Seven new trustees will join the board of the John Schofield Trust from November 2024, representing a cross section of UK and Irish newsrooms and bringing fresh leadership experience to our work

Joining our board are:

• Ayshah Tull, an award-winning presenter and broadcaster working at Channel 4 News. She has worked in a range of roles at ITN, the BBC and Sky. Ayshah is also Senior Fellow (mentor) and longstanding supporter of the Trust’s work.
• Shaunagh Connaire, a double Emmy-nominated independent journalist and filmmaker and the first female recipient of the Freedom of Longford (Ireland) honour. She worked as a Director at the George and Amal Clooney Foundation. Shaunagh was a Fellow (mentee) on the first ever programme the Trust ran.
• Fergus Bell, the Founder and CEO of Fathm, an independent news lab and consultancy. He recently co-launched Syli, a non-profit organisation focused on how newsrooms report the climate crisis. Fergus is also a Senior Fellow and an experienced journalist, including eight years at the Associated Press.
• Holly Irwin, he Head of Workforce Delivery at Skills for Care, the leading workforce organisation for adult social care in England, where she is responsible for a portfolio of national programmes. She has over 20 years experience in senior leadership positions across the health and social care sector.
• Rob Osborne, ITV Wales’ National Correspondent covering issues of national importance in Wales. He is a distinguished broadcaster, has won multiple awards for his work and notably presents the long running political programme Sharp End. Rob has been a Fellow and is a current Senior Fellow.
• Eileen Murphy, Deputy News Editor at BBC News where she works at the centre of the newsroom, and oversees the day-to-day news and current affairs agenda, legal and editorial issues and several long term projects. She previously worked at the Press Association, IPC Magazines and across local and national newspaper titles. Eileen is a current Senior Fellow.
• Jonathan Paterson, Managing Editor of The News Movement and has two decades of experience in newsroom leadership at the BBC. He specialises in digital strategy and social media optimisation for a younger news audience. Jonathan is a Senior Fellow and has been a longstanding participant in our selection processes for new Fellows.

Founder and Interim Chair of the Trustee Board, Susie Schofield MBE, welcomed the new appointments: “I am thrilled to welcome our new trustees to the board. Each of them embodies the values we hold dear at the Trust, and they share our commitment to opening doors for emerging talent in the sector regardless of background. Their perspectives will be invaluable as we head towards our 30 year anniversary.”

The new trustees will join the current board in determining the priorities and focus of the Trust, and contribute to the long term planning alongside the staff team.