Savraj Matharu named as Industry Champion by Policy and Evidence Centre for Creative Industry

Creative PEC started in 2018 at Nesta, now working with a diverse group of partners with an interest in Creative Industries, including Creative UK, the Intellectual Property Office, the British Film Institute, Arts Council England, the Local Government Association, Creative Scotland and the British Council. International partnerships include European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Culture and Creativity and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).  

The industry champions at Creative PEC are a UK-wide network of trusted practitioners, drawn from all parts of the creative industries. The group offers guidance on the industry’s most pressing challenges, expert insight to inform their research and critical feedback on their policy recommendations.

Savraj Matharu is the Course Leader and Founder of the Interactive Media Practice MA course at Westminster. It is the first Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) based Master’s course encompassing an innovative, interdisciplinary and digital makers’ mindset. The course focuses on a digital first approach and combines a range of creative technologies from virtual reality, augmented reality, extended reality and design thinking to building powerful digital solutions, developing the next generation of student talent fit for the digital age and industry. The programme is recognised for helping successful alumni joining world-leading organisations, particularly within the creative industries and operates at the intersection of STEAM.    

Speaking about the recognition, Savraj Matharu said: “It is an honour to be named as Industry Champion by PEC mainly for my work as a practitioner/academic in Digital Innovation, Teaching Learning Pedagogy and Creative Technology (CreaTech), which I have championed for many years both internally, at the University, and externally.

“The role comes with opportunities for policy briefings and roundtables with submitting evidence to government reviews, sharing industry priorities with policymakers, whilst championing the creative industries. It’s a great opportunity for my work to have impact on policy and research development for the sector. It’s a way of building an understanding of creative industries, research and policy, and especially how the former informs the latter. It’s an opportunity to engage with diverse peers from across the creative industries who bring valuable insights. It’s also impressive to see the work by PEC being cited in the UK Governmental Industrial Strategy and how this has informed policy, particularly within the Technology and growth areas – my fellow industry champions are very impressive, so I am honoured yet humbled.

“I am very excited to share my expertise, knowledge and insights to bridge industry and academia ensuring we are providing the relevant skills for student employability where our students can be confident and future-focused to enter the world of work in an area which I am very passionate about. I am fortunate enough to have built and developed a track record of student success where many of my students have entered a highly skilled workplace.”

Matharu’s role as an Industry Champion for Creative PEC will directly contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.

Find out more about the Interactive Media Practice MA course at Westminster.