Trustees

Andy Duncan - Chief Executive, Channel 4
Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Media Trust, July 2006

Andy Duncan was appointed as Channel 4's fifth Chief Executive in July 2004. Andy has devised and implemented a clear strategy to ensure that Channel 4 can play an even stronger role in the UK broadcasting industry in future and can bolster its public service contribution across all media platforms.

Andy has directed record levels of investment towards the core Channel 4 service, with the programme budget topping £500m for the first time, allowing the channel to boost its investment in key public service genres. Channel 4 is the only terrestrial channel growing its share of the TV audience in 2006 and the channel has also achieved a record level of recent awards success.

As CEO, Andy has driven a major shift in multi-channel strategy, taking E4 on to the Freeview platform and launching an ambitious new public service channel, More4. Film4 has also been successfully launched as a free to air channel this summer. These developments have helped drive overall Channel 4 portfolio audience share to a record level in 2006 of more than 12%. Channel4.com has been fully broadband enabled allowing for the launch of new broadband services including documentary channel, 4Docs. Marketing spend across Channel 4’s network has doubled to more than £50 million.

In January 2006, Andy announced Channel 4’s intentions to bid for the new national DAB multiplex to be advertised by Ofcom at the end of the year. The channel has already bought a majority stake in national digital speech radio station, Oneword.

Prior to joining Channel 4, Andy spent three years at the BBC, as Director of Marketing, Communications and Audience, in which time he oversaw the launch of all the BBC’s digital TV and radio services and Freeview. As well as leading the Freeview launch, he was Chairman of Freeview for its first 2 years. Andy joined the BBC from Unilever, where he worked for nearly 17 years in a variety of senior general management and marketing roles.

Jon Snow - Presenter, ITN/Channel 4 News Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees, Media Trust

Jon Snow has been the main presenter of Channel 4's award-winning evening news programme since 1989.

Jon's skills as a first-rate interviewer and broadcaster take him beyond the Channel 4 News studio.

In late January 2003, he was the first mainstream television newscaster to travel to Baghdad in Iraq at this time, where he presented Channel 4 News every night for a week. During that visit, he was the first UK broadcaster to interview Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, and the only broadcaster to quiz UN Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix – Jon live from Baghdad - with Blix in New York.

In March 2006 Jon hosted Channel 4 News nightly for a week from Iran. He also produced a series of in-depth reports from the country. He has also anchored similar news programmes from Africa and India. Jon Snow joined ITN in 1976 and has reported from Afghanistan to Zanzibar.

Among his assignments, he reported the overthrow of Idi Amin in Uganda; the Iran hostage crisis; The Russian invasion of Afghanistan; the Iran Iraq war; the fall of the Berlin wall and the release of Nelson Mandela. He was also based in Washington for ITN for three years.

In April 2005 he won a BAFTA (The Richard Dimbleby Award for best contribution to factual programming). In the same year, Jon was awarded the Royal Television Society award for Journalist of the Year – an award he had last won in 1980 – and an award rarely won by a studio presenter.

However, as the main presenter of Channel 4 News, Jon continues to anchor the flagship programme from wherever major world events occur: from South Africa during the country's first democratic elections; from Washington at the Israeli-Palestinian peace signing; from Hong Kong at the time of the handover to China. He was also presenting the day and night of 9/11.

Dawn Airey - Managing Director of Global Content, ITV plc

Dawn Airey joined British Sky Broadcasting in January 2003 as Managing Director, Sky Networks with responsibility for airtime sales and all of Sky's non-sports programming. Her portfolio of channels includes Sky One, Sky Three, Sky News, Sky Movies, Artsworld and Sky Travel.

In February 2006, Dawn became Managing Director, Channels and Services, expanding her role to include overall responsibility for Sky's multi-platform content strategy. The role also incorporates responsibility for Sky's joint ventures, wholesale distribution arrangements with cable companies and commercial relationships with third-party channels on the satellite platform.

