme of activity

Identifying and building relationships with Stakeholders who can help us achieve our aims, understanding and building on areas of mutual benefit

Created and introduced systems such as matrix analysis tools to identify worthwhile partnership projects, ensuring a good return on resource investment

Work on extending our commercial arm, creating rate cards and securing investment from distributors’ marketing departments (ability to create proposals and pitch effectively)

Delivering projects that aim to improve business strategy overall, such as a Hothouse project which is finding strategic solutions to team silo problems and moving our approach from reactive to proactive

Assisting in business improvement across the organisation, implementing essential and previously absent internal communication solutions such as a Managers Meeting, a weekly brief and bespoke reporting solutions

Aug 2013 – June 2014. Trainee Finder Manager, Creative Skillset Establishing the UK’s largest Creative Industries trainee scheme, spanning the film, high-end TV drama,

animation, visual effects and games industries. This has involved complex cross-sector negotiation and stakeholder engagement, and a high level of strategic oversight – having a vision for the scheme.

Pioneering best practice for trainee placements in those industries, beginning to a cultural shift in the way those industries view, pay and treat trainees and increasing access and diversity

Overseeing more than 300 placements across those industries since the scheme was launched in Sept 2013, with participation from over 70 companies to date representing the full range of those industries, from small independents to major players such as Warner Bros, Kudos, Sony, Ubisoft and Framestore, and with trainees on productions such as Sherlock, Game of Thrones, Les Miserables, Great Expectations and the Double

Promoting recruitment to the scheme through presentations at industry events, conferences and workshops, and representing the scheme at networking events

Brokering key partnerships with the BFI, BAFTA, Film London and Creative Access to augment the scheme, in addition to wide ranging stakeholder management with relevant government departments, the Higher Education sector, college course convenors, careers advisory services, industry groups and other public bodies

Commissioning new online content to ensure clear communication about the scheme; new web pages developed with a strong brand and developing visual identity and video content to promote the scheme

Writing necessary scheme paperwork, including drafting a standard Training Contract involving liaison with lawyers, tax experts and both DCMS and HMRC.

Managing a team of three, with two sector specific co-ordinators and a fund administrator covering database management, customer service skills and financial systems administration to deliver £900k of grants a year

Developing and implementing excellent reporting techniques that more than satisfy our funder’s Monitoring & Evaluation requirements as well as keeping the team on top of performance and issues management

May 2012 – Aug 2013. Film Co-ordinator, Creative Skillset Administrative and co-ordination duties for the film team. The Film Team develop industry and stakeholder

partnerships, deliver the UK’s Film Skills Strategy and administer a number of grants such as the Film Fund

Responsibility for partnership development and research in education, archives and post production, including oversight of a successful £400k Heritage Lottery Fund bid for archive training

Liaison with the Film Skills Council, an industry advisory group

Representing the Film Team at networking and sponsorship events such as Screen Stars of Tomorrow

Assisted Head of Film with devising the new Film Skills Strategy for 2013, which formed part of a £4m BFI lottery fund bid

Also stepped into a temporary Programme Management role to assist the kick starting of a £32m Skills Investment Fund programme of grant activity in addition to regular duties

Jan 2012 - May 2012. Ministerial Support Team Officer, Department for Culture, Media and Sport Drafting highly accurate correspondence with the public and MPs according to correct policy for Ministers and

Officials

Developed an excellent knowledge of Government policy in the creative industries, particularly in the areas of film, media and information economy

Creating a bespoke system for organisation wide celebration of success in addition to regular duties

Jan 2011 – March 2011 (last three months part time). Strategy Co-ordinator, Film: 21 st Century Literacy Co-ordinating a project office with the aim of strategically increasing the use of film in education during its final

year, with responsibility for event management, comms activity, stakeholder engagement and budget responsibility

Working directly with major film education stakeholders, including a Leadership Group comprising of senior executives from FILMCLUB, First Light, Film Education, the UK Film Council and the BFI. Ensuring collaboration between this group and others such as Cineclub, the Cinema Exhibitors Association, the Film Distributors Association and the MOVIES group of cinema education officers where possible to strategically align activity. Most film education bodies and several wider arts organisations signed up to the Strategy’s principles and several resources were created that are still in use.

Assisting in the commissioning of external evaluators to amalgamate findings and assess the success of the project, including a rigorous selection process and continual liaison throughout

Developing comms activity, including setting up social media channels such as a Twitter feed that grew to over 1,000 followers within a few months. Commissioning video and print materials to promote the findings of the project, with Sir Kenneth Brannagh presenting the video and close involvement in its production at all stages.

Being consulted by other bodies conducting media research such as the Media Trust

Brokering new partnerships with Higher Education bodies to put on events for teacher training institutions to effectively target catalyst points in sharing understanding of the benefits of using film in education

Delivering a wide range of events with responsibility for all areas of event management from budgeting to compering. Organising residential CPD for Local Authority education consultants and regional roadshow events with the aim of connecting local film making and film education bodies with schools.

Aug 2008 – Dec 2010. Business Support Officer & Honours Assistant, Department for Culture, Media and Sport Creating weekly performance reports for the Division involving complex data analysis interpreted into a visually

intuitive display that was given to Ministers and disseminated around the organisation

Acting as Secretariat to Senior Management Team and PA to the Deputy Director

Developing a system of visual management boards that became crucial to performance management in the division. I was then asked to develop similar systems across the organisation which are now integral to the way that performance is managed and knowledge is shared

Training in Continuous Business Improvement systems such as LEAN, implementing findings through running workshops for the rest of the directorate

Sept 2006 – Aug 2008. Administrative Officer, Rural Payments Agency Excellent customer service, liaising with the farming community regarding the Single Payment Scheme

Handling complex farming subsidy claims

Education

2014. Stonewall diversity training

2013. APM Foundation in Project Management.

2012. Advanced Excel training, Intermediate PowerPoint training, Burning Suit

2009. Presentation Skills training, London Business School

2006. BA Film Studies. Graduated at 2:1 with honours, University of Exeter

2002. A levels at grades AAC in English, Media Studies and History.

2001. AS Levels at grades BC in Art and Photography

2000. 10 GCSEs at grades A*- C.

Personal Interests

I consider myself a very creative person and enjoy both creating and helping others create. I am also a keen photographer, obsessive swing dancer and enthusiastic softballer

References available on request