PMA welcomes new Board of Trustees
1 November 2021
The Public Media Alliance warmly welcomes its new Board of Trustees.
The Public Media Alliance (PMA) secretariat and members congratulate Paul Thompson on his re-election as President, and Dr. Frank-Dieter Freiling and Odette Campbell on their election as Vice Presidents of the PMA Board.
We also welcome the rest of our Board, with the new additions of Jonathan Barzilay (PBS), Claude Galipeau (CBC/Radio-Canada) and Liliane Landor (BBC). The PMA Board have played a central role in helping to steer the association through the challenges of a global pandemic and we look forward to working with them all to continue supporting and advocating for the values of public media worldwide. Our thanks to Heaton Dyer (CBC/Radio-Canada), Gerard Teuma (GBC), and Fran Unsworth (BBC) who have all stepped down, for their service.
On accepting his new term, Paul Thompson said: “I am delighted to be re-elected as the President of the PMA in what is a challenging and pivotal time for public media. The PMA’s role is to champion the value and importance of independent public media in keeping nations and communities connected and informed. I look forward to working with the PMA Board and staff on the challenges ahead.”
The PMA membership elects a new Board every two years. However, due to the challenges of COVID-19, the 2020 election was postponed until October 2021.
You can find out more about our Board of Trustees below.
Meet the Board
President
Paul Thompson
CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Radio New Zealand
Paul Thompson was appointed Chief Executive and Editor-in-Chief of New Zealand’s public service broadcaster, Radio New Zealand, in September 2013. He is an experienced journalist with an extensive background in print media and publishing. He was Editor-in-Chief of Fairfax Media (New Zealand) from 2007to 2013 with responsibility for all Fairfax journalism in New Zealand. Prior to this Paul had been Editor of The Press in Christchurch and has previously worked as a reporter, sub-editor and newsroom executive in several New Zealand and UK publications.
In September 2016 he was elected President of the international Public Media Alliance formerly known as the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association. He was re-elected to that position in 2018.
Vice President
Odette Campbell
Managing Director, Grenada Broadcasting Network
Odette Campbell is a long-term media manager and has worked closely with PMA for many years to uphold public media values worldwide.
Odette’s role as Managing Director builds on over 30 years’ experience in journalism and media production. Previous roles include News Director of GBN and Communications Specialist at Grenada’s National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA).
As a seasoned media trainer, Odette also works in an advisory capacity to conservation group Sustainable Grenadines Inc, and as an Adjunct Lecturer in Journalism and Communications Studies at Grenada’s T. A. Marryshow Community College.
Odette hosts a weekly current affairs programme, Beyond the Headlines which has featured discussions on a myriad of global issues including Gender and Politics, The Venezuelan Migrant Crisis – Caribbean Perspective, The American Elections Dilemma and Covid-19 – the Global Repercussions.
Odette has a Masters in International Journalism from Sussex University, a Diploma in Marketing from St. Georges University and Certificates in Business Law, Labour Law and Supervisory Management from The University of the West Indies.
Vice President
Dr Frank-Dieter Freiling
Senior Vice President International Affairs, ZDF
1989 – 1990 – Doctorate in International Law
1993 – Second State Exam in Law
1993 – 1995 – Assistant to CEO, Gruner + Jahr AG, Hamburg
1995/96 – Deputy General Manager of GALA and Member of the Management board, Norddeutsche Verlagsgesellschaft, Hamburg 1996/97 – General Manager/Publisher, GALA, Hamburg
1997 – 2000 – Head of International Program Coordination, ZDF German Television, Mainz
Since 2000 – Director of International Affairs, ZDF German Television
Board Member
Prof. Amin Alhassan
Director General, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation
Prof. Amin Alhassan is the Director-General of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). He previously taught at the University for Development Studies, Tamala, Ghana, and at York University, Toronto, where he was a tenured faculty member. He has PhD in Communication from Concordia University, Montreal, and is a development communication specialist.
Board Member
Gary Allen
CEO, RJRGLEANER Communications Group
Mr. Allen is the CEO of the RJRGLEANER Communications Group. He is a career journalist and Media Manager with experience in local, regional and international media. He has served RJR as a journalist and now in a management capacity for a combined 20 years. At the regional level he served the Caribbean Broadcasting Union, (CBU), the Caribbean News Agency, (CANA) and the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC). At CMC he served up to the level of Chief Operating Officer. He is a graduate of the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communications (CARIMAC), and the Mona School of Business (MSB) at the UWI. He is a past chairman of the Media Association Jamaica Limited and is also past chairman of the Jamaica Debates Commission. He is Vice President of the CBU. He serves as Chairman of Independent Radio Company and as a director on the subsidiary boards of TVJ, JNN and RETV.