Dawn has worked in television for 21 years since joining Central TV as a Management Trainee in 1985. Other key dates in her career include:

1988 Controller of Programme Planning, Central TV
1989 Director of Programme Planning, Central TV
1993 Controller of Network Children's and Daytime Programmes, ITV
1994 Controller of Arts & Entertainment, Channel 4
1996 Director of Programmes, Channel 5
2000 Chief Executive, Channel 5

Tony Ball - Chairman of Ingenious Media Active Capital and Kabel Deutschland GmbH, Director of Sky Italia SpA

Tony Ball is Chairman of the Advisory Board of Kabel Deutschland GmbH, Ingenious Media Active Capital Limited and a Board Member of the Olympic Delivery Authority for ‘London 2012’. He is also a Director of Sky Italia SpA and ONO SA. He is a former Director of BAA plc, Marks & Spencer plc and ProSiebenSat.1 GmbH.

Ball was Chief Executive of British Sky Broadcasting (1999-2003) and Fox/Liberty Networks (1996-1999) in the United States. He started his career at Thames Television. He has an MBA from Kingston Business School and an Honorary Doctorate from Middlesex University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Television Society.

Mark Thompson - Director General BBC

Mark Thompson was appointed Director-General of the BBC on 21 May 2004, after being Chief Executive of Channel 4 since December 2001. He took up his appointment on 22 June 2004.

He had previously worked at the BBC for more than 20 years, becoming Director of Television in April 2000, responsible for the management and running of all BBC network television channels.

Mark Thompson was previously Director of National and Regional Broadcasting, a post he had held since January 1999.

In this role he had overall responsibility for all broadcasting activities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and for local and regional broadcasting in England.

He was born in London on 31 July 1957 and was educated at Stonyhurst College and Merton College, Oxford.

He joined the BBC in 1979 as a production trainee, helped launch Watchdog in 1981 and Breakfast Time in 1983 and he also worked on London Plus before becoming an output editor on Newsnight in 1985.

He was appointed Editor of the Nine O'Clock News in 1988 and Editor of Panorama in 1990.

Mark Thompson became Head of Features in 1992 and Head of Factual Programmes in 1994, playing a key role in the successful performance of BBC ONE and BBC TWO and introducing series such as Animal Hospital, Modern Times, The House and Ready Steady Cook.

As Controller of BBC TWO from 1996 to 1998 he saw the channel retain its share of viewing at a time of increased competition, rising from 11.2% in 1995 to 11.6% in both 1996 and 1997 and retaining a highly competitive 11.3% share in 1998.

During this period BBC TWO won acclaim for its drama (Our Mutual Friend, The Cops, Amongst Women, Shooting the Past), its entertainment and comedy (I'm Alan Partridge, The Fast Show, The Royle Family, Big Train), and its factual, arts and leisure programmes (The Nazis - A Warning from History, Storyville, Naked, Back to the Floor, and Ground Force).

As Director of National and Regional Broadcasting he saw the BBC's regional television audiences dramatically increase their lead over other providers and saw local radio audiences rise.

He has also expanded the BBC's local and regional services across London and the South East and oversaw the introduction of new programmes in response to devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Mark Thompson was a member of the BBC's Charter Review Task Force on Entertainment in 1991; the Programme Strategy Review team, led by Alan Yentob and Liz Forgan, in 1993; and he chaired the Edinburgh International Television Festival in 1996.

Paddy Coulter - Director of Studies, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

Paddy Coulter has directed the Reuters Foundation Fellowship Programme (which is linked to Green College) since 2001. This programme enables mid-career journalists from all over the world to study at Oxford.

Paddy is also a Senior Associate at the university’s international development centre, Queen Elizabeth House, and Associate Fellow of the university’s Environmental Change Institute.

A former television producer, Paddy worked between 1990 and 2001 as Director of the International Broadcasting Trust (IBT), a specialist independent television production company, producing over 100 television programmes on global issues for BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and leading broadcasters around the world.

