Ambassadors

Jonathan Is a passionate journalist with eight years of experience in broadcasting from community radio and 2 in the BBC where he worked across BBC News Socials, podcasts and Politics . He is a recent graduate of the BBC Journalism apprenticeship and host of his own Podcast. Jonathan hopes to encourage people from all walks of life to get involved in journalism no matter their academic achievements. His hopes are to see the industry become more accessible for all.

Catriona is a digital journalist at BBC Wales News based in Cardiff. She did her undergraduate degree in international relations at the University of St Andrews, followed by the MA News Journalism course at Cardiff University where she secured a gold standard NCTJ diploma, received the inaugural NCTJ Digital Journalism Award, and was shortlisted for NCTJ Student of the Year. She began her career as a trainee with Newsquest across its Hampshire titles, where she discovered a particular interest in court reporting. Since starting at the BBC in 2022, she has spent time as a patch reporter and feature writer as well as her core role producing stories for online and social platforms.

Karimah is a digital news producer at ITN, where she produces content for the Royal Family Channel, On Demand News and On Demand Entertainment. Her work has also been picked up by the Daily Mail, The Mirror, The Sun and Heat magazine. Previously she was an apprentice at 5 News, where she booked guests and worked as a producer. Before that, Karimah was a journalism and production trainee at the BBC.

Jasmine is a freelance journalist. Jasmine has experience working with the BBC, producing digital content, articles and radio packages that aim to reflect the real experiences of people across local and national news. Jasmine also specialises in social media content, and was shortlisted for the Level 5 Apprentice of the Year at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence.

Ayisha is a social media executive at What Car? magazine. As well as contributing articles to the magazine and its website, her role involves planning and creating the content for its six social channels, one of which she launched.

Mirek is an award-winning British-Czech reporter currently working as a Social Media Producer at Sky News. He previously spent three years in a local newsroom, where he was hired through the NCTJ’s Community News Project scheme. He has also worked as a production assistant in film and TV and as a film teacher. His investigative documentary tracing his ancestor’s journey as a Nazi slave premiered at the Czech Embassy in London in 2023.

Kia-Elise is a features writer at i, having joined the paper as an apprentice in 2021. She has reported on showbiz, travel and lifestyle to hard news, long-form ‘big read’ pieces and more for the title. She produces videos and photos and has experience working to enhance the paper’s SEO performance.

Eleri Griffiths, 21, is from Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales. She entered journalism through the BBC’s Level 5 Fast Track scheme after completing her A levels at a Welsh-language comprehensive school.

Over two years, she gained experience across BBC Wales News while completing her NCTJ Diploma at Cardiff and Vale College, graduating with a gold-standard qualification in September 2024. She then began a permanent role at BBC Wales News, spending three months reporting for Newyddion S4C and Newyddion Ni before joining the English-language digital team. Since January, she has been writing breaking news, features, social media posts and live page updates for the BBC News website.

Eleri is honoured to be an NCTJ ambassador. She credits the NCTJ course with helping her secure the job she loves and hopes to inspire and support the next generation of journalists as they embark on this challenging but rewarding career.

Tomás is junior European editor at New York Times-owned website The Athletic, where he reports on Spanish football. He has a strong background in sports journalism, having previously covered rugby, tennis, F1, boxing and the Olympics for ESPN and The Times. He has reported from Twickenham, Wembley and the Bernabéu and worked placements on the sports desks at MailOnline and The Guardian. Tomás speaks Spanish and French and undertook an internship at the French regional newspaper Le Journal du Palais.  He was named Student Sports Journalist of the Year at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence 2021.

Alex is a senior journalist at the BBC’s Shared Data Unit, which he helped launch in 2017. While he now specialises in data journalism and Freedom of Information law, he has previous experience as a BBC TV and radio producer, with his reporting leading some of the broadcaster’s flagship news programmes. He was also a senior reporter and education correspondent at the Midlands-based Express & Star. Alex is part of a BBC employee network that promotes social and economic diversity, he has also mentored other journalists and worked as an outreach volunteer on the BBC News Young Reporter initiative.

Sanjana is a journalist at BBC Wales News. She recently graduated from the BBC Advanced Apprenticeship scheme and has worked across Online, TV, and Radio outlets at BBC Wales as well as at BBC Politics Live and BBC Ukrainecast. Recently, Sanjana has reported on underrepresented issues such as the difficulties international students have faced securing accommodation and the issue of children in care having to move their belongings in bin bags. Sanjana is an aspiring political journalist and is passionate about reporting on social affairs. Outside of work, Sanjana loves reading, Bollywood dancing and sunny weather.

Sara is a reporter at People of Color in Tech (POCIT) and freelances on the breaking news desk at i. She’s undertaken an internship at the Financial Times where she worked producing and promoting podcasts. She was also social media editor and then features and comment editor at the Kingston Courier. She is also a reporter for the US-based People of Color in Tech. Her ‘Out of Sight’ podcast features interviews with interesting and under-represented people in Ireland and saw her nominated in the Rising Star category at the VaVa Awards. Sara received a bursary from the Journalism Diversity Fund.

