Howkins is an expert in the fields of creativity, copyright, media and entertainment, with considerable experience in business strategy and operations. Kate Oakley is a recognised leader in the study of the knowledge economy in the UK since the late 1980s. These Expert Speakers brought their expertise to Perth to discuss concepts of policy development and research surrounding the knowledge economy and the creative industries at a time when this area of debate was still new to Perth.
Oakley also facilitated a masterclass titled Building Creative Regions: New Dilemmas And New Solutions. An advanced masterclass, it offered participants insight into debate about the role of creative industries, with the aim of creating new solutions for the new dilemmas of the modern world. In one of FORM’s first events highlighting the rise of the creative industries and the need to invest in them, participants also examined how government and the creative industries can collaborate to make cities and regions both innovative and liveable. It is a debate that still rings true for Western Australia today.