Dr Alan Geere is an international editorial consultant, using his career as a newspaper editor and university lecturer to help media practitioners continue to make a difference.
Director of the UK Picture Editors Guild Awards, considered by many to be the premier photography awards for UK Press photographers . I have been involved in press photography for 5 decades working for photo agencies and newspapers.
Amanda Ferguson is a Belfast-based career freelance journalist, working as the Northern Ireland Correspondent for Reuters news agency, and The Washington Post's Ireland Stringer. She carries out similar roles for newspapers, TV, radio, and digital outlets across Britain and Ireland. Amanda is: a co-founder and director of Women in Media Belfast CIC; on the National Union of Journalists NEC; chair of the Give Inc Women's Fund; a Social Change Initiative fellow; and a regular media awards judge. She is used to working as part of teams in Belfast, Dublin, London, Europe, the US, and beyond as an in demand writer, broadcaster, commentator, trainer, event panellist and host.
Barnie Choudhury is an award-winning journalist, academic, and communications consultant with a 45-year track record of exposing injustice and forcing change. For 24 years, he reported for the BBC specialising on authentic and important stories regarding communities of colour, holding power to account. His investigations cut through rhetoric. In 2001, his BBC Radio 4 exposé on no-go zones for white people sparked national controversy. Greater Manchester Police threatened to arrest him for reporting the truth. Six weeks later, race riots erupted in Oldham, Burnley, Leeds, and Bradford - confirming his warnings about Britain's racial fissures, leading to two government inquiries. He documented the rise of the far-right British National Party during that time. Choudhury's work doesn't just make headlines - it shapes policy. His reporting helped bring in the Forced Marriage Act 2007. He has influenced several government policies and challenged deep-seated biases in public institutions. Now, as Editor-at-large at Eastern Eye, the UK's leading south Asian newspaper, he's still asking the hard questions. Barnie's taking on the judiciary, taking court action to force the Judicial Appointments Commission to disclose records it wanted to keep hidden. He occasionally presents on BBC Radio 4, reports for regional TV, and remains in demand as a news commentator. Beyond journalism, Barnie trains the next generation. He lectures at the University of East Anglia, and in 2017 the University of Buckingham appointed him as its first professor of professional practice in communications.
Evelyn began her journalism career as a digital writer, launching her own online magazine, Euron, and later working as a freelance lifestyle journalist and local radio presenter. Shortly after graduating, she joined the digital team at The Guardian, where she advanced to the role of Deputy Production Editor. Evelyn is also a lecturer in journalism and digital media at the University of West London. Her PhD research focused on young people's relationship with social media and media literacy, making her an expert in the field. She regularly presents and writes about her findings for a wide range of audiences.
Fiona is a national newspaper, magazine and broadcast journalist, whose roles have included Daily Mirror columnist, staff feature writer on The Sun and freelance news reporter on the Times and Mail on Sunday. Her freelance features have appeared in the Sunday Times, Daily Mail, YOU magazine, Guardian, Independent, Daily Telegraph and Express and she has edited two magazines. As a television journalist she was a Producer Director and presenter at ITV and she recently ran PA Media's Diploma courses. She is currently an NCTJ assessor and lecturer on the MA Journalism degree at Oxford Brookes university and Daily Mail training scheme, whilst continuing her writing career.
Extensive experience in regsional newspapers and magazines plus 30 years on national newspapers.
In more than thirty years at The Times, Ian Brunskill has worked across the paper. For almost half that time he has been on the duty editing rota, regularly editing the paper in the absence of the Editor. His current responsibilities, as Associate Editor of The Times and Sunday Times, include editorial standards and ethics, compliance, complaints handling and journalist training, as well as special editorial projects and book serialisations. For HarperCollins he has edited three editions of The Times Guide to the House of Commons, a collection of Times obituaries and several annual Best of The Times anthologies. He is the editor of The Times and Sunday Times Style Guide.
Jacqui Merrington is Director of AI at Mail Metro Media. A journalist and former editor of multiple newspapers and websites, Jacqui is driving innovation and growth through an AI framework designed to support and augment trusted journalism and human creativity. She has recently graduated with a Masters in Journalism Innovation Leadership, where her thesis was focused on audience perceptions of artificial intelligence.
Lara Prendergast is Executive Editor for The Spectator.
Luke Jacobs is an editor in CNN's global live news team. He joined after spells as a digital editor at The Guardian and at Sky News. Prior to this was a senior regional editor during a long spell Reach plc, where he started as a local reporter before taking on roles as news editor, digital development editor and editor.
Richard started his career in journalism in 2017 at EssexLive where he was a reporter and then News Editor. During his time at EssexLive, he was shortlisted for Young Journalist of the Year and Digital Live News Reporter of the Year at the Regional Press Awards for his coverage of the murder of John Pordage. In 2019, Richard became Courts Editor for MyLondon before taking the helm at SurreyLive and HampshireLive as Acting Editor in January 2020 covering maternity leave. In January 2021, he became Editor of BedfordshireLive, CambridgeshireLive, EssexLive, HertsLive and PeterboroughLive. The following year, Richard was appointed Regional Editor for Lancashire and Greater Manchester and oversaw six titles, including The Bolton News and the Lancashire Telegraph. In January 2023, he took on an expanded role as Regional Editor North West, overseeing 13 titles across Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside and Wirral.
I'm an Enterprise reporter for CNN, creating long-form digital features for the network's audience in the US and around the world. I previously reported on the UK, Europe and the Middle East, and led CNN's coverage of British politics from Westminster. I've won two Emmy Awards as part of the CNN International teams that covered the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. I've interviewed Prime Ministers and Nobel Prize winners, and broke some of the world's biggest stories — from the death of Queen Elizabeth II to the results of landmark European elections — to CNN's huge digital audience.
Rupert Hargreaves is City AM's Managing Editor. He has nearly two decades of experience in the media industry and has worked with some of the country's biggest publishers as well a s starting his own. Before joining City AM he worked at MoneyWeek, the UK's best-selling financial magazine.
Sally Chatterton is Editor of UnHerd. Her distinguished career in journalism has included senior positions at the Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Daily Mail, and Evening Standard.
Former head of news and managing editor Daily Telegraph Manager trainee programme Daily Mail.
Former features executive in the Daily Telegraph. Now freelance, working for the Daily Telegraph and providing media training and communications strategy to selected clients.
Zoe Burke is the Editor of Hitched.co.uk, where she oversees the brand's digital content and PR strategy. With over 13 years' experience in digital content and eight in leadership, she's passionate about creating content that performs, engages, and serves a clear purpose. A multi-award-winning editor and recognised wedding expert, Zoe has contributed to national conversations on BBC1, Sky News, the Daily Mail and more, and has sat on the Government's wedding taskforce. She also hosts the Hitched podcast and has built an engaged community on TikTok as @wedding_editor. Zoe is thrilled to be judging the 30 Under 30 Journalist Awards, and is passionate about championing new talent, fresh ideas, and bold voices shaping the future of journalism.
