Executive Director Crafts Council
Natalie Melton is Executive Director of the Crafts Council, where she leads the organisation’s strategic direction, partnerships and advocacy to strengthen the UK craft sector. She is guiding the organisation towards a clearer, more connected national role, supporting makers at every stage of their careers while widening public access to craft and its impact across society.
She oversees a wide portfolio of activity that connects audiences, makers and industry. The Crafts Council reaches a digital audience of more than 500,000 each year and supports a growing membership of over 2,500 across CC, CC+ and Young Craft Citizens. Thousands more benefit from opportunities, listings and digital resources. Natalie has also played a central role in shaping platforms such as Collect Art Fair, which attracts more than 12,000 visitors over five days and brings together international galleries, collectors and artists, creating significant opportunities for visibility, sales and global exchange.
Natalie contributes to the wider creative industries landscape through a number of national and civic roles. She is a member of the Creative Industries Council and the Creative Industries Trade and Investment Board, a trustee of People United, and a member of the Lady Mayor of London’s Craft Taskforce. She also supports talent development through advisory and judging roles, including the Rabih Hage Craft Bursary and the House & Gardens Craft Prize.
Before joining the Crafts Council, Natalie co-founded The New Craftsmen, where she developed collaborations that brought contemporary craft into dialogue with global brands and audiences. Projects included Burberry Makers House, which combined live making, storytelling and retail to create an immersive public experience.
In her occasional spare time, Natalie can be found on a dance floor, obsessively making playlists, cooking for friends and family and cheering on her adoptive football club, Grimsby Town.
Photo credit Alun Callender