Vikas Kumar

Qualifications include BA Accounting and Finance.

Experience and skills/expertise:

• Awarded an MBE in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to Arts and Culture
• In 2009 received the Gateshead Award by the Mayor for outstanding service to Gateshead.
• Awarded Asian Business Connexions Art and Culture award in 2016, and then again in 2019.
• Double digit revenue growth and exceeding KPI and targets year on year.
• Maintaining the highest Arts Council England rating of ‘Outstanding’ for Creativity, Diversity & Engagement
• Developing a culturally diverse workforce – managing over 200 freelance artists/creatives annually
• Growing audiences to 80,000+ and engaging with over 9000 participants from diverse communities
• Winning Journal Culture Award for GemArts Masala Festival in 2017
• Founder and Director of GemArts a visionary arts charity based in Gateshead