First speakers for this year’s Radio Academy Festival announced

This year’s Radio Academy Festival will take place at The Royal College of Physicians at Regent’s Park, London on 18th September, with Impact Amplified as the theme.

Across three stages, a range of speakers, session presenters and stage hosts including Trevor Nelson, Scott Mills, Manveen Rana, Nick Wallis, Suzi Ruffell, Lady Unchained, Emma Louise Amanshia, Matt Chorley, Aasmah Mir, Sylvie Carlos, Conor Knight, Kat Shoob, Pete Snodden, Sangita Myska, Tom Price, Dan Noble, Molly Palmer, Neev Spencer, James Williams, Cliff Fluet, Ahmed Hussain and Tommy Dixon, will reflect the theme in different ways.

Co-Chair and ARIAS stage producer Perminder Khatkar said: “The Radio Academy Festival is the key event for the audio industry to come together, be inspired, energised and equipped for the year ahead.

“Wherever you work, whether you’re a longtime radio professional or you’re just starting in podcasting, the Festival will spark and provoke interesting ideas and career-enhancing conversations. It’s a space where you will learn and celebrate the impact of audio. You can’t afford to miss it.”

Executive Producer, Chris North, The Radio Academy added: “Across the Festival Stage, ARIAS and Impact Stages this year we will hear from across the sector on the ever-changing ways we create impact and cut through the noise to reflect, represent and reach audiences across the UK and globally.

Attendees will meet many incredibly talented winners from the 2024 ARIAS as we hear about their team’s experiences, hard work and maybe the winning formula to picking up an award.

“We will also welcome the BBC Asian Network, Best Station 2024 to the Festival Stage as Ahmed Hussain, Head of BBC Asian Network and members of the award-winning team join a session on how to create meaningful, deep and wide impact with a focus on community.”

Topics this year will include AI and what it means to the wider industry and other sessions will explore news and reporting on future General Elections for young people and why history is experiencing an audio renaissance.

Speakers announced so far, with more to come, include:

