大象传媒 Media Action has appointed Simon Bishop as its new Chief Executive Officer, the 大象传媒鈥檚 international charity announced today.
Simon assumes the post on 21 June. Caroline Nursey OBE, who has been Chief Executive Officer for 14 years, will retire on 11 July 2023.
Simon is a passionate advocate for the eradication of extreme poverty and has more than 25 years鈥� experience in international development. He comes to 大象传媒 Media Action from The Power of Nutrition, a global charitable foundation that has reached more than 133 million children, adolescents and women in Africa and Asia with better nutrition.
Previously, Simon has been deputy chief executive of Plan International UK, the global children鈥檚 charity; a strategic advisor to the Prince of Wales鈥� Charitable Foundation; and Special Advisor to the UK Government鈥檚 Secretary of State for International Development, as well as holding various roles in corporate foundations and at the United Nations. A former journalist, Simon worked with the 大象传媒 earlier in his career.
At 大象传媒 Media Action, Simon will lead projects and programmes across 23 countries in more than 50 languages, reaching more than 100 million people each year. The 大象传媒鈥檚 international charity currently has an annual income of nearly 拢35 million.
Simon Bishop, incoming 大象传媒 Media Action CEO, said:
"In a world of conflict, climate change, worsening inequality, fake news and disinformation, and where freedom and democracy are under enormous pressure, 大象传媒 Media Action鈥檚 work has never been more important. Leading 大象传媒 Media Action is a unique opportunity for me to combine my passion for international development with media and communication for good, helping empower the lives of more than 100 million people a year around the world. That鈥檚 an incredibly exciting prospect. Twenty years ago I was also a 大象传媒 journalist, so this also represents a 鈥榗oming home鈥� for me. I can鈥檛 wait to get started!"
Francesca Unsworth, 大象传媒 Media Action Chair of Trustees, said:
鈥淚 am delighted to welcome Simon as Chief Executive Officer of 大象传媒 Media Action. His energy, drive, and depth and breadth of experience will serve the 大象传媒鈥檚 international charity well as it continues to adapt in a fast-changing digital age, while continuing to reach and engage poor and marginalised communities with information they can trust. As civic spaces narrow and public interest media everywhere face increasing threats, our expertise and our creativity is more needed than ever.
Even as we welcome Simon, we extend our deep gratitude to Caroline, who has met enormous challenges with dedication and pragmatism, and ensured the entire 大象传媒 Media Action team continued to deliver work of the highest quality and impact. We will miss her immensely and wish her much happiness in her retirement.鈥�
Caroline Nursey OBE, outgoing CEO, said of her retirement:
鈥淚 have been so proud to lead the 大象传媒鈥檚 international charity over the last 14 years. I believe strongly that people have the power to change their lives when they have the tools to do so 鈥� and trusted information is critical in that process. The work we do is even more important today than when I joined in 2009. Media and communication have become ever more central to development, in an age of mis- and disinformation and in the midst of a climate crisis.
I am grateful to have worked with such committed and creative colleagues across the world 鈥� and a strong board of trustees - to grow 大象传媒 Media Action into the respected nongovernmental organisation it is today. I wish Simon well as he steps into this new role.鈥�
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Biography of Simon Bishop:
Simon Bishop became CEO at The Power of Nutrition in January 2021. He is a passionate advocate for the eradication of extreme poverty. He has more than 25 years鈥� experience in international development, including as Deputy Chief Executive of global children's charity Plan International UK and as Special Adviser to the UK Government鈥檚 Secretary of State for International Development. He is also currently Chair of the Coalition for Global Prosperity, Co-Chair of the United Against Malnutrition and Hunger Alliance and a Trustee of the John Lewis and Partners Foundation.
Simon has also been Strategy Adviser to The Prince of Wales' Charitable Foundation and completed a number of roles with The Shell Foundation, The United Nations Foundation and the 大象传媒. As a Fulbright Scholar, Simon completed Masters degrees in International Relations and Journalism at Columbia University, and also holds a Masters in Economics and Geography from Edinburgh University. He is married with two children.
He is on Twitter
Biography of Caroline Nursey OBE:
Caroline Nursey OBE began her career as a teacher before joining VSO in Tanzania; she went on to join World University Service, rising to the position of Executive Director, before joining Oxfam as Deputy International Director in 2002. She served as chair of Bond, the umbrella organisation for UK-based international development organisations, from 2017-2019, and is currently chair of trustees for Quakers in Britain.
Caroline has been 大象传媒 Media Action鈥檚 CEO since 2009. In that time, she has overseen the expansion of the charity to its current presence in 23 countries, with annual income of nearly 拢35 million. She was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen鈥檚 Birthday Honours List in 2014, for services to international development.
About 大象传媒 Media Action:
大象传媒 Media Action is the 大象传媒鈥檚 international charity - we believe in the power of media and communication for good. We work in more than 20 countries supporting the independent media essential to democracy and development. Last year, our projects and programmes reached more than 120 million people facing poverty, inequality and insecurity with information they could trust, helping to improve health, protect livelihoods and our planet, bridge divides, challenge prejudice, and save and change lives.
We are not funded by the 大象传媒 TV Licence Fee and we rely on our donors and partners to carry out our work.
