Senior media industry appointments mark new era at Skillset
29 June 2009
Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for the Creative Media Industries, has welcomed some of the country's most senior and influential figures to its Board of Directors and Trustees.
Changes, which include streamlining its governance structure, will help the UK to maintain its position as a world leader in creative media. The not-for-profit industry body represents TV, film, radio, interactive media, animation, computer games, facilities, photo imaging and publishing.
The new Board of Directors and Trustees has been reduced to 12 - with eight new members - and oversees governance, delegates powers and sets overall corporate strategy.
The eight new Board members are:
- David Abraham - Chief Executive, UKTV
- Eileen Gallagher - Chief Executive, Shed Media Productions
- Andrew Harrison - Chief Executive Officer, RadioCentre
- Professor Stephen Heppell - Founder, Heppell.net
- Eamonn McCabe - International award winning photographer
- MT Rainey - Founder, Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe and The Horsesmouth
- Gail Rebuck, CBE - Chairman and CEO, The Random House Group
- Peter Salmon - Director, BBC North; CEO, BBC Vision
Skillset Chief Executive Dinah Caine said: "The new structure marks an exciting new phase for Skillset. We are better placed than ever before to drive forward the skills agenda to make sure that our industries remain world leaders.
"Challenges like digital convergence and the difficult economic situation make skills development more important than ever. We have a leaner governance structure and the incredibly talented and experienced new Board, putting us in a great position to build on our past successes."
Skillset will continue to be chaired by Clive Jones, Chairman of GMTV, and Stewart Till, Chairman of the UK Film Council, remains Deputy Chair. Christine Payne, General Secretary of Equity, and Iona Jones, Chief Executive of S4C, also remain on the Board.
Skillset's sector and national boards are also made up of highly skilled professionals with a wealth of knowledge and experience, including:
- Ian Livingstone - Creative Director, Eidos (Chair, Skillset Computer Games Skills Council)
- Andrew Chitty - Managing Director, Illumina Digital (Chair, Skillset Interactive Media Skills Council)
- Iain Smith - Producer, Applecross Productions Ltd (Chair, Skillset Film Skills Council)
- Peter Dale Freelance producer (Chair, Skillset Television Skills Council)
- Tom Gutteridge - Managing Director, Standing Stone (Chair, Skillset Northern Media Skills Panel)
- Ken MacQuarrie - Director, BBC Scotland (Chair, Skillset Scotland National Board)
Skillset Chair Clive Jones CBE said: "The new Board members are of an extremely high calibre and their immense expertise will be invaluable as the Board seeks to confront the challenges ahead."
The Board, which will meet quarterly, has a renewed focus on challenging and supporting the Executive Team and monitoring and evaluating performance.
Improvements to the governance restructure include:
- Consolidating Sector Forums and Strategy Committees into Skills Councils to set sector strategy.
- Existing National Industry Skills Panels have re-purposed into Nations Boards to develop the skills and training priorities for all sectors within their nations.
- A new Council comprised of the chair and deputy chairs of the Skills Councils and National Boards has been created.
For further information about Skillset's governance arrangements, or its Board Members, please visit Skillset Structure and Governance.
Ends
For all media enquiries please contact:
Jennifer Walters
e: jenniferw@skillset.org
t: 0207 713 9812
Notes to Editors
Skillset is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for Creative Media which comprises TV, film, radio, interactive media, animation, computer games, facilities, photo imaging and publishing. SSCs are licensed by the UK Government and by Ministers in the devolved administrations to tackle the skills and productivity challenge by sector. They are independent, UK-wide organisations, are employer-led, and actively involve trade unions, professional bodies and other stakeholders in the industry.