Christine Losecaat

Christine Losecaat van Nouhuys (born 17 October 1965) MBE, FRSA, is an internationally experienced senior business strategy, creative, marketing and communications specialist.

She has been closely involved in a wide number of strategic and creative initiatives and is currently CEO of Little Dipper an international strategy and creative consultancy.

She won a Prime Time Emmy in 1996 for her part as co-producer^[1] of Peter & The Wolf . A creative industries trade and Investment specialist ^[2] she has created, designed and delivered programmes and events including The British Business Embassy at Lancaster House during the London 2012 Olympic Games and the UK's presence at Milan Expo 2015.

In 2014 she was elected an Honorary Fellow of the British Institute of Interior Design for her profound impact on the development and success of the interior design profession^[3] ) and was appointed an Honorary MBE for services to the creative industries in 2016.

Losecaat is Vice Chair of Advance (www.advancecharity.org.uk), a London-based women’s charity providing crisis intervention, risk assessment, advocacy and support for women and their children experiencing domestic and sexual violence, and community support for women who are involved in offending behaviour or the criminal justice system.

She is also a Trustee of Peace Child International a United Nations accredited charity that empowers young people to be the change they want to see in the world through education, employability and entrepreneurship.

Early Life and Education

Losecaat is a Dutch national. She was born in Munich, Germany lived in Italy but now resides in London. Her father was the journalist and publisher Heinz van Nouhuys She studied at Queen Mary College, University of London and Henley Business School.

Career

Christine started her career in the advertising industry working for Cream Advertising . She then worked for BMG Entertainment where she was International Marketing Director working on the organisations’ audio visual output for its major international recording artists and projects including Wallace and Gromit and Pingu. While working at BMG she co-produced the first full-length animated feature of Prokofiev’s production of Peter and the Wolf. The film won the 1996 Prime Time Emmy Award for Best Children’s Program and the Gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival

From 1997 – 2001, Losecaat was Managing Director of The British Design Initiative, where she represented commercial design to industry and government and developed the award-winning first directory of commercial design for UK.

She established her consultancy, Little Dipper in 2001 focused on special projects in an international context.

In 2003 she was appointed Design Industry Adviser by DCMS / UK Trade & Investment.^[4]

Losecaat was appointed co-producer for Torino World Design Capital 2008.^[5] In that capacity she produced the International Design Casa, a series of 10 international exhibitions from 15 participating nations^{[6] ]} and the first global design policy conference “Shaping the Global Design Agenda’.

She was listed in Design Week’s Hot 50 in 2009 as one of 50 most influential people in the design sector.^[7]

In 2006, she created the concept of the London Design Embassy with designer Tom Dixon and journalist Marcus Fairs. The London Design Embassy was a pop up VIP club for international buyers and media to meet with leading UK design talent.

London Design Embassies took up residence for the duration of London Design Festival in an empty space with content curated by a leading London designer. In 2006 the London Design Embassy was at the ICA, curated by Tom Dixon and co-produced by Russell Sage. In 2007 it moved to the newly refurbished Royal Festival Hall’s top floor and was curated by Ross Lovegrove . In 2008 it took up residency at Somerset House, curated by Jay Osgerby and Ed Barber.

In 2009 Losecaat took the London Design Embassy overseas to Milan and created the British Design Embassy, curated by Sir Paul Smith ^[8]

Losecaat worked with the Prime Minister’s Office, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office,the then Department for Business and UK Trade & Investment’s Olympic Legacy and Olympic Delivery Units to conceive and deliver the UK’s international business programme and economic legacy piece during the London 2012 Games.^[9]

Throughout 2005 - 2015 she has been advising the UK government on the international strategy for the Creative Industries helping UK companies win major projects internationally as well as international businesses find a base in the UK. During that time, she established the China Design Taskforce and the Creative Industries High Value Opportunities Task Force.

She was closely involved with the UK business programme at Shanghai Expo 2010, and subsequently chaired UK China Partners a not for profit organisation introducing creative supply chains to Chinese manufacturers.

Losecaat was Client Creative Director for the UK Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015. The Pavilion has won over 20 international design awards including the prestigious BIE Gold Award for Architecture and Landscape It attracted over 3 million visitors in Milan and has now been re-located to Kew Gardens in London.

References