we’re A team of encOurAgers, sUpporters and dEliverers of creAtive chanGe
We’re here to support your creative journey from idea to making it happen – helping you to identify your skills, assets and tailor support needed for your project.
teAm
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zulf ahmed
Director
Zulf is at the helm of The Leap, providing creative and out of the box leadership. He leads The Leap team, champions everything The Leap does. He makes strategic connections, develops new partnerships and resources as well as implementing the artist and strategic vision to ensure we stay on track in achieving our mission.
osman gondal
Head of Operations
Osman is an experienced professional dedicated to making a positive impact in the field of operational and business management. With a strong background in operations/project development and financial management. He loves to manage complex projects while maintaining a focus on business objectives has resulted in consistently successful outcomes. Excels in building relationships with stakeholders, team members, and communities, fostering collaboration and delivering results. He believes in creating an environment that encourages creativity, learning, and professional development.
Passionate Arts & Culture and creating opportunities for all communities.
andrea dean
Administration and Events Assistant
Andrea supports the team to deliver great programmes. She gets involved in the upfront co-ordination of programme applications, organises some of our events and is the initial point of contact if you email our info box.
And if you are applying for a job with the team she might be helping to sort out applications and interviews. Jack of all trades in other words! She likes getting to meet the many different people that the team have connections with and helping them to realise their projects.
akinwale ogundipe
Monitoring and Evaluation Manager
Akinwale is the data man on the team; he provides support for activities monitoring and evaluation. He loves designing systems for data capturing and tracking of key performance indicators. He is your go-to man if your interest is around what, when, how to measure and document your activities.
sabir musaji
Community Development Manager
Sabir has a wealth of experience in Project delivery across both commercial and art platforms. He is extremely passionate about developing people and their aspirations.
As an experienced Talent Manager and Musician also, he hopes to combine all his experience to realise the exciting potential of Bradford and Keighley communities to access arts and culture.
stuart blackburn
Community Development Manager
Born and brought up in Keighley, Stuart began his community and arts based work in 1987 where, for a decade he worked with ex-prisoners, drug users, people living with HIV, S.Asian Community groups, young working class women and young gang members to name but a very few. He went on to be the Performance Arts Director at The CAVE, the only Black and Asian Arts Centre outside London.
He then spent 3 years as Artistic Director of Bradford’s Theatre In The Mill before running a variety of Theatre Company’s where he wrote and directed many Nationally touring plays working with and for young people and community groups across the country. In his spare time he tends to his Veg Patch and frets about what to do with his glut of courgettes!
ibrar ali
Community Development Manager
Ibrar is a community connector and a social entrepreneur with a significant history of developing projects and ideas to create social change. Ibrar is extremely passionate about asset based community development and people powered change. A highly motivated and skilled manager of enterprise projects, social investment programmes, third sector development and helping to develop sustainable business models for social projects.
He has over 25 years of experience as a project manager in community development, having worked extensively in supporting and developing individual and community led social projects across the north of England and Northern Ireland.
aisha iqbal khan
Heritage Development
Aisha is responsible for the delivery and management of our Community Heritage Grants. She is currently on the search for local people in Bradford and Keighley who might not usually get a shot at getting their creative efforts funded or supported. It could be a cooking club or a sufi poetry night in your uncle’s house, a craft workshop or a photography collection which the world deserves to see. No idea too small, no project too bonkers.
asif ahmed
Marketing, Design and Communications Lead
Asif manages the branding and online presence of The Leap, creating beautiful illustrations, logos and campaigns both digital and physical to share the amazing work The Leap is up to with the community.
Asif has worked on many projects large and small; from designing logos and branding for local businesses and charities, to corporate conventions, apps and self-development books for international clientele. Asif loves using his skills to help those around him to tell their story and bring their ideas to life.
consOrtium
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The Leap Consortium makes a significant contribution to the strategy, policies and priorities of The Leap programme. The Consortium currently meets six times a year and delegates day-to-day management and operational responsibility to the Director.
tracy watson
Chair
As the Director of Research Operations at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Tracy is responsible for the strategic and operational management and leadership to the Trust on all research matters. This includes the development of research infrastructure, capacity and capability; overall responsibility for the Research Management and Support Office; performance and financial management of research; providing advice and support on all aspects of research and ensuring that the Trust’s research is of high quality and that there are increasing opportunities for Trust’s patients and staff to participate in research.
