Announcing 2025 RAMP Mentees
Meet our 2025 cohort and read their bios below.
2025 Mentors and Cohort
Introducing the 2025 Radio Academy Mentoring Programme cohort:
- Bea Duncan - Senior Producer, Intelligence Squared
- Bethan Davies - Broadcast Journalist, Freelance
- Cassandra Maria - Programme Manager, Premier Christian Communications
- Debbie Kilbride - Audio Producer, Freelance
- Dhruti Shah - Producer, Freelance
- Hazel Morgan-Chu - Journalist, BBC Radio 4
- Ilona Toller- Producer, Freelance
- Jessica Gunasekara - Development Producer, Overcoat Media
- Jessica Memon - CEO, Asian Community Radio DAB
- Katie Baxter - Producer and Sound Designer, Freelance
- Kellie Redmond - Executive Producer, Listen
- Kelly Crichton - Podcast Producer, National World / Laudable Podcasts
- Lucinda Rouse - Senior Multimedia Reporter, Haymarket Media Group
- Marianne Garvey - Managing Editor, National Prison Radio
- Meic Parry - Sound Designer and Producer, Freelance
- Rebecca Grisedale-Sherry - Audio & Digital Producer, Freelance
- Roland Moore - Writer, Big Finish
- Suzie Bowerman - Senior Lecturer in Radio, University of West London
- Tom Whalley - Founder / CEO, TBone Productions
Mentors
By matching participants with an experienced senior leader in the industry, RAMP offers connections across the breadth of the audio industry at the highest levels.
The 2025 mentors include senior figures from the BBC, commercial broadcasters and independent production companies as follows:
- Adele Cross, Producer, BBC 1Xtra
- Camilla Byk, Co-Founder, Podium.me
- Chris Skinner, Vice President and Head of Content, Sony Music
- Gloria Abramoff, Managing Director, Creators Inc
- Innes Bowen, Executive Producer, BBC Studios
- Jo Meek, Head of Factual and Development, Audio Always
- Mike Newman, Vice President, UK Content and Production, Audioboom
- Nick Callaghan, Director of Sales UK, Spotify
- Nicky Birch, Director of Formats, BBC Sounds
- Nicole Logan, Executive Producer, Goalhanger
- Nikki Tapper, Presenter, BBC Radio WM
- Rachel Barton, MD, We Are Grape
- Ray Paul, Creative Director, The Playmaker Group
- Rebecca Frank, Content Director, KISS
- Selina Ream, Senior Producer, Sony Music
- Sophie Herdman, Global Content Partnership Director, Acast
- Tony Phillips, Podcast Executive and consultant, Freelance
- Victoria Easton-Riley, Content Director for Bauer Scotland
Cohort
Bea Duncan is an award-winning audio producer, storyteller and community builder. She has developed and produced a roster of hit podcasts across a variety of formats, with a specialism in human interest narrative and documentary. Her portfolio includes multi-award winning Anthems, and the award-nominated Who Robs A Banksy? and Power Lines, as well as numerous talent led interview projects. Her work has seen her be nominated as Producer of the Year at the Audio Production Awards, where she also won Bronze for Society and Lifestyle Producer, and she is a Radio Academy 30 under 30 alumni. Bea is also the founder of The Entry Level Audio Network, a grassroots organisation aiming to improve accessibility and foster community for those entering the audio industry.
Bethan Davies is an award-winning journalist, who began her broadcasting career in community radio as a teenager. With almost twenty-year’s experience in newsrooms across the north of England, she has worked as a newsreader, reporter and editor for companies including Bauer Media, Global and the BBC. She is passionate about original journalism that highlights important social issues. Over the years she’s investigated maternity bereavement care, support for people who are homeless, local authority finances and knife crime in communities. She is committed to elevating regional voices and compassionate storytelling.
Cassandra Maria is a radio professional and comedian from Birmingham with a passion for connecting with audiences through engaging content.
She began her radio journey in 2018, volunteering across five stations in London and the Midlands to hone her presenting and production skills.
In 2020, Cassandra joined Premier Christian Communications, where she spearheaded the social media growth of one of the radio brands, Premier Gospel Radio, and produced and presented 11 shows weekly.
Her exceptional dedication earned her a promotion to Programme Manager for Premier Gospel Radio in 2024. That same year, Cassandra was honoured as Best Radio Presenter at the TMMP Awards and has been nominated for the Excellence in Media and Communications Award at the Potential Unlocked Awards.
