New College Society Media Network Event, Thursday 20 March 2025
The New College Media Network, headed up by New College Old Member, Charlotte Mikkelborg (née Windle) will hold its first event of 2025 - a fireside chat with Old Member Dame Melanie Dawes, DCB, Chief Executive of Ofcom, kindly hosted by Old Member, Tim Malbon (1989) at the offices of Made by Many, Diespeker Wharf, Islington N1, on Thursday 20th March 2025. Drinks and nibbles from 6.30pm followed by the discussion at 7.00pm.
The conversation will delve into the current state of broadcasting in the UK, the sustainability of our public service broadcasters and what the future might hold. We’ll also be hitting upon the new Online Safety Act that Dawes and Ofcom are in charge of policing. Will the act go far enough to protect people from illegal hate speech online and specifically protection of the under 18s.
Tickets are available, for New College Old Members, from the University of Oxford Online Store payment link, at a cost of £15 per person to cover drinks and nibbles. We expect high demand for this event so please book early! The deadline to sign up for this event is Tuesday 18 March. Once capacity is reached, we’ll start a waiting list.
We very much look forward to seeing you in March at what promises to be a fantastic event!
Charlotte Mikkelborg (née Windle)
Chair of the New College Society Media Network Committee
About the speaker:
Dame Melanie Dawes joined Ofcom as an Executive Board Member and Chief Executive on 2 March 2020.
Prior to joining Ofcom, Melanie was Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2015-2020). She has held senior roles across the Civil Service, working in partnership across the public and private sectors. She became the overall Champion for Diversity and Inclusion in the Civil Service in 2019.
She started her career as an economist and spent 15 years at the Treasury, including as Europe Director. She was Director General of the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat at the Cabinet Office between 2011 and 2015, and prior to that she served on the Board of HMRC as Head of Business Tax. She was Director General for Business Tax from November 2007, which involved responsibility for all the business taxes and duties as well as leadership of the department’s relationships with big business. From 2009, she also led the development of HMRC’s overall strategy as a department.
She has held non-executive roles including with the consumer body Which? and has also been a trustee of the Patchwork Foundation, which promotes the participation of under-represented young people in democracy.
which promotes the participation of under-represented young people in democracy
