The Radio Academy is seeking a new Managing Director, as Sam Bailey is to leave the post, to take up a new leadership role at BFBS.
Sam has been Managing Director of the charity for 2½ years and has worked with its trustees to transform the organisation to one that is relevant for the industry today. With Sam as MD, The Radio Academy Festival was reinvented as a multi-stage event and the ARIAS as a West End theatre spectacular. Sam also introduced the Radio Academy Mentoring Programme (RAMP), launched the weekly Radio Academy Podcast, and oversaw a full calendar of events and networking opportunities across the year. His last day with The Radio Academy will be Friday 30th June.
Sam’s new role – Deputy Director of Radio and Live Events at military charity and media organisation BFBS – will see him take his transformational skills to work alongside Nicky Ness and her team to ensure the global network of stations, platforms and content creators stay relevant to UK armed forces audiences, wherever they are serving in the world.
Radio Academy Chair Helen Thomas, said: “Sam has been an excellent Managing Director. Under his tenure The Radio Academy has grown and developed in all directions - from what it does, to how it serves the sector. This has led to a record number of members, who can all now enjoy a blockbuster programme of events and initiatives. The trustees and I thank Sam for all his efforts and wish him the very best of luck in his new role”.
Nicky Ness, Director of Broadcasting and Entertainment at BFBS, said: “We’re delighted that Sam is joining us at an exciting and evolutionary time for members of the armed forces and the BFBS teams who serve them. Whether on air, on screens or on stages, the coming years will challenge us to maintain excellence and to find new ways of entertaining and informing audiences. Sam’s leadership and creativity will add real value to the existing team and we’re all really looking forward to welcoming him.”
Sam Bailey added: “It’s been the privilege of my career to run The Radio Academy, a charity I’ve been involved with for nearly 25 years. I’m really proud of what we’ve done in that time, and I look forward to passing the baton on to a new leader, who I’m sure will continue to push The Radio Academy forward. I am hugely excited about my new role with BFBS. I can’t wait to meet the team and learn more about how BFBS serves such a unique audience.”
The Radio Academy’s Deputy Chair Nick Pitts is leading the recruitment process for Sam’s replacement. Applications are open until Monday 1 May.