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Freelance champions revealed at last
Lizzie Crump (left) and Leila D’Aronville
THE UK government has at last announced the appointment of Leila D’Aronville and Lizzie Crump as “freelance champions” - an move promised in its Creative Industries Sector Plan on 5 August 2025.
Lizzie Crump is “the UK Strategic Lead at What Next?; a national cultural movement which brings people together to debate and shape the future of the arts and culture in the UK.” She describes herself as “a policy and partnership specialist with over 20 years of experience working with, and advocating for, the arts, culture and education”.
Leila D’Aronville is based in Gateshead. She describes herself on LinkiedIn as “A highly experienced creative manager and producer, with over 20 years' in the cultural sector, 15 at a senior level. Skilled in project management, project development, business planning, impact reporting, communications, organisational change, building community, coaching, facilitation and partnership development. I am also a highly networked and experienced connector of people and projects.“
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport describes the Champions' role as to “represent the sectors [sic] 703,000 freelancers within Government, including sitting on the Creative Industries Council”; they will “support industry’s work to address the findings of the Good Work Review, a major review into working conditions across the sectors, which highlighted issues with unpaid work, limited opportunities for professional development, and difficult working environments, as well as high levels of job satisfaction, flexibility and autonomy.”
The Freelance is joining the queue to interview the Champions.
New ‘Freelance Champions’ to put creative workers at the heart of Government’s policy-making