ITV confirms Cultural Advisory Council

ITV has today confirmed the members of its Cultural Advisory Council, a group of independent external advisers from a range of different industries and specialisms who will advise, challenge and counsel ITV on its inclusion and diversity activities.

The council will meet quarterly, with ITV’s Director of Inclusion and Diversity Ade Rawcliffe, and other senior members of ITV including Chief Executive Carolyn McCall and Managing Director, Media and Entertainment, Kevin Lygo and Managing Director of ITV Studios Julian Bellamy.

In July 2020, ITV launched its Diversity Acceleration Plan, a series of actions to accelerate change in diversity and inclusion on-screen, and across ITV, by creating more opportunities for those from Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and other underrepresented groups. The plan highlighted ITV’s intention to appoint a Cultural Advisory Council.

As ITV extends the Diversity Acceleration Plan going forward, ITV will expand its efforts to include a focus on disability and socioeconomic diversity.

The council members are:

Priscilla Baffour, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, TikTok EMEA

Dr Halima Begum, Chief Executive of the Runnymede Trust

Sinéad Burke, Founder and CEO of Tilting the Lens, an accessibility consultancy

Shani Dhanda, Disability Specialist, Entrepreneur and Founder of Asian Woman Festival & Asian Disability Network

Sam Friedman, Professor of Sociology, Sociologist of Class and Inequality

Christopher Kenna, Founder and CEO of Brand Advance, a diversity media network

Keli Lee, Award-winning Senior Media Executive

Ade Rawcliffe, ITV’s Group Director of Diversity and Inclusion, said,

“I am delighted that this brilliant group of people have agreed to join our Council. I am looking forward to the range of challenges, insights and advice they can offer us, as we continue work to build an inclusive, creative culture where we authentically represent the lives of our diverse viewers on screen and we attract the best people from the widest range of backgrounds. We want ITV to be a place where everyone can do their very best work and progress and thrive based on merit, regardless of their background.”