Board Member
Jonathan Barzilay
Chief Operating Officer, PBS
Jonathan Barzilay is Chief Operating Officer of PBS, the nation’s largest non-commercial media organization. He is responsible for all operations and strategy across the company. A recognized leader in the media industry, Barzilay has over two decades of experience in senior roles at ABC, CBS, Qualcomm, and the Ford Foundation.
Barzilay joined PBS in 2015 from the Ford Foundation, where he served as Director, Freedom of Expression. He led the foundation’s global programs in Media, Journalism, and Arts and Culture, directing teams in the United States, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Previously, Barzilay served as Senior Vice President and Head of Content at Qualcomm’s mobile television service, FLO-TV, overseeing programming and production; advertising sales; and research and consumer insights.
Prior to that, Barzilay was Senior Vice President and General Manager, CBS Interactive Entertainment, leading all operations at CBS’s entertainment websites including CBS.com and StarTrek.com.
At The Walt Disney Company and ABC, Barzilay served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of ABC Kids and Toon Disney. Under his leadership, ABC Kids launched the award-winning, top-rated Disney’s One Saturday Morning programming block. As Toon Disney’s first General Manager, he built the network’s core team; launched new programming blocks; and developed a brand identity for the channel.
Barzilay began his career as an attorney, first in private practice and later as a member of ABC’s legal department. He is a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Law School.
Board Member
Cilla Benkö
CEO & Director General, Swedish Radio
Cilla Benkö was named as Director General of Swedish Radio on 1 October 2012, after having been deputy Director General since 2009. She has worked for Swedish Radio for more than 25 years, and over this time she has occupied a number of managerial positions. She began her career at Swedish Radio on Radiosporten, before moving to SR’s news service, Ekot, as an economics reporter. Cilla Benkö has been manager of SR’s Ekot and SVT’s Aktuellt.
Cilla Benkö is one of 11 members of the EBU’s Executive Board and a member of the EBU’s Personnel Committee. She is the chair of the Prix Europa and chair of the jury of the UNESCO / Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.
In 2015, Cilla Benkö was appointed as a member of the Advisory Board for the Media and Communications Department at the London School of Economics (LSE); she is also a member of the board of INSI (the International News Safety Institute).
In 2016 she was awarded the Pontus Schultz prize for her leadership.
In 2017 she was awarded the prestigious prize Leader of the Year 2017, at the Leader Gala in Stockholm, where Sweden’s best leaders at all levels and from all industries were named.
1986 she graduated in Journalism and Media at Stockholm University.
Board Member
Claude Galipeau
Executive Vice-President, Corporate Development, CBC/Radio-Canada
Claude Galipeau is CBC/Radio-Canada’s Executive Vice-President of Corporate Development, overseeing strategy, public affairs and regulatory affairs.
In this role, Claude helps us partner with other broadcasters and news organizations, as well as culture groups, creators and international players to ensure a place for Canadian culture here and around the world.
Prior to his appointment, Claude was Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) for Torstar Corporation, where he was responsible for advertising revenues and sales operations.
Previously, he held senior leadership positions with Yahoo, Syncapse, Rogers Media and Astral Media, to name a few. He also has previous experience with CBC/Radio-Canada, as the former Executive Director, Digital Programming and Business Development.
Claude is also a past Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors of the Ontario College of Art and Design University.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Bishop’s University (1981), a master’s in political science from Queen’s University (1985), and a doctorate in political science from the University of Toronto (1990), with post-doctoral studies at Nuffield College, University of Oxford (1990).
Claude lives in Toronto with his wife and daughter.
Board Member
Liliane Landor
Senior Controller, BBC News International Services
Liliane Landor was appointed the Senior Controller of BBC News International Services in May 2021. In this position, she is responsible for the corporation’s global news strategy. She is the Director of BBC World Service, and also oversees BBC Monitoring and BBC Media Action.
Prior to joining the BBC, Liliane was Head of Foreign News at Channel 4 News, where she won awards for the high-quality and high-impact journalism that the news outlet produced.
She also has critical experience working for the BBC World Service. She gained important journalism experience at the BBC’s French Service, before going on to manage, present, and edit key areas of the World Service, including Africa and the Middle East. Sh became Controller of Languages where she was editorially responsible for all non-English language services on radio, TV, and online.
Liliane also founded the BBC’s staff network, Global Women in News, which remains high-profile and active. Born in Lebanon of an Arab father and a Cuban mother and educated in France and Switzerland, Liliane speaks five languages.
Board Member
Dr David Sutton
Senior Strategist, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
David Sutton is a Senior Strategist in the Corporate Strategy team at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He has worked for the ABC since 2002 in a range of corporate policy and strategy roles. Prior to his current role, he was the Corporation’s Head of R+D. David has a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Sydney. Before joining the ABC, he worked in communications and media departments at several universities around Sydney and as the broadcasting adviser for the Australian Democrats.