mohammed atique
Has a passion for helping others to be successful. With experience working with a wide range of people from young volunteers to senior people, his particular skill is listening and developing rapport which is key. Having successfully worked in Business Development for several years he is able to lead, motivate and develop teams whilst encouraging staff to grow their capabilities and develop skills within themselves.
lauren batty
Lauren is the director of OutLOUD and Founder of Beyond the Margin. Bradford born and bred she is a performing arts graduate and youth worker with over 12 years experience working in a frontline capacity with communities in Bradford - particularly in Holme Wood. Along with arts and culture, Lauren has a passion for charitable causes and has a vast amount of experience volunteering and working within the charity sector including volunteering in Bolivia, Brazil, and across South America.
chris cartwright
Vice Chair
Chris is a Research Programme Manager for the Early Life and Prevention theme of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Yorkshire and Humber, Born in Bradford and a qualified Consultant in Public Health. Born in Bradford (BiB), the landmark project at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust which is tracking the health and wellbeing of more than 13,500 children from before birth to adulthood.
amjid hussain
Amjid has a varied and diverse background taking in legal and technical IT professions before settling in to specialize in community development and social enterprise. Having worked on large capital projects in town and city centres across Yorkshire for the Regional Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward, Amjid subsequently chose to support social entrepreneurs in establishing, developing and growing their social ventures. A great believer in the power of place and the strength of local communities, Amjid has spent over 20 years in supporting people and projects in Bradford Moor.
naz kazmi
Naz has lived in Keighley for most of her life and has 30 years’ experience of working with Black and Minority Ethnic women and children, particularly from a south Asian background. Naz has worked closely with communities and organisations designing, developing and delivering innovative programmes and research projects. These projects have focused on addressing social inequalities, which overlap with health, environmental behaviours, education and employment. Her hobbies are travelling, poetry and fine arts.
habib khan
Habib co-runs Bradford Eid Festival. He is a proud Bradfordian, son of an immigrant and of Pakistani heritage. He loves travelling and enjoying meeting peeople from different cultures. He's a big Liverpool supporter and has a passion for the motor industry!
julia skelton
As Executive Director of Mind the Gap, Julia works with the whole organisation to make sure that it is heading in the right direction. She’s responsible for making sure the company has the right people for the job, and enough money to do the work. Having been with the company for over 20 years, she knows Mind the Gap like the back of her hand.
ushman shabir
Bradford Moor PASS
Ushman has worked across multiple disciplines; education, youth work, IT, Learning Development, and Community Development. Currenting he is a System and Technology Trainer at a Bradford based company. Ushman has worked in Community and Youth development for 15 years. He started as a Youth Group Chairperson and transitioned into a Community Leader. Ushman passion has always been to develop young people and help them become great members of the local community through education and voluntary work. He had always believes ever young person should be given a change to change.
pArtners and suppOrters
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Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people's lives. ACE supports activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections.
Our clinical commissioning group (CCG) plans, buys and monitors health services in Bradford district and Craven. We are responsible for commissioning (buying) services such as mental health, urgent and emergency care, hospital services and community care. In the About Us section of our website, you can find information about what we do, who we work with and information about which GP practices are members of our CCG.
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council is the local authority for the Bradford District, in West Yorkshire.
The Bradford For Everyone programme is led by the Stronger Communities team at Bradford Council and is overseen by an independent partnership. The programme delivers innovative, and well-evidenced, initiatives which bring people and communities together in meaningful and sustainable ways.
Bradford is the UK City of Culture 2025. The year is set to deliver more than 1000 new performances and events including 365 artist commissions, a series of major arts festivals as well as exciting national and international collaborations.
The Emerald Foundation, the charitable arm of Emerald Group, was established in 2008 by the Owner, Keith Howard OBE, who wished to support charities in the local area where the company was founded, West Yorkshire. The Foundation was created to cope with the enormous number of requests received from charities each year. The aim of the Foundation is to support four main areas: Performing Arts, Sport, Animal Welfare, and Education.
Film Hub North supports film culture in the North of England through a combination of funding, training, advocacy and community-building. We help film exhibition organisations and filmmakers at a grassroots level, supporting them to grow audiences, screen great film and create exciting, new work. Together, we’re expanding audience choice, improving access to cinema and nurturing a new wave of creative talent.
