Channel 4 has appointed its first ever Director of Inclusion to oversee diversity strategy for the It’s a Sin broadcaster, who will sit on the Executive Management Board.
Marcia Williams, who has 30 years experience working for the likes of the Treasury, Transport for London and The Law Society of England and Wales, will lead the 4Inclusion team and share dual responsibility for the Creative Diversity unit, which is responsible for representation on-screen. That team is co-led by Director of Commissioning Operations Emma Hardy and includes recently-appointed Head of Creative Diversity Naomi Sesay.
The move will “enable the creation of a cohesive and complementary strategy that will ensure that Channel 4 continues to foster an inclusive workplace culture and remains at the forefront of inclusion and diversity in the UK,” according to the pubcaster.
CEO Alex Mahon said: “This newly created role not only recognises Channel 4’s successful history of pioneering change in diversity and inclusion that has inspired change in the creative industries and beyond, but also the ongoing imperative to ensure that inclusion and diversity is truly embedded in everything that we do.”
Williams described Channel 4 as a “pioneer in the field with its distinctive remit,” a remit that could be under threat if the broadcaster is sold by the government.
“This new role is an affirmation that Channel 4 is laser-focused on pushing forward to find new, and powerful ways to approach issues of equity and inclusivity across its talent and business practices to create and sustain true impact,” she added.
Reporting to Mahon, Williams will sit on Channel 4’s Executive Management Board alongside senior bosses.