Leading the Way
Posted: Friday 17th Feb 2012
As the issues facing leaders in the third sector increase in volume and complexity, these awards would be a celebration of the contributions made to our society by the resourceful and creative leaders working within NI's third sector.
The event will serve as a vehicle for celebrating the remarkable resiliency and initiative the sector is using to meet the increasingly complex needs within our communities and seeks to motivate and reward those individuals whose leadership has been exceptional.
Nisha conceputalised and founded ArtsEkta in 2006 drawing on over twenty years experience working in various junior and senior management roles across corporate, community, voluntary and arts sectors in Northern Ireland. As a result of her experiences she identified limited service provision for intercultural arts and a lack of support for arts and artists within minority ethnic communities. Originating from a local minority community and being an artist herself, Nisha understood the issues they faced and wanted to develop an innovative, vibrant and original organisation that would bring about genuine change and initiate a holistic infrastructure for intercultural arts in line with practices elsewhere in the UK.
Over five years Nisha has led the development of ArtsEkta from a self-employed pilot project run from her home into Northern Ireland’s leading ethnic arts organisation which has skilled staff base of six, a portfolio of arts/culture based initiatives, events and programmes representative of many cultures living in NI, a pool of 50+ employed artists who are engaged in a process of professional development and annual investment of over £0.5m. Such success evidences how she has, with skill, achieved her vision and created sustainable growth in such a short period of time.
She commented "I am delighted to be recognised through the CO3 Leadership Awards for Leading Growth & Innovation. Such an initiative highlights and rewards the tireless efforts of those working at the frontline to meet the needs of our communities and build a stronger, more resilient sector. This is particularly relevant in light of the challenging times we face, and never has it been more important for us to unite together and demonstrate strong and effective leadership. I would like to thank all those involved at CO3 for their continued efforts in promoting and developing the work of our diverse and exceptional third sector"
The awards ceremony was hosted by Alison Fleming from UTV and took place on 23rd of Feburary at the City Hotel in Derry.
For more information on the work of Chief Officers Third Sector please click here
