ITV has appointed two creative diversity planners to drive greater inclusion both on and off screen and help implement the commercial broadcaster’s Diversity Acceleration Plan, launched earlier this year.
Nahrein Kemp and Sam Tatlow will report to Ade Rawcliffe, ITV’s group director of diversity & inclusion. They will work across Commissioning, ITV Studios, the wider ITV business areas and support independent producers.
Their key role will be to help implement the five commitments of the Diversity Acceleration Plan, which include increasing the diversity of ITV’s senior leadership; commissioning to ensure ITV better represents contemporary British life on-screen; improving diversity and career progression in TV production; recruitment and education.
Tatlow joins ITV from thinkBIGGER! where she managed training and events for diverse talent across the television industry.
Kemp will move into her new ITV role from her position as film & TV executive at Film London. There, she established the Equal Access Network, which has successfully helped many people from under represented backgrounds into paid employment.
Rawcliffe said: “Nahrein and Sam are both outstanding, talented individuals who each bring with them experience, expertise and a desire to help ITV move forward in our efforts to build a structure and culture that ensures diversity is at the heart of everything we do, on and off screen. These appointments are another key step that will help us become truly representative of our audience.”
As creative diversity partners, Kemp and Tatlow will further oversee and drive ITV’s Step Up 60 initiative, which, over the next year, aims to provide the chance for at least 60 people to step-up and secure their first ITV senior editorial and production roles, including directing, writing or producing episodes of ITV’s new and returning drama, factual and entertainment shows.
ITV is also establishing a Cultural Advisory Council – a group of independent external advisers who will advise, challenge and counsel ITV on all of its inclusion and diversity activities.
