Annie is Creative Director at the Crafts Council where she leads exhibitions, innovation, research, and education programmes. Based in Dublin for ten years, Annie started her career at the Crafts Council of Ireland.  She went on to work as a writer and editor for a US/Irish academic publisher, then develop and launch a digital start-up supported as an Enterprise Ireland flagship project. Returning to the UK, Annie was CEO at artist development agency ArtsMatrix and then Head of Partnerships at Creative Skillset, the creative industries’ skills council. 

She studied at the universities of Cambridge and Bristol, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and an Associate of Newnham College, Cambridge. Annie regularly writes and presents in the UK and internationally on topics of craft and design, creative education, innovation and the creative economy.