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Consultancy has become quite an established career move for experienced journalists. After many years in a newsroom, you develop a knack for solving a certain problem that can help others needing clarity and expertise.
Who do you turn to? We asked our community for trusted recommendations — here’s a list of experienced consultants, grouped by their areas of expertise.
Fair disclaimer: this is not a definitive list and we welcome more suggestions to build this resource up.
Thomas Baekdal (Denmark) | Baekdal.com (current) | strategy, trends forecasting, monetisation
Sarah Day Owen Wiskirchen (US) | The Assembly (current), USA TODAY, Tiny News Collective | community journalism, newsletters, early-stage growth, programme management
Sofia Delgado (UK) | FT Strategies, Metro, Newsquest | vision execution, audience strategy, content strategy, project management, change management
Laura Hertzfeld (US) | WBUR, Yahoo, Online News Association | innovative storytelling, AR, VR, collaborative projects
Blair Hickman (US) | Vox, The Marshall Project, ProPublica, Solutions Journalism Network, PBS | narrative, content and product strategy for content creators
Laura Oliver (UK) | Reuters Institute, openDemocracy, Conde Nast, Guardian, JournalismUK | content planning, online community building, offline distribution
Tim Robinson (UK) | Iconic Media (formerly National World)| change management, strategic planning, print management
Meenal Thakur (The Netherlands) | Transitions Media (current), Dart Centre, European Journalism Centre | solutions journalism, depolarising media, civic engagement
Adam Tinworth (UK) | City, University of London (current) | audience strategy, social media strategy, digital content strategy
Duncan Williamson | (UK) BBC News, BBC Studios | 24/7 news, investigations, broadcast journalism
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Kavita Chandran (Singapore) | Thomson Reuters Foundation (current), Yoga Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg | solutions journalism, climate reporting
Tamara Cherry (Canada) | CP24, CTV News Channel, CTV National, Toronto Sun | trauma-informed journalism, engaging with trauma survivors
Anita Li (Canada) | The Green Line (current), CUNY | community-driven journalism, news products, media entrepreneurialism
David Lush (UK) | International Media Support, Insight Namibia Magazine | media development in conflict, crisis and political transition
Anita Makri (UK) | SciDev.net, Association of British Science Writers, Guardian and National Geographic (freelance) | environmental, health and human rights reporting
David Mascord (UK) | Bournemouth University, Southampton Solent University, Reed Business Information | media law, business journalism, editorial training
Deirdre Mulcahy (UK) | BBC, BBC Academy | mobile journalism, mobile storytelling, remote interviewing
Sameer Padania (UK) | Public Interest News Foundation, International Media Support, Journalism Funders Forum, Media4democracy | independent and public interest journalism, philanthropy and government support
Mili Semlani (India) | Door Desi (current), Splice Media, Syli | community media, outreach projects, start-ups and individual creators, remote leadership
Dhruti Shah (UK) | BBC News | digital storytelling, online verification and forensic investigation, trauma-informed journalism, crisis reporting, due diligence
Hannah Storm (UK) | Headlines Network, Ethical Journalism Network, International News Safety Institute, Thomson Reuters | press freedom and conflict reporting, physical safety and mental health, empathetic leadership, crisis management
Rieneke Van Santen (The Netherlands) | Dendenzo Media Support (current), DW Akademie | film and documentaries, exiled media, press freedom
Richard Addy (UK) | AKAS (current), Mind, BBC | audience and business impact, data and strategic insights
Rachael Akidi Okwir (UK) | BBC News, CUNY | African media, training and capacity building, digital transformation and culture change
Sanne Breimer (The Netherlands) | Inclusive Media (current), Sembra Media, Thomson Reuters Foundation | creative blocks, career transitions, burnout recovery
Jeremy Clifford (UK) | Archant | career development, newsroom leadership, digital transformation, change management, business development
Nick Garnett (UK) | BBC News | impact, ethical storytelling, legal frameworks
Susan Grossman (UK) | Westminster University, BBC, Redwood Publishing | career development, staff development, editorial training, life coaching
Lucy Kueng (Switzerland) | NZZ Media Group (current), Mediahuis (current), Reuters Institute, Bonn Institute (current), | digital transformation and disruption, culture change, tactical prioritisation, innovation projects, board governance
Mattia Peretti (UK) | News Alchemists (current), Daily Maverick, Internews, JournalismAI/Polis, European Journalism Centre | engagement and impact, change management, learning experience design, complex project management
Isabelle Roughol (UK) | Democracy for Sale (current), The New Humanitarian, LinkedIn News | independent media, newsroom culture, media innovation, recruitment and retention
Ramaa Sharma (UK) | Reuters Institute, BBC News | digital transformation, executive coaching, interdisciplinary projects, AI
Iracema Sodre (UK) | BBC News | workforce restructuring, workflow design, operarational transformation
David Thomas (UK) | BBC News | self-employment, managing redundancy, organisation and time management
Tom Trewinnard (UK) | Fathm (current), Syli (current), Meedan | brand consulting, management, leadership development
Anita Zielina (Austria) | Better Leaders Lab (current), Mediahuis (current), FUNKE (current), CUNY, News Product Alliance | organisational development, newsroom leadership and culture, AI and product strategy, board governance
