The Radio Academy has announced the mentees and mentors for the 2025 Radio Academy Mentoring Programme (RAMP).
Twenty mentees from across the audio industry will receive six months of mentoring from industry leaders, peer support and leadership training. Adele Cross, chair of judges and producer of BBC Radio 1Xtra Breakfast with Nadia Jae, led the selection process.
Now in its fourth year, RAMP is supported by Broadcast Bionics and BBC Sounds. Open to professionals with at least five years of experience in any area of radio and audio, it is the only mentoring program of its kind in the U.K., attracting applicants from all disciplines.
RAMP is designed to help mid-career professionals develop confidence and advance their careers. By providing access to industry leaders, expertise and peer support, the program aims to break down barriers to career progression and improve equity across the industry.
Each mentee will benefit from confidential one-on-one mentoring sessions, peer development and leadership training through seminars and workshops led by RAMP Lead Fran Plowright. Plowright, founder of Meet a Mentor, has worked with industry leaders to develop mentoring programs, masterclasses and career-focused workshops.
2025 Radio Academy Mentoring Programme mentees
The 2025 RAMP mentees come from various fields, including production, presenting, journalism, management and digital. They are the following:
- Bea Duncan, senior producer, Intelligence Squared
- Ben Carpenter, managing director, Rakkit Productions
- Bethan Davies, broadcast journalist, freelance
- Cassandra Maria, program manager, Premier Christian Communications
- Debbie Kilbride, audio producer, freelance
- Dhruti Shah, producer, freelance
- Hazel Morgan-Chu, journalist, BBC Radio 4
- Ilona Toller, producer, freelance
- James Shield, audio producer, freelance
- Jessica Gunasekara, development producer, Overcoat Media
- Jessica Memon, COE, Asian Community Radio DAB
- Katie Baxter, producer and sound designer, freelance
- 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, digital producer, BBC Audio
- Roland Moore, writer, Big Finish
- Sue Bowerman, senior lecturer in radio, University of West London
- Tom Whalley, founder/CEO, TBone Productions
You can find out more about the mentees here.
Aradhna Tayal Leach, managing director of The Radio Academy, said, “I firmly believe in lifelong learning and that everyone can benefit from mentoring and development support, whatever stage in their career. RAMP looks to nurture and bolster people at a critical point in their professional audio journey when they are searching for their next steps and might feel stuck on how to advance to the next level. Many previous mentees have gone on to achieve lifelong ambitions or to change paths completely, with the confidence and support they gain from the program and fellow RAMPers. I look forward to seeing the 2025 cohort embark on the next stage of their journey.”
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