The Radio Academy has revealed the list of Mentees and Mentors participating in this year’s Radio Academy Mentoring Programme – RAMP.
Twenty mentees from across the industry have been selected to receive six months of mentoring from an industry leader, peer support and leadership training.
The announcement follows a competitive selection process led by Chair of Judges Adele Cross, producer of BBC Radio 1Xtra Breakfast with Nadia Jae.
Now in its fourth year, RAMP is supported by Broadcast Bionics and BBC Sounds. It is aimed at anyone working in any area of radio and audio, who has at least five years professional experience.
Each mentee will benefit from confidential one-to-one mentoring sessions, as well as peer development and valuable leadership skills through a series of seminars and training workshops delivered by RAMP Lead Fran Plowright.
Fran Plowright is the founder of Meet a Mentor a programme designed to support emerging talent by carefully pairing media professionals with bespoke mentors.
The mentees come from all fields of the industry including production, technical, presenting, journalism, management and digital.
Introducing the 2025 Radio Academy Mentoring Programme cohort:
- Bea Duncan – Senior Producer, Intelligence Squared
- Ben Carpenter – Managing Director, Rakkit Productions
- Bethan Davies – Broadcast Journalist, Freelance
- Cassandra Maria – Programme Manager, Premier Christian Communications
- Debbie Kilbride – Audio Producer, Freelance
- Dhruti Shah – Producer, Freelance
- Hazel Morgan-Chu – Journalist, BBC Radio 4
- Ilona Toller- Producer, Freelance
- James Shield – Audio Producer, Freelance
- Jessica Gunasekara – Development Producer, Overcoat Media
- Jessica Memon – CEO, Asian Community Radio DAB
- Katie Baxter – Producer and Sound Designer, Freelance
- Kelly Crichton – Podcast Producer, National World / Laudable Podcasts
- Lucinda Rouse – Senior Multimedia Reporter, Haymarket Media Group
- Marianne Garvey – Managing Editor, National Prison Radio
- Meic Parry – Sound Designer and Producer, Freelance
- Rebecca Grisedale-Sherry – Digital Producer, BBC Audio
- Roland Moore – Writer, Big Finish
- Sue Bowerman – Senior Lecturer in Radio, University of West London
- Tom Whalley – Founder / CEO, TBone Productions
By matching participants with an experienced senior leader in the industry, RAMP will offer connections across the breadth of the audio industry at the highest levels. The 2025 mentors include senior figures from the BBC, commercial broadcasters and independent production companies:
- Adele Cross, Producer, BBC 1Xtra
- Camilla Byk, Co-Founder, Podium.me
- Chris Skinner, Vice President and Head of Content, Sony Music
- Gloria Abramoff, Managing Director, Creators Inc
- Innes Bowen, Executive Producer, BBC Studios
- Jo Meek, Head of Factual and Development, Audio Always
- Joby Waldman, MD, Reduced Listening
- Mark Strippel, Content Consultant
- Mike Newman, Vice President, UK Content and Production, Audioboom
- Nick Callaghan, Director of Sales UK, Spotify
- Nicky Birch, Director of Formats, BBC Sounds
- Nicole Logan, Executive Producer, Goalhanger
- Nikki Tapper, Presenter, BBC Radio WM
- Rachel Barton, MD, We Are Grape
- Ray Paul, Creative Director, The Playmaker Group
- Rebecca Frank, Content Director, KISS
- Russell Crewe, Producer and Executive Producer, Freelance
- Selina Ream, Senior Producer, Sony Music
- Sophie Herdman, Global Content Partnership Director, Acast
- Tony Phillips, Podcast Executive and consultant, Freelance
- Victoria Easton-Riley, Content Director for Bauer Scotland
Aradhna Tayal Leach, Managing Director of The Radio Academy said:
“I firmly believe in lifelong learning and that everyone can benefit from mentoring and development support, whatever stage in their career. RAMP looks to nurture and bolster people at a critical point in their professional audio journey, when they are searching for their next steps and might feel stuck on how to advance to the next level. Many previous mentees have gone on to achieve lifelong ambitions, or to change path completely, with the confidence and support they gain from the programme and fellow RAMPers. I look forward to seeing the 2025 cohort embark on the next stage of their journey.”
The full list of mentees and mentors, along with biographies, is available here.
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