Frank Kimenai (Rotterdam, NL) is researcher & senior consultant at KEA. He specializes in the music sector, but brings in broad knowledge on the CCI’s in general, especially around topics like sustainability and resilience. Frank feels most at home at the intersection of culture, economy, policy and the social domain. A formal training as an ecologist, and 25 years of sector experience, allows him to further develop the CCI’s as a complex ecosystem. Next to his work at KEA, he conducts a PhD research on the resilience of music ecosystems at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Within this research, Frank is currently focusing on future proofing the music sector as a complex system. He is particularly interested in systemic transitions and the role of grassroots initiatives in creating more fair, equitable, sustainable and resilient futures.
In the past, Frank worked extensively with the European Commission on the development of their music sector policy, and also with several European associations, such as the Federation of Music Conferences, the European Music Managers Association, and the European Music Council. On a national level, he is a frequently asked advisor for several CCI and cultural funding institutes on topics like innovation, international strategic development and artistic career development. Frank is frequently asked as a public speaker, moderator and curator, amongst others at conferences like SXSW, ADE, ESNS, Reeperbahn and more. Next to his professional activities he runs a country music radio show and is transforming his parents’ farmland into a forest.
