New disability role and Head of Inclusion for Channel 4

Channel 4 has appointed a new Head of Inclusion and created a brand new disability role at the network.

The channel’s new Head of Inclusion has been named as Jane English, who will be starting the role in the autumn and will be working closely with the Head of Creative Diversity and the broadcaster’s People Team to champion inclusion and diversity across Channel 4.

The role will include fostering an inclusive culture at Channel 4 in all walks of business through collaborating with advocates inside and outside of the broadcaster and will be a lead in creating inclusive programming and best practise for staff. Jane previously worked with 4Creative and Marketing, where she was part of the team creating the Super.Human campaign to celebrate the 2020 Paralympics; 100 years, which marked the centenary of women’s suffrage and was part of the team behind Grayson Perry’s series exploring gender identity.

Jane has also previously been Co-Chair of the 4Women network, part of Channel 4’s Employee Resource Group and was the creator of the broadcaster’s menopause policy, the first of its kind in the media industry, as well as pioneering Channel 4’s pregnancy loss policy and campaigning for a get home safe taxi service for staff.

As well as Jane, the other latest recruit is Giles Barker, who has been appointed as Workplace Disability Lead, a new role created by Channel 4. The pair will work closely together to ensure that Channel 4 is one of the best places for disabled talent to work in the UK. Giles will take up his role in April.

Channel 4 has long prided itself for its disability representation and these new roles will help further create a welcoming environment and enable the broadcaster to continue to change perceptions of disability in the entertainment industry.

Speaking of her new role, Jane told reporters: “At Channel 4, inclusion means creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong, whilst redefining what it means to be inclusive, breaking new ground, shattering taboos and giving a platform to unheard voices. I can’t imagine a more important brief and I can’t wait to get started.”

Her sentiment is echoed by Giles, who said: “I am thrilled to join such an iconic organisation whose reputation has been driven forward by a constant focus on inclusion and innovation.”