The Grierson Trust has announced Tom McDonald as its new Chair. McDonald, Executive Vice President, National Geographic Content will take up his role in November, when Lorraine Heggessey steps down from her role after 11 years leading the organisation.
As Chair of the Board of Trustees, McDonald will work closely with the Board and Managing Director to guide the Trust’s strategic direction, champion fundraising efforts and strengthen industry engagement.
Alongside steering the British Documentary Awards – also known as the Griersons – now in their 53rd year, McDonald will work alongside MD, Sylvia Bednarz to oversee the industry-led Grierson DocLab training programmes run in partnership and collaboration with broadcasters, streamers and more than 20 independent television production companies.
Tom McDonald said: “It is a huge honour to be named Chair of the Grierson Trust. At a time of enormous disruption & uncertainty in the world of documentary, the Trust’s mission is more important than ever. I’ve long admired the Trust’s high impact work to nurture new voices in documentary filmmaking and to amplify the very best of global documentary filmmaking, and I can’t wait to work with Sylvia and the board to build on the trust’s incredible work during Lorraine’s tenure.
Sylvia Bednarz, Managing Director, the Grierson Trust added: “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Tom McDonald as the new Chair of the Grierson Trust. Tom has always been a fierce advocate for documentaries and a passionate supporter of global filmmaking community. As a former Grierson Trustee and a long-standing champion of our mission, he understands the heart of what we do. The board and team alike feel Tom is perfectly placed to lead us into an exciting new chapter for the Grierson Trust. We would also like to thank Lorraine for her exceptional leadership over the last 11 years, culminating at this year’s Grierson Awards ceremony.”
Tom McDonald is Executive Vice President, National Geographic Content, overseeing television, streaming, editorial, digital and social across all platforms, including Disney+ and Hulu. He leads global content teams in Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles and London. Since joining in 2023, he has helped drive a bold content strategy that has received recognition from the Emmys®, Critics Choice, BAFTA, RTS, Peabody and the James Beard Foundation.
Before Nat Geo, McDonald spent a decade at the BBC in senior commissioning and production roles, including as Head of Specialist Factual for BBC Commissioning and as MD of Factual for BBC Studios. He also has deep experience in the independent sector, having worked as a producer, series producer and executive producer for some of the UK’s leading indies, including Wall to Wall and The Garden.
Pippa Considine
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