How we are governed

How we are governed

The BBC World Service Trust is governed by a Board of Trustees, comprised of experts with backgrounds in business, international development and the media, and representatives from the wider BBC. View Board of Trustees

The BBC World Service Trust is managed by a Senior Management Team, lead by the Trust's Director, Stephen King.

The Senior Management Team

Stephen King, Director of the BBC World Service Trust

Stephen King

Stephen King is Director of the World Service Trust - a position he has held since 2001. Prior to this, Stephen worked for more than 15 years with international development agencies in Asia, Africa and in North America. Between 1998 and 2001 he was the Executive Director of the International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW). He worked closely with the United Nations in New York and in Africa, Asia and Latin America on policy development issues relating to the UN's five year review of the World Summit on Social Development. Read more

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He manages a Senior Management Team, comprised of:

Anna Da Silva, Regional Director, Africa

Anna Da Silva

Anna is responsible for the BBC World Service Trust's work in Africa. She began her journalism career as a radio producer in the Arabic Service of the BBC World Service, before being sent to Angola as the BBC's correspondent, where she also reported for Reuters, the Economist and the Independent. Anna moved into the field of communications for development when she joined the UN's IRIN to set up a humanitarian radio project encompassing training, factual programming and radio drama for Southern Africa. Read more

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Caroline Howie, Regional Director, Asia

Caroline Howie

Caroline is responsible for the BBC World Service Trust's work in Asia. She came from BBC World, where she was head of news for nearly five years. Caroline's background is in programme making and management. She joined the BBC World Service in 1987, working in news and current affairs. In 1991, Caroline was one of the team that set up BBC World (BBC World Service TV as it was then). In 1998 she moved to the domestic news channel, BBC News 24 as editor of its award-winning nightly interview show, HARDtalk with Tim Sebastian. Read more

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Simon Derry, Regional Director, Central Asia and the Caucasus, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East

Simon Derry

Simon is responsible for the BBC World Service Trust's work in Central Asia and the Caucasus, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. He also manages the BBC World Service Trust's work in Afghanistan. Simon began his work in the international communications for development field by working as editor and manager for the BBC Pashto and Persian Service and the Afghan Education Projects in Peshawar. Read more

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Dr Gerry Power, Director of Research and Learning

Gerry Power

Gerry is responsible for audience research and evaluation for the BBC World Service Trust, overseeing projects in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Before joining the BBC World Service Trust, Gerry conducted strategic research to inform policy and decision-making at the most senior level of organisations throughout the world, including the United States Information Agency, the National Council for Science and Technology, the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Irish Industrial Development Authority. Read more

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Awo Ablo, Director of Business Development

Awo Ablo

Awo is responsible for increasing the organisation's income, including financial support for core activities, as well as activities relating to specific projects. Awo has worked in the development sector for seven years, designing and implementing growth-creating strategies and dealing with a range of donors. Before joining the BBC World Service Trust, Awo set up and headed fundraising teams at Sightsavers International, an eye care NGO, and at the multi-disciplinary think-tank, the Royal Society for the encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). Read more

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Kirsty Cockburn, Director of Communications

Kirsty Cockburn

Kirsty manages the BBC World Service Trust's communications team, responsible for external and internal relations including media, events, publications, websites and internal communications. Before joining the BBC World Service Trust, Kirsty was Head of Communications at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI). Prior to joining ODI, Kirsty was Managing Editor at the Science and Development Network (SciDev.Net). Kirsty has also held the post of Communications Manager at the Institute of Development Studies. Read more

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Andrew Lawrence, Director of Finance and Business Services

Andrew Lawrence

Andrew joined the BBC World Service Trust in March 2008 as Director of Finance and Business Services. Andrew provides leadership and management in the areas of finance, IT and systems, legal, procurement and business compliance for the Trust. Read more

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