Arlen is a writer and consultant who specialises in helping organisations tell their stories which connect to policymaking and socio-economic issues in the North East.

Over a 20 year career, he's worked with clients in local government, higher education, financial services, the charitable sector and the creative industries.

He is the author of a weekly Substack newsletter called Wor Room, which looks at politics and policy in the region, and is a former Creative Associate with New Writing North. His writing has been featured by publications including Vice and the Guardian, and shortlisted for the Oxford Flash Fiction Prize. He is a regular feature contributor to the online platform Pattern.

Panel Chair: Helen Cowie, Centre Director, Eldon Square

Helen Cowie is Centre Director at Eldon Square and brings more than 30 years of retail and operational leadership experience to one of the North East’s most prominent city-centre destinations. With a strong track record in customer experience, commercial growth, and organisational transformation, Helen continues to lead Eldon Square through an exciting period of investment, innovation, and evolving consumer expectations.

Before joining Eldon Square, Helen held a number of senior leadership roles with Marks & Spencer across the North East, North West, and Scotland. Her extensive experience across the retail sector has given her deep insight into the changing relationship between people, places, technology and the role city centres play in supporting vibrant communities and regional economies.

Born and raised in the North East, Helen is passionate about championing the region’s talent, creativity, and ambition. As Chair of the TechNext panel discussion, “The North East: Building a Creative Powerhouse”, she will lead a conversation exploring how collaboration across technology, culture, retail, and the creative industries can help position the North East as a nationally recognised hub for innovation and creative growth.

Thomas Bagnall is Head of Programmes at Generator, the North's leading music development agency. He is an arts professional with over 20 years experience, and has previously worked at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, The Cluny, and balletLORENT.

I'm a Film Director and Producer spanning the full width of screen, everything from social, digital, music video, and a few feature films, most recently with Sky Cinema.

My work has been recognised at Berlin, Cannes, and Roma, and I've built my career across Manchester, Belfast, and London before returning back home to the North East.

Based back home in the NE, I'm passionate about championing this region as a serious creative force, not a footnote. Alongside my own directing and producing work, I'm a Producer at Tyneside Cinema, where we bring in and work with young adults to open doors into the screen industry and turn passion into paid opportunity.

The talent is here. The stories are here. I'm just making sure the eyeballs follow. Like myself and a few other crew members in the NE, we're quietly and sometimes not so quietly, putting the proper North back where it belongs.