Shannon grew up in West Wales and is now a news reporter for the Daily Mail. A recipient of the Journalism Diversity Fund, she is passionate about inspiring the next generation of working-class journalists to enter the industry.

Amar is a News Editor at Sky Sports News, working on newsgathering across all platforms. He works extensively on football, including the Transfer Window, cricket and F1. Previously, Amar was a deputy news editor and sports journalist at SSN. He has also worked as a mobile reporter at Sky News, local news and has experience working for a B2B magazine. Amar completed his NCTJ with PA in 2018, with support from the Journalism Diversity Fund. 

Zeenia Naqvee is a freelance journalist who began her career at MailOnline before moving to The Sun. She has covered foreign affairs, health, and human-interest stories, with a particular focus on human rights and underreported global issues.

George is a trainee reporter at Nottinghamshire Live, a role he’s had since March 2025. He previously spent three months at the company in summer 2024 as an Editorial Intern, before working at local news channel Notts TV for eight months on their pathway scheme. He covers general news, with his main areas of interest and expertise spanning local politics, arts and culture, charities and reporting on underrepresented communities. Prior to this role, he studied for his NCTJ diploma at Nottingham Trent University.

Sophie is a news reporter at PinkNews. She began her career with placements at the Reach publication My London and at then-Archant’s Brent and Kilburn Times, Ham&High and Hackney Gazette. She was previously a digital reporter at Newsquest and spent almost five years as a freelancer, with her byline appearing in the Metro, DIVA magazine and more. A Journalism Diversity Fund recipient, Sophie is the founder of the LGBTQ+ Journalism Network, which provides a space for LGBTQ+ journalists to connect and learn from each other.

Kate has worked as a freelance journalist for several years specialising in music and arts, mental health and life as a single parent.

Recently, Kate covered the outer space training happening in the Lake District and Scotland. After graduating from News Associates as a JDF recipient, she was made an NCTJ ambassador.

Caroline is a Journalist with BBC South West based on the online team. As a BBC apprentice, Caroline worked with online, TV, radio and socials teams in the South West where she pitched and produced stories. Caroline completed her NCTJ diploma with PA Media Academy while on her BBC apprenticeship which she joined in 2023 after completing her A Levels. 

Yasmin is a community news reporter at Reach, working across Stoke-on-Trent Live and Staffordshire Live as part of the Community News Project. She was previously a freelance content creator at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust and a digital communications officer at the communications and PR consultancy Make It Happen. Prior to that, Yasmin was a social media and PR assistant at Staffordshire County Council. She started out by honing her skills volunteering as a broadcast journalist at Cross Rhythms Radio, where she would create video and audio packages for its social media channels.

Damian is a European real estate reporter at Bloomberg News and contributes articles to other UK-based publications such as City A.M. He has a background in print journalism as well as experience working in Paris at Radio France International. Damian received a bursary from the Journalism Diversity Fund and studied for his NCTJ Diploma in Journalism as part of his master’s degree at the University of Sheffield. He now also mentors young people with the charity Shadow to Shine.

Catrin is editor-in-chief at Insurance Insider. She’s risen through the ranks at the publication, starting as a senior reporter before becoming news editor and managing editor. Prior to joining Insurance Insider, Catrin was a reporter at SNL Financial and has won several industry awards for her reporting, including B2B General Insurance Journalist of the Year at the 2024 Headline money awards. Before working in B2B publishing, Catrin – who also speaks German – was a news reporter at the Worthing Herald. She has recently returned to work after a year’s maternity leave.

Amrit is a journalist at Sky News, covering a range of stories across the UK and occasionally around the globe. He joined Sky News as a trainee in 2021, straight after completing his A Levels. Amrit has a deep interest and passion in representing under-served communities and under-represented issues. His efforts were recognised at The British Sikh Awards 2023, where he won the Media, Arts and Cultural Awareness Award. He was named Apprentice of the Year at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence 2023. Before joining Sky News, Amrit served as a member of the UK Youth Parliament and represented his constituency of Slough for five years.

Emaan is a journalist at the BBC World Service. As a BBC apprentice, Emaan worked on BBC News and the BBC Politics Unit in Millbank, where she helped cover Prime Minister’s Questions and featured in her own original stories on BBC Two’s Politics Live. She has also worked on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. Emaan won the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence 2023.

Lisa gained her gold-standard NCTJ Diploma at News Associates in Manchester in 2024 after embarking on a career change in her late-thirties. Lisa has been working as a trainee digital reporter at Newsquest in Greater Manchester for just over a year and is studying towards the NQJ, Level 7 senior qualification alongside her full-time job. As a working class northerner, Lisa is a big believer in the importance of true diversity in our industry and the value it brings to newsrooms.