Dr Mariapaola McGurk (fondly known as MP) is a dynamic leader and scholar in the creative and cultural industries, bridging theory, practice, and innovation across sectors. With over two decades of experience in strategy development, stakeholder engagement, and creative enterprise, she brings a systems lens to the challenges and opportunities of the 21st-century creative economy.
Dr Mariapaola McGurk (fondly known as MP) is a dynamic leader and scholar in the creative and cultural industries, bridging theory, practice, and innovation across sectors. With over two decades of experience in strategy development, stakeholder engagement, and creative enterprise, she brings a systems lens to the challenges and opportunities of the 21st-century creative economy.
As Programme Lead for the MBIL, she leads curriculum design, fosters industry partnerships, and supports students to become better leaders and entrepreneurial thinkers who can navigate complexity and change. Her teaching spans leadership, systems thinking, critical thinking, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Dr McGurk’s research centers on the intersections of digital transformation, systems thinking, and the cultural and creative industries. Her doctoral work, A Systems Thinking Approach to Growing Johannesburg’s Creative Economy, explores how networked and cross-sectoral leadership can unlock new pathways for cultural and creative industries in rapidly evolving contexts. MP remains committed to contributing to relevant research both in New Zealand and Southern Africa and is a research associate at the University of Johannesburg.
Prior to her current roles, Mariapaola has worked extensively as a consultant and researcher across public and private sectors, advising on business development strategies and stakeholder engagement. She combines strategic insight with practical implementation, growing stronger connections between creative actors, policy systems, and community ecosystems.
Her commitment to the creative economy is reflected in frequent contributions to discourse on micro-entrepreneurship, cultural policy, and innovation-led growth. She advocates for models of collaborative leadership, inclusive growth, and the reimagination of culture as a driver of social and economic value. Mariapaola is also a practising visual artist specialising in papercutting.
