Our advisory groups

Each of our signature programmes benefits from the guidance and support of a dedicated advisory group comprising leading media organisations and charities with expertise and lived experience relevant to the programme, as well as programme alumni.

Headlining Mental Health

Headshot of Ishtar

Ishtar Schneider

Associate Director, Health Edelman UK

Ishtar is a member of the health practice senior leadership team at Edelman in the UK. She is also co-chair of the PR and Communication Association (PRCA)’s health group.

Headshot of Kat

Kat Allin

Head of Media, Rethink Mental Illness

Kat is responsible for promoting the charity’s campaigns, services, and expertise across print, online and broadcast media. Prior to joining the mental health sector, Kat worked in disability sport.

Other Members:

  • Heloise Thompson - Experience Strategy Manager, Accenture Interactive
  • Emily Marchant - Marketing Transformation Manager, Accenture Interactive
  • Amy Wells - Communications Manager, National Survivor User Network
  • Alex McKenna-Ayres - Manager, EMEA, Snap Inc.

Media Trust & ScreenSkills Mentoring Programmes

Headshot of Nina

Nina Goswami

Creative Diversity Lead, BBC

Nina spearheads initiatives, including the multi-award winning 50:50 Project, to support the BBC's aspiration that its content reflects society. She features as a top 20 Global Diversity List Champion (2021) and Professional (2020) and was highly commended at the Asian Women Achievement Awards 2020.

Headshot of Sonny

Sonny Hanley

Controller of Content Services, ITV

Sonny Hanley is the 'Controller of Content Services' at ITV and has worked for the company for 18 years in various roles. External to ITV, in 2021 Sonny was appointed to the board of the Northern Ballet Company as a Non-Executive Director.

Other Members:

  • Mandy Murray - Director of People Operations, Sky Sports
  • Jo Norris - Senior People Partner, TV Production, Warner Bros. Discovery
  • Radha Bhandari - Development Researcher, 9 Lives
  • Kate Mitchell - Freelance COVID Coordinator
  • Lucy Sandys-Winsch - Executive Producer and Series Producer, Documentaries; Tutor on Documentary MA, UCL
  • Emily Serwadczak - Writer
  • Wincie Knight - Vice President of Global Inclusion Strategy, Viacom

Stronger Voices

Headshot of Bobby

Bobby Gould

Industry Manager, Google

Bobby has worked in digital tech for over a decade and with Google since 2018. He is originally from California but has lived in London for five years and has supported Google’s role in the UK charity sector for the past two years.

Headshot of Jumoke

Jumoke Abdullahi

Communications and Media Officer, Inclusion London

A self-described “Nigerian-British force of nature”, Jumoke has a passion for social justice in her personal and professional life. She is the Communications and Media Officer at Inclusion London and a co-founder of The Triple Cripples.

Other Members:

  • Lucy Jaffé - Director, Why me? Transforming Lives through Restorative Justice
  • Tebussum Rashid (Tebs) - Deputy CEO, Action for Race Equality (ARE)
  • Sophie Corlett - Director of External Relations, Mind
  • Ammar Ebrahim - Senior Reporter, BBC Channel Islands News
  • Sophia Lau - SEO Account Director, Reprise
  • Jess Austin - First-Person and Opinion Editor, Metro
  • Rhianne Williams - Communications Lead, Partnership for Young London
  • Aida Al-Kaisy - Researcher and Media Development Consultant
  • Kimberly McIntosh - Research Consultant

Weston Communicating Climate

Judy Ling Wong CBE

Self Employed - Expert Advisor on Multicultural Environmental Participation

Judy is a painter, poet, environmentalist, and expert advisor on multicultural environmental participation. She was awarded an OBE for pioneering multicultural environmental participation in 2000, and a CBE for services to heritage in 2007. 

Fiona Ball

Group Director of the Bigger Picture, Sky

Fiona Ball is Group Director of the Bigger Picture at Sky, She is responsible for Sky’s sustainability strategy and performance, spearheading the group’s responsible business, social impact and cause-related strategy, marketing, plans and campaigns.

Other Members:

  • Alex Try - Head of Integrated Communications, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
  • Amrit Dhahwal - Social Purpose Executive, ITV
  • Bryony Bromley - Education Manager, Keep Wales Tidy
  • Costanza Poggi - Account Director, Seahorse Environmental
  • Ethny Childs - Communities and Partnership Lead, Institution of Environmental Sciences
  • Freddie Saunders - Account Director - Corporate Affairs, Edelman
  • Graham Duxbury - Chief Executive, Groundwork UK
  • Kelly Allan - Head of Communications, Zero Waste Scotland
  • Lisa Merrick-Lawless - Co-founder and Director, Purpose Disruptors
  • Nick Hawkins - Communications Director and Freelance Communications Consultant, On Road Media
  • Toby Smith - Senior Programme Lead: Visuals and Media, Climate Outreach
  • Will Staynes - Media Relations Manager, WWF International