Radio Academy appoints Sam Bailey as Managing Director

The Radio Academy has appointed Sam Bailey as its new Managing Director, effective immediately.

Sam, who is a former Trustee of the Academy, and was Chair of the ARIAS in 2020, will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the charity, and the continued development of its programming, membership schemes and events.

He will report to The Radio Academy Chair, Helen Thomas, and work closely with Deputy Chair Nick Pitts and the board of Trustees.

Sam was previously a Commissioning Executive at BBC Radio 1, the last in a number of roles he held over a 14-year career at the BBC. For the last two years, Sam has been the Managing Director of the Audio Content Fund, a role he will continue alongside his Radio Academy responsibilities.

The Radio Academy has not had a permanent MD since Sean Childerley left in August 2019 after just nine months in the role.

At the time, the Academy said Deputy Chair John Dash will act in a ‘voluntary capacity as Chief Executive for a minimum of six months’.

Announcing the appointment, Helen said: “Sam’s passion for all things Radio and Audio is clear and he has an established track record delivering complex, high profile projects and events effectively and efficiently. The Radio Academy is uniquely placed at the centre of our industry and I’m looking to forward to working closely with Sam, Nick and the Trustees to ensure we maximise our position and deliver ever more impact and value for our Members.”

Commenting on his new role, Sam told RadioToday: “I’m really excited to be taking over this role at such a crucial time for The Academy, and to be joining an energetic leadership team with Helen and Nick. My focus for the year ahead is to massively increase the value of being a Radio Academy Member for everybody in the industry, with new event programming, new training and development programmes, and the hope of finally bringing people together again in one place before the year is out. The Radio Academy is an organisation that means so much to me, and I’m determined to make it the best it can possibly be.”