Sound Board

Maria Williams – Chair
Maria is an Executive Producer, Practitioner of Radio at Bournemouth University, and an audio consultant. She is also the founder of Sound Women. In a previous life Maria was Head of Programmes at leading independent radio production company Wise Buddah, overseeing everything from The Huey Show on BBC 6Music, to documentaries such as Looking For Leonora on BBC Radio 3, and Sugar Plum Story Time for Cbeebies. Before that she was an Executive Producer at BBC Radio 4, where she created and launched Saturday Live with Fi Glover, winning Sony Gold for best UK Speech Programme. Her other roles have included Deputy Editor, Woman’s Hour; Executive Producer, BBC Radio 1 Speech and Campaigns; and producing documentaries for BBC Radio’s 1, 2, 4 and 5 live.

Carina Tillson – Secretary
Carina joined Chrysalis Radio from University, where she’d been a big supporter of her student radio station. She has spent five years working in the field of compliance and regulatory policy, seeing commercial radio through numerous sensitive situations, and most recently worked on the changes to commercial references in radio. She’s also a Director of BCAP, representing RadioCentre on the Board that manages the broadcast advertising rules. She remains a supporter of student radio as a member of ASRA and via Global Radio’s involvement, is a mentor with Horsesmouth.co.uk and is
one of the Radio Academy’s inaugural ’30 under 30′.

Jo Coombs – Treasurer
Jo is Creative Director at Loftus Audio Ltd. She started her career as an independent producer for BBC Radio in 1997 working on Going Places. She has since produced many of Radio 4′s most popular programmes such as Pick of the Week, Excess Baggage, Sentimental Journey, In Touch, All in the Mind, and You and Yours. A philosophy graduate from Edinburgh, Jo is best known for her ‘story-telling’ style, epitomised in programmes like The Child Migrants presented by Sir Charles Wheeler, Cleaning Out The Camp, which examined the armed forces’ attitude towards homosexuality with Eddie Mair, a series of on-location programmes from India about peace pilgrimages with Sir Mark Tully, and from Jerusalem, the award-winning feature The Holy Fire.

Rebecca Maxted – Ents Officer
Rebecca is an award-winning radio producer at Wise Buddah Creative who refuses to choose between music and speech radio so she makes both! She currently produces ‘Johnnie Walker’s Sound of the 70’s’ for BBC Radio 2 after winning two Sony Awards with Fun Lovin’ Criminal and rising radio star Huey Morgan for BBC 6 Music. She is also a documentary and feature maker, winning a 2011 New York Gold Award in Current Affairs and Social Issues for ‘Overexposed Online’, a piece on privacy and social networking for BBC Radio 1. Recent credits and upcoming productions include a history of Cabaret for BBC Radio 2 with Paul O’Grady, stories about Vampires and the Mercury-Prize winning band The xx for BBC Radio 1, the history of the smiley for BBC Radio 4 and discussing contraception and STIs with teenagers for BBC Radio 1’s ‘Sex Night’.

Karen Pearson – Ents Officer
Karen is passionate about music and radio, and finding new ways to combine the two. That’s why she founded Folded Wing, and why it’s now recognized as one of the most innovative and forward-thinking production companies in the world. Her radio career began 16 years ago at the BBC where she produced Gilles Peterson’s legendary “Worldwide” show, helping it to become a globally respected and commercially successful brand. In 2005, she left to set up the company which became Folded Wing – quickly establishing herself as an authority on podcasts and alternative audio broadcasting. In June 2011, Folded Wing won 5 awards in one week, most notably ‘Indie Of The Year’ in the Radio Production Awards. In addition to running the company and generating new business, Karen remains hands-on as senior producer of the Jamie Cullum show, and oversees the high production values and innovative soundscaping for which Folded Wing has become known.

Heather Davies – Web Officer
Heather is a Producer for Trevor Dann’s Company, currently working on Sounds of the 20th Century. She also produces the radio industry podcast RadioTalk. Heather was the Events and Communications Officer for The Radio Academy between 2008 and 2010, running their Masterclasses, managing their website, co-ordinating their regional events, and producing their e-marketing, brochures, and audio. Prior to that she worked at Global Radio in Business Solutions (2008), and was on the executive of the Student Radio Association, running the BBC Radio 1 Student Radio Awards and conference (2007-8). Heather is a founder member of networking organisation Young Women in Media and is one of The Radio Academy’s 30 Under 30.

Sue Ahern
Sue has worked as a journalist, producer and series producer. She managed radio training for the BBC before forming a company Creative People to provide training and consultancy to media businesses. She works mainly in the areas of management development, leadership and improving individual and team performance.

Chris Burns
Chris is the Group Manager for Audio & Music Group and is responsible for overseeing the organisation and the effective running of the Group. She coordinates Audio & Music activity in response to BBC-wide policy . She manages A&M’s relationships with the Radio Indies ensuring that A&M’s commissioning processes are transparent and in line with the rest of the BBC. She takes a leading role in communication across the group and is a key contact BBC’s Executive Board, BBC Direction Group and BBC Trust. Prior to her current role, Chris was Head of General Factual for BBC A&M Factual. She began her career as a presenter on Radio Trent, before moving to BBC Local Radio, then into BBC network radio where she has worked on Radio 1, 4, and 5 Live. She also managed both a commercial and a BBC local radio station.

Lorna Clarke
Lorna is the Network Manager for BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music. Lorna has also been Director of the Electric Proms, Head of Programmes for BBC 1Xtra, Head of Mainstream Programmes for BBC Radio 1, and Programme Director of KISS 100 in London. She is a respected radio and music executive, having judged the Sony Radio Academy awards for the past 11 years, and The Mercury Music Prize four times.

Fi Glover
Fi Glover has worked for BBC Radio for 15 years. She has presented shows on GLR, Five Live, Radio 2 and most recently Radio 4 – where she launched and presented the Sony Award winning Saturday Live for 5 years. She has also won 3 Sony Silvers for Broadcasting House (Radio 4) and Sunday Service (Five Live). She is now presenting Generations Apart for the station – a three year project tracking a group of 65 years and a group of 21 year olds in Britain today. She has written a book about local radio around the world, called Travels With My Radio and currently writes a weekly column for Waitrose Magazine.

Natasha Maw
Natasha is Programme Manager for Radio Training at the BBC Academy. Previously, she worked in BBC network radio as a factual producer on programmes such as ‘Start the Week’, ‘In Our Time’ and ‘Woman’s Hour’.   Natasha has worked in the commercial sector, helping to set up VIVA radio in the mid-nineties and has run her own production company.  She has also worked in the arts sector as a consultant.   She is a qualified Executive Coach and Mediator and works as a mentor within and outside the BBC.  She currently sits on the Skillset Radio Skills Council.