The Grierson Trust Names Lorraine Heggessey as New Chairman

LONDON: The Grierson Trust has chosen Lorraine Heggessey to replace Dawn Airey as chairman of the board of trustees.

Heggessey will join board members Celia Taylor, Emma Hindley, Charlotte Moore, Terry Back, Alex Cooke, Jill Franklin, Chris Harris, Christopher Hird, Morgan Matthews, Judith Chan and Emma Cooper. She previously served as a controller for BBC One, where she helped re-brand the channel and launch a number of shows, including Strictly Come Dancing, Doctor Who and Spooks. She also co-founded Boom Pictures, an independent production group, in 2012.

Airey resigned from her post after being hired as the head of Yahoo! for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Airey stated: "I am thrilled to hand over The Grierson Trust baton to the wonderful, knowledgeable, energetic, and driven Lorraine Heggessey. It has been a privilege to be associated with the Trust and I know it is now in the hands of a careful and loving chair. During the last few years the Grierson Trust's activities have grown substantially and become an increasingly important part of the British documentary scene. Lorraine's skills and experience will help to take the Trust's work even further in the coming years."

Heggessey added: "The British documentary scene creates some of the nation's best, challenging and most talked about television with programming that is revered the world over. I spent roughly half my career producing documentaries, so I'm thrilled to be part of an organization that does so much to champion this vital art form and that works to ensure the future of the genre through its education and mentoring work."