Neil Onions Hon FRIBA is a creative strategist, cultural leader, and the Founding Director of Beyond the Box CIC, with over 20 years of experience in community-driven co-design and cultural placemaking. Recently awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Neil has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to shaping more equitable and inclusive built environments. His work is rooted in principles of equity, inclusivity, and social justice, ensuring communities have a meaningful role in shaping the spaces around them. Neil has led impactful collaborations with institutions such as the Museum of London, Barbican Centre, and Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, using creative facilitation, engagement, and co-design to connect people, ideas, and place. Neil’s practice explores themes of resilience, ownership, and the guardianship of public space, often challenging restrictive policies and advocating for more democratic, accessible environments. As an EDI and Social Impact Consultant and mentor, he has nurtured businesses and emerging designers through initiatives like the People’s Pavilion and Expressions of Resilience, a celebrated exhibition at BUILDHOLLYWOOD. Through his consultancy, Neil reinvests in the next generation of creatives, supporting civic agency, creative activism, and collaborative design. Whether curating large-scale festivals, mentoring future leaders, or writing on spatial justice, Neil remains committed to reimagining public space as a site of belonging, creativity, and collective power.