Professor Graham Hitchen

Director of Policy

Graham Hitchen

Graham is Director of the Loughborough University Policy Unit and a senior member of the London School, where he is Professor of Practice within the Institute for Media and Creative Industries.

Graham Hitchen specialises in Cultural and Creative Industries policy, having worked at a senior level in the sector for more than 25 years. He runs the Creative Research and Innovation Centre (CRAIC) at Loughborough London with Andrew Chitty, and he is also working with the Industrial Strategy team at UKRI, leading strategy for the Audience of the Future and the Creative Industries Clusters programmes. He brings a wealth of experience in cultural and creative industries policy and delivery – nationally and regionally. Graham was the Corporate Policy Director for Arts Council England, before setting up Creative London with the Mayor’s office in 2004 – which was responsible for establishing Film London and the London Design Festival. He has been running a successful consultancy business since 2007, advising government agencies, cities and universities on Creative Industries and innovation.

Academic background

Graham's early research focused on the relationship between Images and Text in British 20th Century culture, and he has lectured on Modernism and the Historiography of the arts. For the last 25 years, he has been working in Creative Industries policy, working with local, national and international agencies, and contributing guest lectures and articles for a number of institutions on topics such as cities and regeneration, creative innovation, and Government arts and cultural policy.

Current research and collaborations

Graham is part of the AHRC Creative Economy Champion team, working alongside Professor Chitty on Creative Industries applied research and innovation. He has recently led studies on Creative Technologies, mapping the Creative Industries in India, and assessing the impact of Covid-19 on creative businesses in Hackney Wick. He is also part of the East London Policy Innovation Partnership, which is a collaboration with UCL, University of the Arts London and other partners at SHIFT.

Interests and activities

  • The application of research in a policy context
  • Cities and regeneration
  • Creative clusters
  • Applied research and innovation in the Creative Industries
  • Government policy on culture and the creative industries
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