The Audio Academy awarded fellowships to Dr. Tony Phillips, Dino Sofos and Perminder Khatkar at its annual festival in London on Oct. 1. The fellowship is the highest honor the Audio Academy, the United Kingdom’s radio and audio industry charity known as the Radio Academy until February 2026, presents.
The honor recognizes outstanding achievements in audio and a commitment to sharing knowledge and experience across the sector. The three recipients were recognized for careers spanning public-service broadcasting, podcast production, independent audio and industry mentoring.
Phillips is a former commissioning editor at BBC World Service and arts commissioner at BBC Radio 4. He founded production company Sea Salt & Mango and previously served as vice president of content at WNYC Studios, the podcast and on-demand division of New York public-media organization WNYC.
Presenting his fellowship, former BBC Radio 4 Controller and BBC World Service Director Gwyneth Williams OBE described Phillips as “talented, hardworking and unfailingly kind.” She added, “Working with him is always fun. And as everyone knows in this business — if it’s fun, then you can hear it on air and it works.”
Sofos founded podcast production company Persephonica and co-founded Crossed Wires, an annual podcast festival in Sheffield, northern England. During 14 years at the BBC, he helped develop the current-affairs podcasts “Brexitcast,” “Americast” and the daily “Newscast.”
BBC presenter Laura Kuenssberg pointed to his role in changing the sound of political coverage, noting that Sofos wanted it “to sound more like people actually talking, rather than a performance.” She added that the three BBC shows attracted millions of downloads and credited him with helping to usher in a podcasting revolution.
Gaining access to industry
Khatkar is co-founder of independent audio company True Thought Productions and a former Audio Academy trustee and festival co-chair. Her work has included documentaries, podcasts and programs for radio and other audio platforms.
Presenting Khatkar’s fellowship, BBC presenter Bobby Friction highlighted her contribution beyond program production. “She’s worked tirelessly behind the scenes and helped hundreds of aspiring broadcasters gain access to our industry,” he said.
The Audio Academy Festival took place at the Royal College of Physicians in London’s Regent’s Park and centered on the theme of audiences. Its four stages featured radio, podcasting, audiobooks, music and sport, alongside immersive audio presentations in the Dolby Library.
Speakers included presenters Mishal Husain, Elizabeth Day and Greg James, as well as executives from the BBC, Bauer Media and Canada’s Stingray Radio. Attendees also received an advance listen to Audible’s full-cast adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” in Dolby Atmos, released globally in seven languages on the same day.
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