He is currently Chair of Broadcasting Support Services (BSS) and Trustee of the Media Trust/ Community Channel.

Sarah Davies - Corporate Branding Consultant

Sarah joined corporate branding consultancy, Lambie-Nairn Ltd, in 1982, working initially as Martin Lambie-Nairn’s commercials producer. In 1993, She became Managing Director of the company’s commercials production and television corporate identity divisions.

At Lambie-Nairn she directed numerous corporate branding projects for television companies around the world, including BBC1, BBC2, ITN, ARTE, RTSI TVN and Pearson Television. In 1997 she became Commercial Director of the parent company, The Brand Union.

In 1999, Sarah left the Lambie-Nairn to advise clients in the media sector and those needing corporate branding consultancy. Clients include the Royal Academy of Arts, Music Choice, 3i and Red Bee Media, formerly BBC Broadcast.

In addition, Sarah uses her branding and marketing skills and business experience in her role as trustee for both the Media Trust, launched in 1994 and One20’s TimeBank initiative, launched in February 2000. She is a director of the Media Trust’s digital service The Community Channel. Sarah grew up in Switzerland, France, Venezuela and Belgium.

Jane Reed CBE - Director of Times Newspapers Limited and Consultant to News International

A past magazine editor, publisher and divisional managing director, she was managing editor of the Today newspaper and director of corporate affairs for News International. She is a council member of The National Literacy Trust and a Trustee of the St. Katharine & Shadwell Trust.

Andrew Whyte - Executive Director, Advocacy and Communications, Arts Council England

Andrew Whyte is Executive Director, Advocacy and Communications for Arts Council England. Responsible for the Arts Council’s strategic communications and campaigns, Andrew leads a national team which includes media relations, public affairs, marketing, events, internal communications and online and print publishing, as well as the Arts Council’s nine regional communication teams.

A former Vice-President of the National Union of Students, Andrew began his professional career in the mid-80s working in campaigning and communications roles in the UK voluntary sector, first as Youth Rights Officer at the British Youth Council and then as Media and Parliamentary Liaison Manager at children’s charity Barnardo’s.

He joined Rupert Murdoch’s News International in 1991, and two years later became Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs. In 1996 he left to join Shell International as an External Affairs Adviser before joining BBC Broadcast as Head of Public Relations in May 1998. He was appointed Head of Corporate and Public Relations for the BBC in August 2000 a post he held until leaving the corporation in September 2005.

A member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, Andrew is also a member of the Council of the Royal Television Society and a Fellow of the RSA.

Aged 46 and married with two children, Andrew lives in Redbridge where he was a local councillor between 1990 -1994. Andrew is also a trustee and director of the Media Trust and a member of the board of the housing charity Thames Reach Bondway.

Rachel Yasue Partner - KPMG Honorary Treasurer, Media Trust

Rachel is a partner in KPMG’s Information Communications and Entertainment practice in London with a particular focus on the media and marketing sectors. Her current and previous broadcasting and entertainment audit clients include: The BBC; ITV; Modern Times Group (Viasat Broadcasting); CNBC Europe; Capital Radio plc; Entertainment Rights Plc; The Mill and Powercorp International.

These clients have given Rachel experience of broadcasting, commissioning, production and distribution as well as broadcasting and production services in both television and radio.

Rachel also has experience of the advertising and marketing services sector. She is currently the lead UK audit engagement partner for Omnicom Group Inc, and for many years worked on the Saatchi & Saatchi/Cordiant Communications Group group.

Rachel’s other clients have included: Thomson SA; Virgin Entertainment Group; The Telegraph Group; The Maiden Group plc (now Titan Outdoor) and Incepta Group plc (now Huntsworth Group plc).

As well as undertaking audits, for listed and unlisted clients under UK and US GAAP, Rachel has been involved in numerous transactions including floats, acquisitions and disposals.

Rachel joined KPMG in 1988 from Bristol University where she studied Economics and Economic History. She became a partner in 1999 and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

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