OUR TEAM
Meet the trainers
Working journalists and media professionals who lead our training.
Meet the people who teach our courses
Our expert trainers are practitioners with a wide range of experience who are ready to help you take your career to the next level.
As the best in the journalism, content and communication industries, they bring first-hand experience combined with excellent training skills. Press Association Academy's trainers are well-connected and reflect the diversity of thought and practice in our industries, ranging from professionals with decades of experience to practitioners earlier in the careers, at the cutting edge of best practice.
We hold ourselves to high standards and will help you reach those too.
What our students say
I honestly thought that the whole day was fabulous!!! You really couldn’t have done anymore for us. The combination of practical exercises and feedback was particularly useful, it was a challenging day (in a very good way) in that we really had to think, learn and adapt quickly. I know the team are significantly better prepared for media interviews after this training.
The training scenarios are as real to life as you could possibly get. They took considerable time to research our current plans and issues and used these to design a series of true to life radio and TV interviews. The team is outstanding, and their expertise and knowledge has been invaluable. Book them – you’ll be glad you did.
What a great session we had on Communicating with Impact. Bridgid shared practical techniques to enhance and develop our communications skills so we can present and speak publicly or to senior stakeholders with confidence and impact. I speak for my whole team in highly recommending Bridgid Nzekwu if you are after effective and fun communication training.
The lifelike interview settings and tasks that PA Media Training deal in replicate perfectly the real-world feel of a tough media interview and help the delegates come out of the day feeling much more confident that they can play an active role in representing their organisation.
PA Media Training were efficient, well organised and genuinely lovely people to deal with and, importantly for us, able to provide flexibility around our needs to create the bespoke training we required. I wouldn’t hesitate to use them for further training or to recommend them to other organisations.
The team is flexible, slick, well-resourced and overall simply first class. Their expertise and knowledge have been invaluable. I was delighted with our choice, so I’d have no hesitation in recommending them
The small class sizes nurture a comfortable environment where everyone supports and learns from each other. The staff helped me hone in on my writing skills and develop the confidence to feel comfortable on camera.
I made amazing friends, amazing memories and now it has led me to an amazing job which I never would have gotten without my time at Press Association.
The methods and techniques you learn (and apply) on a daily basis through teaching, coursework and eventually exams crop up again and again in both job applications and jobs themselves – the course content is directly relevant to the realities of the industry.
The staff truly go above and beyond, providing detailed feedback, a wealth of knowledge and many career opportunities. I’d recommend the course to any budding journalist. You’ll have fun, too!
My time at PA Training was a whirlwind of fun and excitement. The full-time NCTJ course in London is fast-paced and hard work but perfectly sets you up for what to expect in a reporter role.
The teaching I received was second to none and despite having no experience whatsoever in journalism, the tutors made sure there was a friendly environment where I felt welcome to ask any questions I needed. I was able to finish the course and go into a job working for The Sun.
I was able to count on excellent teachers and professionals who helped me push my limits and achieve my goals. I was impressed by the quality of the course and the motivation teachers put into it. It was a great experience and I would definitely do it again!
Being equipped with an NCTJ Diploma does massive favours for your future, and the skills the course taught me are ones I lean on every single day. The simple fact is, I wouldn’t be where I am without that course.
Not only did I develop the necessary toolkit to become a journalist, but I also did so in an environment that fosters a real sense of community and personal career support.
I learned to write concise articles and features, while developing my skills in social media, interviewing sources, and producing stories for an increasingly online audience. The course has allowed me to start a full-time journalism career.
It’s a great place to make connections – networking with teachers, guest speakers and fellow students can be key to gaining advice or even job opportunities during and after the course.
I really could not recommend Press Association enough to anyone who is looking to jump into the fascinating world of journalism. The course equips you with all the necessary skills you need to enter the industry and the wide range of topics covered leaves it hard for you to ever feel bored.
Our trainers
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Photo: Press Association Academy
Bridgid Nzekwu
Managing Director
Bridgid leads PA's training company, Press Association Academy, which provides market-leading courses in journalism, media and crisis training, PR, communications and digital content. She's a former broadcast journalist and was PA's Director of Media Training prior to becoming MD. In 2018, she was named 'Outstanding Woman in Professional Services' at the Precious Awards, recognising more than a decade of excellence working with clients across the public and private sectors. With a career in national TV news spanning more than 25 years, she has been a producer, political reporter, specialist financial correspondent and anchor. She was a Finalist at the Business Journalist of the Year Awards in 2009, in her role as a financial reporter for Channel 4 News. She was a reporter and anchor for Channel 4 News for 10 years and has also presented news for the BBC, ITV and Channel 5.
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Pauline Haase
Head of Media Training
A highly skilled and experienced media trainer working with CEOs and senior leaders in all industries, Pauline has more than 20 years' experience in broadcast journalism including at BBC Breakfast, ITV News, This Morning, and Lorraine. She is an award-winning TV Series Producer/Editor.
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Roz McKenzie
Head of Apprenticeship Training
Roz began her career as a court and crime reporter, then features editor at National News Press Agency (now South West News) before working as a senior features journalist at News of The World. Since then, Roz has worked as a lecturer specialising in media law, ethics and investigations, while also freelancing for national newsrooms. Roz is a judge for the Press Gazette's British Journalism Awards and sits on the NCTJ's Journalism Qualifications Board.
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Sean Howe
Head of Journalism Training
Sean Howe is an experienced journalist and editor with specialist knowledge of subjects including policing, crime, defence and security. He launched his first magazine at university before starting his career formally in local papers. He went on to edit national B2B titles before being promoted to take up editorial leadership roles. Sean spearheaded the editorial, analytical and forecasting operations for Janes, a specialist defence, aerospace and security publisher.