Debbie Kilbride is a queer, working class woman whose mission is to make UK audio more open to and representative of people like her and those she grew up with. Debbie caught the radio bug volunteering at Moorfields Eye Hospital radio station and went on to work for over 20 years at the BBC, winning awards across music and speech radio. Debbie has recently established her own production company and is committed to championing underrepresented people and their stories in the audio industry.
Dhruti Shah is a freelance journalist, producer, and presenter. She spent 14 years at the BBC with stints at Newsbeat, Radio 1Xtra and World Service Newshour. She primarily worked in newsgathering and on the news website. In her independent career she wears a number of hats which include: writer, public speaker and host facilitator for events including the Ignite Climate Summit, the OKRE Summit and Climate Reframe. She is a member of the interdisciplinary UK Young Academy and is a published poet and short story writer. Dhruti is also the creator and host of the Have You Thought About? podcast – which focuses on amplifying those from underrepresented backgrounds with multiple passions. Have you Thought About? was shortlisted for the International Women’s Podcast Awards in 2023. She also hosts the We TRANSFORM Lives podcast on social entrepreneurship for TRANSFORM (an initiative of Unilever, the UK Foreign Office and EY) and a podcast on pain and the role of the community pharmacist for the Centre for Human Sciences (Haleon).
Hazel Morgan-Chu is a journalist at BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. She first fell in love with radio as a student at Exeter University. She started her career in her hometown at BBC Radio Stoke working on Radio 4’s The Listening Project. After five brilliant years in local radio, she joined the Today programme in 2022. Hazel’s career highlights include working on the prestigious Today programme Christmas guest edits, producing The Today podcast and most recently covering President Donald Trump’s second inauguration in Washington DC. When Hazel isn’t at work or recovering from a night shift, she can be found swimming at her local lido or showing someone a photo of her cat Tommy.
Ilona Toller is an independent radio and podcast producer with a diverse portfolio of factual programs. She has produced several long-form narrative podcast series, some of which are currently being adapted for film. A specialist in biographical storytelling, Ilona excels at crafting compelling narratives that bring people's lives and experiences to the forefront. Her work is characterized by the seamless integration of both journalistic and creative practices, allowing her to produce innovative and entertaining content that never loses sight of the real people behind the story.
Jess Gunasekarais a Producer at Overcoat Media, specialising in narrative podcast development with commercial partners, while also creating compelling factual documentaries for the BBC and beyond. Jess’ debut podcast commission, June: Voice of a Silent Twin, reached No. 2 in the Apple True Crime charts, showcasing her passion for giving space to voices less heard.
Drawing on her 20-year media career spanning TV, animation and the arts, Jess pivoted into audio production following the pandemic. In addition to her work in documentaries and podcasts, she is also writing immersive audio adventures for children’s brand Tonies, drawing on her extensive experience in kids’ television.
Jessica Memon is the CEO and founder of Asian Community Radio (ACR), a rapidly growing station serving Milton Keynes' diverse community. With over 10 years in the media industry, she honed her skills through roles at local stations, Lyca Radio, and Panjab Radio. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jessica returned to Milton Keynes and founded ROQ Raw Radio, combining music and interviews. This led to the creation of ACR in May 2024, focusing on diversity, women’s empowerment, and mental health awareness. Dedicated to community engagement, Jessica aims to strengthen connections and provide a platform for underrepresented voices in mainstream media.
Katie Baxter is a versatile freelance producer and sound designer with a proven track record producing some of the UK's most popular content. She is known for producing top comedy entertainment podcast JaackMaate's Happy Hour, as well as Spotify's hit women's football podcast, Counter Pressed. She is also the producer and co host of UTOPIA Talks, hosted by BBC Radio 1's Jaguar, which dives into the mysterious world of dance music. In 2023, Katie produced a two part documentary with Jaguar sharing the experience of women, trans and non-binary people in UK dance music. Alongside her work in podcasting, Katie is also a producer at NTS Radio, contributing to a diverse array of music programming. She is also a resident DJ on Reprezent Radio.
Katie's work spans both creative production and live performance, making her a dynamic force in the music, radio and podcasting industries.
Kellie Redmond is a multi-award-winning Radio and Podcasts Exec Producer at one of the UK’s leading production agencies, Listen. Her experience spans music and entertainment radio plus speech-based podcasts and documentaries. She is also a trained Journalist.
Kellie has worked with a range of well-known names across a diverse range of projects for clients including The BBC (Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 1, 6 Music, Asian Network and BBC Sounds), ITV, BMW, Warner Music, Sky, The National Lottery and Bloomberg.
