Broadcast Training & Skills Regulator
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Equal Opportunities Planning Group
Role of Planning Group
The Planning Group has been convened in accordance with the ‘MoU on the promotion of equal opportunities’ (Ofcom document March 2009) to build on the work of the Shapiro Report to the BETR of October 2008. The general consensus is that the group will develop an approach to EO co-regulation that is efficient, effective and to which all broadcasters can subscribe.
Responsibilites
The industry members of the group represent the interests of their sector of the industry yet will work with the BETR to ensure a model of EO can be delivered in the proposed timeframe for full co-regulation to start no later than 2011.
All on the planning group will work in the knowledge that there has been profound and continuing change in the broadcasting and production industries in both TV and Radio. These key changes form a backdrop to this planning effort. Amongst these changes are:
- Significant changes in the size and configuration of both broadcast and production sectors in TV and Radio
- Rapid growth of broadband and internet-based content, testing traditional business models during a time of economic challenge and the globalisation of competition.
Membership
The EO Planning Group comprises of representatives of the Broadcast Companies who are required to submit a return to Ofcom under the Communications Act 2003, plus the BETR.
Terrestrial
Andy Doyle, Planning Group Chair (ITV) - Andy joined ITV in 2007, from the construction and support services industry. Never having worked in the media sector before, he now leads all of ITV’s HR activity, with a key focus on supporting the company through a period of massive structural change.
Throughout his career, Andy has supported and led organisations in delivering significant change and has extensive experience in developing solutions that have driven real commercial value. He has held both HR and General Management roles in both the UK and internationally, in sectors as diverse as leisure retailing, technology, construction and real estate.
Andy is a graduate of Loughborough University, a Chartered Director and a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD.
Amanda Rice is currently Acting Head of Diversity at the BBC. She is responsible for supporting and advising the BBC executive team in setting the strategic direction for diversity at the BBC and for co-ordinating implementation of the BBC’s diversity strategy in line with the corporation’s six public purposes. Amanda has a wide experience of equalities and diversity related work through working in this and related fields for nearly fifteen years. She began her career in youth and community development work. Before joining the BBC in January 2007, Amanda was Head of Equalities for Hackney Council and previous to that has worked in a range of equalities and diversity advisory roles in both the public and voluntary sector. She has also worked as a specialist consultant for a range of clients.
Emma Towell, Senior Diversity Manager, Diversity Centre, BBC – attends the Planning Group in the absence of Amanda Rice.
Natasha Adams is Head of HR at Five and a member of the management board of the public service broadcaster. Working with a small team, she is tasked with delivering a pragmatic, commercial and accessible people strategy. Prior to joining Five in 2007, Natasha worked in an HR capacity for MTV Networks International and Selfridges. She began her career in Social Services at the London Borough of Havering. Natasha has a BA Hons in Dance and Related Arts from Southampton University and is a Fellow of the CIPD.
Kay Walters (S4C) is Head of Human Resources at S4C. Kay works closely with the Chief Executive and the Board of Directors at S4C to develop and implement an effective HR strategy to ensure the business objectives are met. She has management responsibility for a team providing human resources support for S4C’s staff.
A graduate from University of Wales, Swansea, Kay is fully CIPD qualified (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) and a chartered MCIPD member. She is a fluent Welsh speaker.
Kay is a mentor with the Arts and Business charity in Wales and is active locally as Chair of the Llandow Village Committee.
Oona King (Channel Four Corporation) - Oona King is Head of Diversity at Channel 4. Before taking this position Oona was Senior Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister on Equalities, Diversity and Faith at 10 Downing Street. Oona was MP for Bethnal Green & Bow from 1997-2005, became PPS to the Cabinet Minister for Trade & Industry, and was previously PPS to the Minister for e-Commerce. Before being elected an MP at 29, Oona was a Trade Union organiser representing low-paid workers, and spent 5 years as a researcher at the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg. Oona gained a 1st class politics degree from York University (1990), and a scholarship to Berkeley. Oona is also a broadcaster, writer, and political campaigner. Oona is Chair of the Institute for Community Cohesion (iCoCo), Founding Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Genocide Prevention in the House of Commons; and Chair of Rich Mix Cultural Foundation, a £30m project which seeks to bring different communities together through art.
Jo Taylor (Channel Four Corporation), Head of Learning & 4Talent – attends the Planning Group in the absence of Oona King.
Radio
Lisa Kerr (Radio Centre) is Director of External Affairs at RadioCentre, the venture which promotes and represents commercial radio in the UK. She was previously Managing Director of one of the UK's largest groups of local radio stations and was an award winning radio presenter and producer at Radio Forth and Classic FM. A graduate of the University of York's music department, Lisa previously served on the boards of the Salisbury International Arts Festival and the Canterbury Festival. Lisa is a director of the Broadcast Council for Advertising Practice, serves on Skillset's Sector Board for Radio, is vice chairman of Scottish Opera and a governor of Gordonstoun Schools.
Cable & Satellite
Fiona McLaren, Head of Legal for HR at BSkyB, works closely with BSkyB’s HR team and provides support on employment law issues to all areas of the business. Fiona joined Sky from Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP where she ran the employment practice for the London office. She joined this organisation from Clyde & Co where she was a Partner in the employment law team.
Victoria Read is Executive Director of the Satellite and Cable Broadcasters’ Group, the industry body for the multichannel television sector. Vicky joined SCBG from Bebo, the social networking site, where she was Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs and was responsible for developing policy responses to issues such as internet safety, content regulation, advertising and media literacy. Prior to Bebo, Vicky led the digital media work programme for the Broadband Stakeholder Group, the UK’s industry-government forum for the converging broadband value chain, working in particular on the UK’s response to the EU Television without Frontiers Directive review. Having started her career in publishing, Vicky then spent three years at the Publishers Association, representing the interests of educational and academic publishers. Vicky graduated from the University of Sheffield with a BA (Hons) in English Literature and has an MA in Publishing from Oxford Brookes University. In addition to her role at SCBG, Vicky is also a consultant at Perspective Associates, offering policy advice to clients on a range of media policy and regulatory issues.
BETR:
Peter Block, Executive Director, Until taking up the post of CEO of the BETR Peter managed a global department in the Business Consulting Services of IBM. Prior to IBM, he held several posts in PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting including that of Principal Consultant in the Entertainment & Media Practice. He is visiting Fellow in Media Management at the University of Hertfordshire Business School and a Governor of Oaklands College of Further Education.
Peter began his career in broadcasting as a trainee at Thames TV. He worked as a studio engineer, then freelance sound engineer and production manager. He went on to be an owner/manager of three production companies specialising in location recording, computer graphics and post production. He established and managed a BA and MA in Media Management at West Herts College. His academic text "Managing in the Media" was written to support these programmes.
Gillian Shapiro, EO Consultant.
Mags Noble, Secretary to Planning Group.