Channel 4 has appointed Marcia Williams as it first Director of Inclusion. Reporting to Alex Mahon, Chief Executive, Marcia will join Channel 4 in August 2022 and will also be a member of the Executive Management Board.

“Channel 4 believes that everyone, regardless of their background, ethnicity, sexuality or ability should be respected for their point of view and values, recognised for their unique skills and capabilities and both enabled and supported to be their genuine selves,” commented Alex Mahon. “This newly created role not only recognises Channel 4’s successful history of pioneering change in diversity and inclusion that has inspired change in the creative industries and beyond, but also the ongoing imperative to ensure that inclusion and diversity is truly embedded in everything that we do.”

As Director of Inclusion, Marcia will have responsibility for the strategic direction of inclusion and diversity at Channel 4. To ensure greater alignment internally and externally, both on and off screen, the employee-focused 4Inclusion team will report into Marcia, and she will share dual reporting responsibility for the Creative Diversity team with Emma Hardy, Director of Commissioning Operations. This will enable the creation of a cohesive and complementary strategy that will ensure that Channel 4 continues to foster an inclusive workplace culture and remains at the forefront of inclusion and diversity in the UK, authentically portraying the UK’s broad spectrum of voices, backgrounds and experiences on-air and working with the independent production sector to further improve representation and portrayal.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Channel 4’s Executive Leadership Team in this newly created role. Channel 4 has pioneered in this field with its distinctive remit,” added Marcia. “This new role is an affirmation that Channel 4 is laser-focused on pushing forward to find new, and powerful ways to approach issues of equity and inclusivity across its talent and business practices to create and sustain true impact.”

With a career in inclusion and diversity spanning almost thirty years, Marcia is currently Director, Diversity, Inclusion & Talent for TfL. Previously, she has held a senior inclusion and diversity roles in the private and public sectors, with organisations including Tideway, UK Film Council, HM Treasury and The Law Society of England and Wales.

“Channel 4’s unique remit is a great privilege and enables us to be bold and innovative when it comes to championing inclusion and diversity not only for our audience, but for our staff as well as all the young people that we help to train to start their careers in the industry,” concluded Mahon. “Marcia’s extensive and successful career, underpinned by her subject-matter expertise and her own lived experience will ensure that Channel 4 continues to celebrate difference and inspire even greater change and acceptance.”