ARTIST, producer and TV presenter Shanaz Gulzar will lead Bradford's bid to be UK City of Culture 2025.

Born in Keighley, where she still lives, Shanaz has been announced as the new chair of the bid, and will lead the 2025 Board through the process. Her career spans film, visual arts, theatre, public art and media and, established nationally as an artist, she is a producer at Manchester International Festival and in 2019 brought a contemporary artist’s perspective to the region's landscape for the BBC's Yorkshire Walks TV programme. She also presented the documentary Hidden Histories: The Lost Portraits of Bradford.

Shanaz has worked on Bradford's Bite the Mango Film Festival, Illuminate, Bradford City Parks, Impressions Gallery, Yorkshire Film Archive, in co-practice at arts organisation Adept and as an ambassador for the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust. Further afield, she has worked on projects for Enchanted Parks Gateshead, site-specific work Talk All About It for Belgrade Theatre, Coventry and as associate artist for National Theatre Wales.

Said Shanaz: “I am thrilled to be taking on the role of chair of Bradford 2025, following the fantastic groundwork laid by interim chair Mary Dowson. I’ve seen the cultural sector in the district evolve to the creative city and district with attitude it is today. I know that the only difference between successful artists and everyone else is opportunity and I’m proud that Bradford has put culture at the heart of its regeneration. As well as winning the title, I want the competition to fulfil the ambition of all local people.

"I’m looking forward to helping the whole district make the most of this opportunity and to open doors to the fantastic young talent in the city. In fact, I have a duty to remove the doors completely.”

Mary Dowson said: “I’m delighted to be handing over the reins to Shanaz as the campaign begins to ramp up. A huge amount of work has been done in the year since Bradford committed to the City of Culture competition and I’m excited to see what her unique perspective as an artist will bring. The vital part artists play in society underpins our ambition for Bradford2025 and with Shanaz leading the way, the next chapter promises to be one of the most exciting yet."

Shanaz will lead the Board throughout the bidding process, as well as helping to develop its strategic vision, mission, objectives and values. She will be a key ambassador for Bradford, championing the district at cultural and business events across the UK in the run-up to the announcement of the winning city.

Four further appointments to the Bradford 2025 Board have also been made: Adeeba Malik, deputy chief executive of the QED Foundation, awarded an MBE for her work with ethnic minorities and businesses and a CBE for services to community cohesion; Sabbiyah Pervez, Communities Reporter, BBC Look North, a passionate feminist and advocate for young people, who won Rising Star in Media at the British Muslim Awards in January 2018; Brendan Brown, chief executive of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust and Senior Responsible Officer for work-force across Bradford and Airedale, and for the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership Board; and Richard Emmott, Yorkshire Water's Director of Corporate Affairs.

Bradford's bid will be submitted in 2021. Awarded every four years by Government, the City of Culture title has had a major impact on host cities, securing millions of pounds of investment and acting as a catalyst for creative place-making and culture-led regeneration. Other cities and areas competing for the 2025 title are Lancashire, Medway, Gloucester and Southampton.