CLA welcomes Kit Fan as Creator Co-Chair
CLA is pleased to announce poet, novelist and governance expert Kit Fan has been appointed as our new Creator Co-Chair. Kit brings a unique combination of literary experience and corporate governance expertise to the role, reinforcing CLA’s commitment to championing creators and rightsholders in today’s evolving creative landscape.
Kit has been a non-executive director of Authors’ Licensing Collecting Society (ALCS) since 2023, contributing his skills and experience of being an author and working in corporate governance, advising on assessing risk, making decisions around ethics and the importance of upholding copyright.
Born in Hong Kong, Kit moved to the UK in 2001 to pursue postgraduate research on poet Thom Gunn at the University of York. He later embraced writing full-time alongside his career as a Governance Manager at the Hull York Medical School. His dual perspective, as an author navigating the realities of a writing career and a governance specialist with extensive risk management experience, makes him a valuable advocate for the needs of writers today.
On his appointment, Kit Fan said:
“Copyright is the lifeline of creativity. It’s hard to imagine what a society looks like if it doesn’t value creativity. Value is the key word, as without copyright, creativity won’t be rewarded and therefore creators can’t live as creators. We should remember that copyright isn’t a birth right; it’s the right we’ve fought hard for. In these changing times, CLA as a collective licencing organisation with decades of track record has an essential role to protect and advance copyright for creators and rightsholders. I’m excited to work with colleagues and partners to champion copyright, so that creativity remains a vital force in our society. ”
His extensive literary achievements include multiple poetry collections, with his latest, The Ink Cloud Reader, published in April 2023. His first novel Diamond Hill (2021) won the Northern Writers’ Award. His second novel Goodbye Chinatown will be published in 2026. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. A firm believer in the importance of copyright, Kit understands first-hand the challenges writers face – ranging from the impact of AI on creative work to the economic pressures of sustaining a career in writing.
Mat Pfleger, CLA CEO added:
“We are delighted to have Kit join the CLA Board as Creator Co-Chair. As a writer who has worked across both the commercial and public sectors, he brings a wide range of expertise that will be invaluable to the board and executive leadership team as we navigate the current challenges to copyright.”
Kit Fan will serve as Creator Co-Chair alongside Rosie Glazebrook (representing publishers), ensuring that CLA continues its essential work in protecting and advocating for the interests of creators and rightsholders.