Suyin Haynes (UK) | City University (current), gal-dem, Time Magazine | social impact, campaigns, reporting on identity and underrepresented communities
Jon Holmes (UK) | Q.Digital (current), Sky Sports News, Sports Media LGBT+ (current) | LGBT+ inclusion and advocacy, sports journalism
Luba Kassova (UK) | AKAS (current), Cancer Research UK, BBC News | diversity equity and inclusion, audience strategy, research and writing
Shirish Kulkarni (UK) Media Cymru, Monow Media (current) | representation and inclusion, community impact, audience strategy and media innovation
Eleanor Mills (UK) | Noon (current), Women In Journalism, The Times and The Sunday Times | ageism and gender bias training, storytelling, brand strategy, mid-life careers
Nick Ransom (UK) | BBC Studios, IWC Media | neurodiversity inclusion and advocacy, documentary production
Kim Bode (US) | Automaticc (current), Media Development Investment Fund (current), NZZ, Membership Puzzle Project | product thinking, audience development, conversion and retention
Khalil A. Cassimally (Mauritius) | Fathm (current), The Conversation, News Product Alliance | user needs, project management, change management
Astrid Csuraji (Germany) | tactile.news (current) | audience strategy, user-centered product development, sprint accelerators
Abigail Edge (UK) | City University (current), FT Strategies, Fathm, Google News Lab, BBC News, JournalismUK | audience development, new storytelling formats, data-led publishing strategies
Catherine Edwards (UK) |BBC News (current), JournalismUK, The Local Europe, European Journalism Centre | experimentation and strategy, solutions journalism, audience engagement and retention
Lars Jensen (Denmark) | Berlingske Media (current), Turisme.nu, Willmore | user needs, audience development, audience research projects
Emma Löfgren (Sweden) | The Local Europe, The Fix Media | Solutions journalism, audience-building, membership models, limited resource management
Stuart Rowson (UK) | BBC, BBC Children's, BBC Sport | media engagement with kids and young children, brand awareness, on-demand and live-stream video
Ed Walker (UK) | Blog Preston (current), Reach plc | digital transformation, hyperlocal news websites, audience development
Ariel Zirulnick (US) | Southern California Public Radio, Membership Puzzle Project, News Product Alliance, LION Publishers | community journalism, audience insights, product strategies, sustainability
Stéphanie Barsch (Germany) | Meta, BILD, Axel Springer | paywall implementation, cross-functional team creation, digital transformation, editorial strategy
Lucas Batt (UK) | Greater Community Media (current), The Bristol Cable, Arena for Journalism in Europe | independent media business models, community building and engagement, memberships and audience research
Michael Brunt (UK) | The Times and The Sunday Times, The Economist | customer journeys, product monetisation, news subscriptions
Alan Hunter (UK) | The Times & The Sunday Times | subscription growth, marketing strategy, audience development, data and analytics, digital storytelling, management and leadership
Astrid Jørgensen (Denmark) | Politiken, Monitormedier, Bonnier, Ekstra Bladet | subscription growth, recurring revenue in challenged markets, loyalty programmes
Lisa MacLeod (UK) | FT Strategies (current), Tiso Blackstar, WAN-IFRA | editorial product management, reader revenue products and paywalls, digital publishing, content monetisation, subscription funnels
Eliz Mizon (UK) | The Bristol Cable, Charitable Journalism Project | public campaigns, crowdfunding, subscription growth, local and independent news
Liz Kelly Nelson (US) | Vox, Gannett, The Desert Sun | Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences, independent content creators, diversified revenue streams
Dan Oshinsky (US) | The New Yorker, BuzzFeed | newsletters, subscription funnels and conversions
Corinne Podger (Australia) | BBC Media Action, Thomson Reuters Foundation, WAN-IFRA | aligning editorial and business strategies, engaging audiences, monetising solutions journalism
Alan Soon (Singapore) | Splice Media (current), Yahoo, CNBC | startup growth, monetisation, user needs
Martin Ashplant (UK) | PA Media (current), Future, FT Strategies | new product launches, customer-centric thinking
Fergus Bell (UK) | Fathm (current), Syli, EBU, ONA | organisational strategy, emergent tech adoption, misinformation
Glyn Mottershead (UK) | The Guardian, Southern Daily Echo, Cardiff University | data utilisation, data journalism, AI strategy
David Caswell (UK) | Storyflow (current), BBC News Labs | generative AI, computational and automated journalism, newsroom workflows
Madhav Chinnappa (UK) | Mediahuis (current), Google, BBC | future strategy, generative AI, commercial revenue, digital innovation, sustainability
Donnacha DeLong (UK) | NUJ, Amnesty International | website building and development
Christophe Israël (Switzerland) | Fathm, Bridged Media | AI integration and workflows, digital transformation, tech roles and tools
Branislava Lovre (Serbia) | AImpactful, ICFJ | AI integration, AI ethics, AI workflows
Fabienne Meijer (The Netherlands) | product thinking, media innovation tools and techniques, human centred design
Jessica Scholz (Australia) | Ringer Media | SEO, digital strategy, start-up marketing
Laurens Vreekamp (The Netherlands) | Fathm (current), Google, KRO | AI, design thinking
Leonie von Elverfeldt (Kenya) | Fathm (current), Pulse, BILD | AI adoption, design thinking, user experience
Andrew Webb (UK) | Connectopia (current), inews.co.uk, DMG Media, Immediate Media | Tech and innovation discovery, project planning, newsroom tech stacks
This article was first published on 26 November 2024 by Jacob Granger and was updated on 10 July 2026 by Anina Provati, removing those who have moved out of newsroom consultancy and making new additions
