Media Profile | Saphena Aziz, Director of Inclusion & Workforce Development
About Saphena
Saphena is a creative leader with over 25 years' experience working across the arts and culture.
At Curious Minds, she leads on inclusion and workforce development, focusing on dismantling the barriers that prevent children and young people in the North from accessing high-quality arts and culture – in and out of school.
A passionate advocate for representation and developing anti racist strategies, she co-founded the Diversity Action Group at Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, where she now serves on the Board, alongside her past role as a trustee for Shakespeare North Playhouse.
Her creative roots run deep—Saphena’s career has included scriptwriting, consultancy, producing, and performance, with commissions from leading organisations such as the BBC, British Council, V&A, Tate Liverpool, and Southbank Centre. As a playwright, she’s developed new work through the Liverpool Everyman Playwrights Programme, BBC Writersroom, and Box of Tricks Theatre, and is currently working on fresh scripts for stage.
A Clore Leadership Pulse alumna and experienced mentor, she supports early and mid-career artists to grow their practice and step into leadership. From rehearsal rooms to boardrooms, Saphena brings energy, insight, and an unwavering belief in the power of creativity to transform lives.
