CIISA Annual Report 2024-2025 - Flipbook - Page 11
I have witnessed 昀椀rsthand the profound
imbalance that can
arise when creative
excellence is allowed
to eclipse fundamental
duties of care
Dr Kienda Hoji
Dr Kienda Hoji is a music
industry lawyer, consultant,
and academic with over 30
years of experience in the
music and entertainment
industry. His career
is marked by a strong
commitment to social
justice and advocacy against
discrimination.
What drew you to serve on
CIISA’s Board?
As someone who has worked
for many years within the music
industry – both as a lawyer
and an artist manager – I have
witnessed first-hand the profound
imbalance that can arise when
creative excellence is allowed
to eclipse fundamental duties
of care. The creative industries
produce work of extraordinary
cultural and social value, yet too
often, the circumstances in which
these works are produced fall far
short of the dignity, safety, and
fairness that every individual is
entitled to expect.
How does your professional
experience inform your work
with CIISA?
My professional experience gives
me a multi-layered perspective
on the realities of the creative
industries. As a music lawyer,
I have long been engaged in
safeguarding the rights and
interests of artists, ensuring
that contracts, relationships,
and industry practices uphold
principles of fairness and
accountability. As an artist
manager, I have worked closely
with creators on a daily basis,
witnessing not only the brilliance
of their work but also the
vulnerabilities they can face within
professional environments –
particularly in freelance contexts
where protections are limited.
My experience as a university
academic leader has given me
insight into how the challenges
of the sector are perceived
by students and emerging
professionals. I have seen how
concerns about workplace culture
can deter talented individuals from
pursuing their ambitions. CIISA’s
work has the potential not only
to reassure these young people
that they can pursue their creative
ambitions in safe and respectful
environments, but also to empower
them as agents of change –
protected as they take their first
steps into professional life.
What kind of impact do you
think CIISA will have?
I believe that CIISA has the
potential to deliver transformative
change across the creative
industries. Importantly, it will
provide reassurance to freelancers
who make up the majority of
those working in the sector that
they are not without protection
or recourse. In doing so, CIISA will
enable the industry to focus on
what it does best: producing work
of extraordinary cultural and social
value, free from the shadows of
misconduct.
CIISA ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25
| 9