Her awards include being named ‘Best Music Entertainment Producer’ two-years-running at the Audio Production Awards, while her latest is a 2023 British Podcast Award for Best Interview Podcast.
Kelly Crichton is a documentary maker and award-winning podcast producer for publisher National World, working with titles like The Scotsman, The Yorkshire Post and others. Kelly has had a lifelong obsession with all things radio and moved into audio work full time a few years back from a varied career in PR and marketing. Kelly has worked across many genres to date taking on a variety of roles from producer to editor and host. Her efforts in launching and growing podcasts in her current role earned her the Publisher Podcast Award for 'Podcast Hero of the Year' in 2024. Kelly produced her first full length documentary, 'Tainted Blood' for Irish national radio station Newstalk in 2023 and has worked for BBC Radio Scotland and Irish broadcaster RTÉ in the past too.
Lucinda Rouse is a journalist at Haymarket Media Group, where she works on Third Sector magazine covering the charity and not-for-profit sector. She hosts and co-produces the weekly Third Sector Podcast and in 2024 wrote and presented the brand's first long-form audio documentary, The End of Charity. She previously spent five years working as a freelance multimedia journalist based in Liberia and Senegal.
Marianne Garvey is the Managing Editor at National Prison Radio. It’s her second time working with the Prison Radio Association, she previously worked with the charity as a Producer and Senior Producer during which time she won a range of awards for a number of programmes she made alongside people in prison.
Meic Parry is a sound engineer and audio producer who works regularly with BBC Wales, 6 Music, 5 Live, ITV, and a variety of independent production companies.
Previously a Sport Sound Supervisor at BBC Wales, Meic left in 2022 to pursue a more diverse range of projects. While continuing to work on football and rugby broadcasts, he has shifted his focus to narrative-form podcasts.
Meic is best known for producing and presenting the award-winning true crime podcast The Crossbow Killer. In 2025, he is developing several new narrative podcasts and co-writing a book based on the Crossbow Killer mystery.
Rebecca Grisedale-Sherry is an award-winning freelance audio and digital producer with over a decade of experience telling stories about music and culture at the BBC. She has produced live programmes for BBC 6 Music (Now Playing), BBC Radio 1 (The Surgery) and BBC Radio 4 (Woman’s Hour) and on-demand audio for BBC Radio 3 and Radio 3 Unwind (Soundwaves, Late Junction, Classical Fix), including a documentary in binaural sound (Between The Ears: The Lark Descending). Rebecca was a mentor for the first BBC Open Music scheme in 2022, helping under-represented voices into the industry, and is a member of the SoundWomen and SheSaidSo networks for women in audio and music. She’s an all-vinyl DJ with a spectacular record collection that runs from riot grrl to Ethio-jazz, and hosted The Other Womxn show on Soho Radio, amplifying women and non-binary creatives in alternative arts and culture.
Roland Moore is a writer and series creator working in audio, TV and film. Roland’s current audio work includes a consultancy as creative lead for a new drama app, advising and offering story advice on titles written for the UK market. He has also written many dramas for Big Finish Productions, including DOCTOR WHO, SURVIVORS, TIMESLIP and THE AVENGERS. For TV, Roland recently wrote the supernatural drama series FALLEN (Sky Atlantic, 2024) and previously created the award-winning returning period drama LAND GIRLS (BBC). He adapted the sci-fi drama HUMANS as a 30 part series, making it the first ever science fiction drama shown on Chinese TV.
Suzie Bowerman is an award-winning executive producer who provides a platform for marginalized and lesser-known voices to be heard. Crafting true stories in sound since the late 90s has seen her working with notable talent, Nick Bright (BBC Radio 1Xtra), CassKidd (BBC Radio 1/1Xtra), Gilles Peterson (BBC Radio 1), Sian Medford (Charles Parker Prize Gold / BBC Asian Network) and incredible people with stories to tell.
She is a Senior Lecturer in Radio and Sound Design at the University of West London, where she has won numerous awards for her facilitation of inclusive learning and innovative education practices with a unique ability in transitioning students from early career creatives to successful industry pioneers.
Since studying with Pauline Oliveros’ foundation and becoming a Practitioner in Deep Listening I, she has found a new commitment in her sound works. Her current work is dedicated to inclusive listening experiences, such that all humanity might have access to a world of sonic wonder, regardless of their capacity to hear.
Tom Whalley is a multi-award-winning sound designer and audio producer. Tom is best known for his work producing 6Music’s The Huey Show, a role he has maintained for 14 years and where he picked up the nickname T-Bone.