Reflecting on BOP's growth and increasing global presence, associate Tom Campbell sat down with co-founder Josephine Burns to discuss BOP’s foundational values and vision.

Reflecting on where BOP is today, Jo observes how BOP’s early values still resonate in an increasingly international consultancy. 25 years on and working across 50 countries, she notes how BOP continues to make “the same fundamental arguments for how culture has the potential to transform, connect and create opportunities. That applies as much to Manchester in the 1990s as it does to South Korea in the 2020s”.

Alongside Paul Owens, Jo founded BOP in 1997. During her tenure she led on a wide range of projects, including the Edinburgh Festivals Impact study, and worked with organisations such as Glasgow Citizens Theatre, LIFT, Streetwise Opera and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

She continues her involvement with BOP as well as undertaking freelance work. She regularly chairs and presents at conferences and events, nationally and internationally. As an independent, she is working with a range of organisations including IdeasTap, the Amsterdam Fringe Festival and Without Walls, where she is the executive chair. In a voluntary capacity, she is the chair of Shoreditch Trust. 

Read the full interview here. 

Read more about our over two decades of work and history spanning over two decades here.