• Nick Wallis, broadcast journalist and presenter of The Great Post Office Trial (Whistledown Productions for BBC Radio 4), will be in conversation on the Festival Stage with Manveen Rana, host of The Story, the flagship podcast from The Times and Sunday Times discussing the story that Nick has covered on radio for over a decade, that some have called the widest miscarriage of justice in UK legal history.
• Following a recent Gold for Best Coverage of an Event, Radio 2 DJ, Trevor Nelson, will take to the ARIAS Stage to discuss Windrush 75 (Spiritland Productions for BBC Radio 2) – a concert telling the story of the far-reaching impact of Caribbean culture and music on the UK over the last 75 years which took place at the Royal Albert Hall that he curated and hosted.
• The Impact Stage will be a relaxed space to gather and discuss a variety of topics that impact programme makers, content creators and leaders as well as their audiences. Comedian, podcaster & Virgin Radio presenter Suzi Ruffell, who’s currently on air on pop-up station Virgin Radio Pride, will lead the conversation on how radio, podcast and audio content can bring positive voices together across our communities.
• Poet, Author and Broadcaster, Lady Unchained, will join the Festival’s ARIAS Stage to discuss the recent ARIAS Best Specialist Music Show win for Free Flow for the Prison Radio Association.
• Exec Producer and PhD Researcher Sylvie Carlos, joins our Impact Stage.  Sylvie is a multi-award-winning radio/podcast producer who has unapologetically focused on amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities, with a particular interest in Black-British stories.
• BBC Radio 2’s Scott Mills and winner of Best Music Entertainment Show will join the ARIAS Stage. Scott previously hosted The Scott Mills Show live every Monday-Thursday on BBC Radio 1 as well as hosting the Official Chart every Friday. He has also fronted the hugely successful Official Strictly podcast and Eurovision Calling for BBC Sounds.
• Emma Louise Amanshia will co-host the Impact stage with Conor Knight. Emma-Louise currently presents Newsround on CBBC for the BBC, travelling around the UK reporting on the stories that are most important to children and young people. Emma-Louise also fronts weekends and school holidays on Fun Kids Radio.
• Conor Knight is a presenter on BBC Radio 1, FunKids and Essex FM where he’s been bringing his tongue in cheek demeanour, love for music and popstar nonsense to his dedicated and growing band of listeners since 2018.  Conor’s comedy fact podcast Baffled – has charted in the in the UK Top 20 & US Top 40.
• In a huge year for UK and international politics BBC Radio 5 Live’s new-recruit, Matt Chorley will be in conversation about how his new daytime hopes to bring a different perspective to national political commentary and coverage. The award-winning presenter, author and stand-up will bring his unique political knowledge and humour to the Festival Stage.
• Joining our three stages, Kat Shoob is a DJ, television and radio presenter. Kat has broadcast across multiple commercial radio stations where she has interviewed some of the leading artists in the entertainment industry and is currently a host on Magic, hosting the primetime ‘The 4 till 7 Show with Tom and Kat’ every weekday, as well as Magic Chilled on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Tom Price is a presenter, podcaster and comedian. Tom currently presents the ‘4 till 7 Show’ on Magic Radio with Kat Shoob, as well as the regular cover presenter for Magic Breakfast. He also hosts the popular podcast My Mate Bought A Toaster. As a Welsh native, Tom also occasionally presents on BBC Wales.
• Returning to the Festival Stage, Broadcaster, DJ, Speaker, and Host Pete Snodden joins us from Northern Ireland’s hugely successful breakfast show, Cool FM, where he has presented for the best part of 19 years..
• Aasmah Mir is the author of A Glasgow Girl, published by Headline in 2024, formerly known as A Pebble in the Throat. She writes a column for The Sunday Times and is also an award-winning broadcaster who co-presents the Times Radio Breakfast show.
• James Williams joins us on the Festival Stage. James is a presenter on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast and was formerly BBC Wales’ political correspondent. He is one of the hosts of the Walescast podcast covering what’s happening in Welsh politics.
• Dan Noble presents Absolute Radio Early Breakfast. In 2019, Dan joined Absolute Radio – becoming the youngest person to present on the national station at 21 years old. At Absolute Radio, he has covered shows including Overnights, Evenings and Weekend Breakfast. He has also co-produced a documentary, “Woodstock at 50”.
• Radio Festival first timer, Molly Palmer joins us on the Impact Stage. Molly hosts the BBC Radio Wales Tuesday evening programme. Molly joined Radio Wales in 2023 having covered programmes on BBC Radio Cymru 2 and previously worked at Radio Platfform, the youth-led radio station and training space at the Wales Millennium Centre.
• Digital media lawyer Cliff Fluet demonstrates the power of AI for producers and creators. Cliff specialises in music tech brands, intellectual property, entertainment and innovation at law firm Lewis Silkin, and offers strategic advice to some of the world’s biggest names in digital, mobile, social media, brands, music and live events.
• Sangita Myska is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster who has worked at the BBC and LBC. She works with the John Schofield Trust encouraging a new generation of journalists into a rapidly changing industry.
• Neev Spencer is a Radio and TV broadcaster who is currently presenting the afternoon show on Magic FM. Her next step is to return to her passion for stand-up comedy!
• Ahmed Hussain heads up the BBC Asian Network, leading the UK-based station to reach over half a million listeners weekly and more than two million through social media and video content. He’s also been tasked with moving the whole station to Birmingham from April 2025. The pre-dominantly music and entertainment station is currently the number one most listened to British Asian station. Ahmed began his broadcasting career at pirate and community radio stations in East London, focusing on providing opportunities for young talent to get into broadcasting and the media, and is often delivering masterclasses in audio and beyond. His efforts have garnered multiple awards, including BBC Asian Network winning Gold at the 2024 ARIAS as the best radio station in the UK and recently posting its highest RAJAR numbers post Covid.
• Tommy Dixon is an award-winning podcast producer and presenter from London and a member of The ReelWorld Radio Academy 30 under 30 class of 2023. Tommy has produced programmes for BBC Sounds, BBC World Service and Transmission Roundhouse. His work includes the ARIA Gold winning docudrama Colouring In Britain.

Tickets for the Radio Academy Festival are now on sale. Check out Radio Academy Festival – Radio Academy for more information.