There are people in the industry who I have personally respected from afar. Quite often the possibility of them becoming colleagues has always seemed so unlikely because of their stature, existing role and experience, you simply don’t consider it. One of those people is BBC reporter Jamillah Knowles.
After contacting her on numerous occasions, quite often just to find out if she knew anyone who might be interested in joining us, she one day, not so long ago, said that she might be. Leaving a behemoth like the BBC for a ‘small’ organisation like ours is a bold move, but I hope you’ll agree, a wise one. After a few short meetings Jamillah signed on the dotted line. :)
See, Jamillah has been with the BBC for over ten years, a journalist for 17. During that time she’s managed and monitored the development of news in a social arena, staying closely atune to the impact technology has had on news reporting and delivery. In short, she ‘gets it’ in ways many seasoned journalists don’t.
She’s a veteran in her own right, previously reporting for BBC News, Radio 5Live and the BBC World Service on her show Outriders dedicated to exploring the frontiers of the web. (More on that shortly.)
It’s also worth noting, we pride ourselves on the global team we have in place at The Next Web. It adds to our character, mindset and knowledge, whilst ensuring wherever you, our readers, are, we have someone close by who can understand the news that’s important to you. Thanks to Jamillah’s work at the BBC, arguably one of world’s most global news organisations, and her voluntary work as a Global Voices Editor; she’s going to fit right in and shine.
Above all else, Jamillah is incredibly passionate about the web and technology. So much so that she’s currently pursuing a BSC in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in her private time. Ambitious lady.
Please give a warm welcome to Jamillah Knowles, The Next Web’s new UK Editor.
Succeeding previous UK Editor Paul Sawers, who moves on to become our Apps & Media Editor, Jamillah will dive into the UK’s technology and entrepreneurship space giving startups coverage that they deserve, profiling entrepreneurs, dissecting business models and delivering scoops & analysis on what’s hot. The UK technology space is flourishing and as our second biggest readership base, it needs someone with the drive, passion and connections to unravel and reveal what you, our readers, want to read about.
If you’re a UK startup, entrepreneur, investor or simply a technology enthusiast, drop Jamillah an email at jamillah@thenextweb.com, or follow her on Twitter.
Image Credit / Christian Payne
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