The BGI and the National Videogame Museum are operated by a growing, committed and diverse team working to create an innovative programme including our museum, multiple events and festivals, and our award-winning learning programme. We’re adaptable and open to new ideas. We craft fun and educational experiences that change our different communities’ lives. We’re passionate about games but don’t expect everyone to have deep knowledge of videogames.
We’re committed to diversity and inclusion in everything we do, including our recruitment. We’re looking for committed creative people to help build our organisation from this start-up phase towards a sustainable future. You can see open positions here.
Meet the team
John O’Shea, Creative Director / Co-CEO
John O’Shea is Creative Director at the National Videogames Museum, where he leads overall strategy for Curatorial, Collections and Learning Programmes at the museum, and sets the creative vision for the British Gaming Institute as a whole. John has curated, produced and directed projects in the UK and internationally for the Science Gallery Network, Science Museum Group, National Football Museum, Liverpool Biennial, FACT, BBC, Future Everything, and Abandon Normal Devices, and many others, and he regularly commissions and works with established international artists. Some of his earliest memories are of the thrill of the local games arcade, and the pure immersion of playing early videogames at home (with his brother and cousins). In 2015 he curated and produced “Pitch to Pixel: The World of Football Gaming” examining how gaming influences the world beyond the screen. He is committed to expanding the boundaries and understanding of art, science and digital culture for all. Following the recent departure of CEO, Rick Gibson, John will join Cat in a co-CEO capacity and lead an interim period of exciting transformation.
Cat Powell, Director of Visitor Experience
Cat Powell brings a wealth of experience as Head of Artfelt, the arts programme which uses art to change the lives of thousands at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Under her leadership, Artfelt grew to become a multi-faceted project with national prominence. Passionate about new audiences, she’s deeply committed to Sheffield and its potential for the National Videogame Museum. Working alongside BGI’s Creative Director, John O’Shea, Cat will lead a team of 17 staff and crew that delivers the Museum, which has just announced a major National Lottery Heritage Fund award to redesign its Visitor Experience. Following the recent departure of CEO, Rick Gibson, Cat will join John in a co-CEO capacity and lead an interim period of exciting transformation.
Stacey Jubb, Head of Learning
Stacey runs our brand-new Vocational programme designed to inspire people from all backgrounds to gain games development skills and open doors to new creative technology careers. Stacey is a highly motivated, dedicated, flexible and enthusiastic individual with over fifteen years’ experience in the education sector, nine of which have been in a leadership and management role. Possessing a Master’s in Education and considerable vocational teaching experience from levels one to seven, as well as an in-depth understanding of pastoral support and safeguarding.
James Newman, Head of Research
James Newman PhD is Research Professor at Bath Spa University and a researcher and curator at the NVM, working across our research, exhibition and education programmes. Over the past 20 years, he has written widely on aspects of videogames, players and fans, and media histories delivering talks across the world. Most recently, he co-authored A History of Videogames (Carlton, 2018) with Iain Simons. James was the co-founder of the National Videogame Archive, is the co-founder of the Game Sound Archive in collaboration with the British Library, and is the director of the All Your Bass videogame music festival.
Joe Dickens, Creative Engineer
Joe Dickens is Creative Engineer at the National Videogame Museum where he creates exhibitions and events. Joe is an event and venue manager, educator, designer, comedian and games developer. Joe created the videogame comedy crossover show ‘Gamer, Gamer’, which led to a regular program of local videogames events, educational shows and talks at Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies. Joe has worked with a number of regional organisations to develop a strong gaming community, in 2017 as part of a team he won and award at Hack24 – a twenty-four hour coding challenge. He is also an avid collector and researcher of rare and unusual videogames ephemera, arcade machines, and peripherals with an interest in preservation and restoration of gaming hardware collections.
Leah Dungay, Learning Officer
Leah Dungay is the Learning Officer at the National Videogame Museum. She is an experienced museum educator and outreach professional specialising in STEM, history and performance. Over the last few years, she has devised, produced and facilitated informal and formal learning programmes at the Thackray Medical Museum in Leeds. This includes their major outreach project, The Emergency Museum, which took her across Yorkshire in a museum built inside a retired ambulance. Leah shared the award for Best Website activity from Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museums Award 2020 with Conor Clarke.
Farhan Jibril, Finance Officer
Farhan Mahamud Jibril maintains the BGI’s daily and monthly accounting processes. Before starting training as a management accountant, Farhan worked as a science teacher and ran his own tutorial business. Farhan worked in the cutleries and construction industries in credit management, before working for a variety of small and medium sized organisations. Farhan is progressing through the final stages of his CIMA accreditation, focusing on transactional finance, quarterly reporting and account submissions. Outside of work, he has a growing interest in early years development for special educational needs children.