Rachel Nelken - CEO
“As CEO for our charity I lead and work alongside our brilliant team, doing my best to have an overview of all the many different programmes and strands of work of our organisation. I work closely with our Senior Management Team on all things fundraising, partnerships, organisation and programme development, shaping a creative vision and sustainable future for the organisation. I also buy a lot of good snacks for the team and our community members, because food is important!”
Originally trained as a musician, Rachel’s 20+ years in the London creative sector have included work with both funders, venues and grassroots arts organisations designing, developing, and running creative programmes for communities, developing artists, producing events and shows, and designing funding programmes. Senior roles include Head of Creative Programmes at The Albany Theatre in Deptford from 2017-2019, and Senior Producer at Camden’s Roundhouse in 2013-2017.
As CEO, Rachel has redefined and grown our charity, in the heart of London’s most diverse communities. She has developed new representative and reflective governance, collective leadership and cultural democracy structures, raising over £3m towards the programme and building development. Rachel is also a parent to 2 lively and opinionated teenagers. She is passionate about the creative arts and is a keen musician, actively writing and playing herself whenever she can.
Favourite Raw Moment
“One of the best things about my role here is the opportunity to play my cello and help to co-lead our Mindful Music session on a Tuesday. Seeing the impact this open inclusive improvisatory session has for some of our community members is a massive privilege. People sometimes arrive very stressed and leave feeling quite different, or are uncommunicative to begin with and then start to find their voice and community in the session through the joy of making music together. One of the best moments was seeing one of our participants who had been quite withdrawn for his first few weeks, surprise us by taking the opportunity to conduct the group and enjoying the moment so much he started to dance!”
Best Live Music Experience
“I have been lucky enough to see a lot of incredible live music in my life but I saw Moses Sumney perform at the Royal Festival Hall in 2019 and it stands out as one of the best gigs I’ve ever seen. His voice is maybe 6 octaves and virtuosic and his band were also incredible. When he finished his last song which reverberated across the auditorium there was a moment of complete silence before the whole audience rose to their feet as one”