Karin Paynter is a creative and strategic leader with over 30 years’ experience supporting the jewellery, silversmithing and wider creative sectors.

Born in London, she spent some of her formative years in Sulawesi, Toraja and Bali in Indonesia before tourism had really touched them, developing a love of crafts such as silk ikat weaving, wood carving, batik and dance.

Vocationally trained as a silversmith and designer at the Royal College of Art, Karin has led national campaigns and built partnerships with organisations such as the V&A, Georg Jensen and Christie’s, while advising on skills development and policy. Her work is grounded in a long-standing commitment to design excellence and the preservation of British craftsmanship, from grassroots initiatives to board-level strategy.

She has curated and directed high-profile national exhibitions that elevate the visibility and value of British design and craftsmanship. She believes the sector plays a vital role in shaping cultural identity, celebration and national storytelling, from elite sporting trophies to red-carpet jewellery and major public events. Her work seeks to ensure the sector remains a visible and valued part of the UK’s cultural fabric, while supporting the makers and professionals who sustain it.

Karin currently serves on several boards and advisory panels, including as a trustee of the newly established Goldsmiths’ Foundation and as a member of the UK JSAC Roundtable. In 2024, she joined colleagues from the Roundtable in presenting to the Shadow Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology, calling for a coordinated national approach to craft skills and strengthened sector-wide data gathering.

Karin trained as a silversmith at Medway, learning from master silversmiths Norman Bassant, Ian Calvert and Andy Putland, before earning a Master’s in Design at the Royal College of Art under David Watkins. Passionate about the future of silversmithing and the allied crafts, she has led imaginative national campaigns and strategic initiatives to nurture growth and innovation, working with partners such as the V&A, the Goldsmiths’ Company, the Silver Trust Collection at 10 Downing Street and Christie’s.

She contributed to the Heritage Crafts Endangered List for Silversmithing and Allied Crafts in 2025 to help draw attention to the sector, and is carrying out in-depth research into the sector for the Goldsmiths’ Company to help shape its future strategy.

Beyond craft and design, Karin is a founding member and Director of ERA5050, a national campaign for gender equality in British stage and screen. Partnering with Equity, the BFI and the Geena Davis Institute, the campaign combined advocacy and media strategy to drive cultural change. In 2018 presented to 200 entertinment industry professionals at BAFTA alongside Polly Kemp, Elizabeth Berrington, Olivia Colman, Miles Jupp, Tanya Moodie and Doon Mackichan. The campaign went on to win a What’s on Stage Award for its contributions in 2020.