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Alison Kershaw
Journalism Training Manager
Alison has extensive experience in news journalism, most recently as a PA news editor. She started out in local newspapers and joined the PA news agency as a general reporter. She then worked as a royal reporter before serving as PA's education correspondent for over 10 years. Prior to joining the news desk, she worked as a High Court reporter, covering major cases including the Johnny Depp libel trial and The Duchess of Sussex' privacy claim.
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Liz Isemann
Media Training & Operations Manager
Liz Isemann is PA's Media Training Manager responsible for ensuring the smooth running of media training courses, planning all necessary logistics and client requirements. Liz's logistics skills stem from working as a project manager for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, and her client liaison experience is essential to her role in account management for new and existing clients to PA.
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Rosie Bartlett
Digital Journalism Trainer
Rosie Bartlett is a podcast training professional who has produced and recorded podcast series for the BBC, RIBA and various international clients. Rosie produced a series on making podcasts called podcastology for the BBC and leads on podcast training for the BBC. More recently, she is working on a series of news podcasts for Protv in Moldova, helping the team convert a successful TV show to podcast output for YouTube. Rosie has over 20 years of digital journalism experience, working with the BBC World Service digital teams and Radio 4 broadcast. She also managed international journalism training for the BBC.
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Ian Collier
Trainer and apprentice cohort leader
Ian started his career in local newspapers, at the Worcester Evening News and Nottingham Evening Post. He spent 15 years as staff for Sky News Online, working as a producer, chief sub-editor and assistant editor in charge of digital output overnight. He's covered major news stories including 9/11, the London 7/7 attacks, UK and US elections, Brexit, the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine. He still works for Sky News as a freelancer, producing content and sub-editing.
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Tamasin Ford
Trainer and apprentice cohort leader
Tamasin has been working as a journalist for more than 20 years, reporting, presenting, and film-making from across Europe and Africa. She began her career in commercial radio in London before moving to the BBC, where she reported and presented on all domestic BBC outlets for both television and radio. In 2010 she moved to Liberia to train journalists with the charity Journalists for Human Rights and then freelanced across Africa for the Guardian, NPR, DW, France 24, RFI and the BBC. She became the BBC stringer in Ivory Coast and a regular presenter on the BBC World Service. Tamasin is now based in London where she works for the BBC's documentary unit, Africa Eye.
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Howard Smith
Trainer and apprentice cohort leader
Howard has more than 20 years' experience working as a senior executive on national newspapers and in communications, including as assistant editor of a daily national newspaper and head of external relations in the UK for a global company. He has a comprehensive understanding of communications, building and motivating large teams and creating major campaigns. He has coached senior leaders on effective communication as well as modernised and improved communications to help build reputation and media profile.
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Claire Spreadbury
Trainer
Claire Spreadbury is Head of Features at Press Association. She has over 20 years' experience as a journalist and editor, is an 'all-round' expert, though writes most frequently across travel, wellbeing, beauty and parenting. She has pitched for features, projects and redesigns and has overseen a huge number of successful projects, both online and in print, for a range of customers, including Reach, the Evening Standard, JPI Media and Time Inc.
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Owen Williams
Trainer
Owen specialises in video training based around his many years of experience with national broadcasters such as the BBC and Sky Sports. Originally a trained NCTJ news journalist, Owen moved to BBC Sport and then BBC News as a researcher/producer. He became Editor of TV Sports news where he managed output teams that provided content into the BBC's news platforms and channels. Owen moved to Sky Sports as Head of Digital Content before becoming freelance.
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Robin Bailey
Trainer
Robin's work PA Training has taken him back to his roots as a newspaper reporter, sub-editor and Sports Editor in Norfolk. Having worked in London since 1990, Robin spent 11 years on the staff at the BBC as a producer and broadcaster on national radio and TV, notably with Radio 4's Today programme, Radio 5 Live breakfast shows, BBC News and World Service TV, and a spell at ITV Sport.
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Jon Bernstein
Associate Trainer
Jon Bernstein has been running training courses for over a decade and comes with 25+ years' experience as a journalist. He was Deputy Editor, then Digital Director, at the New Statesman; Digital Editor for Channel 4 News; launched and ran the Channel 4 FactCheck website during the 2005 UK general election; and was Editor-in-Chief of Directgov, working in the Cabinet Office's eGovernment Unit. He was named Website Editor of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors for Newstatesman.com. He spent his first ten years as a journalist working as a reporter and editor covering technology for a number of trade titles including PC Week and silicon.com.
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Celine Bijleveld
Trainer
Celine is a digital editor and producer with 25 years' experience in journalism, specialising in loyalty and engagement strategies and products. She spent more than 15 years at the Guardian, and has encountered countless versions of newsgathering and publishing techniques as technology has developed: from the birth of social media to today's interactive storytelling.
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Kate Charles
Trainer
Kate is an NCTJ-approved Shorthand Tutor with more than 30 years' teaching experience. She has taught at the BBC, The Telegraph, and other national publications and enjoys helping trainees to reach their full potential.
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Sophie Gallagher
Associate Trainer
Sophie is Deputy Features and Lifestyle Editor at the i. She has previously worked at The Independent and HuffPost UK, and written for the BBC, Sunday Times, Guardian, Financial Times, and others.
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Rachel Hicks
Specialist media trainer
With 20 years reporting for BBC TV News up and down Britain, Rachel presented the award winning daily current affairs show for BBC West. Rachel is a highly-experienced media trainer, coach and crisis communications expert. She is an Expert crisis communications coach and crisis communications planner, and a graduate of the government's Emergency Planning College.
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Andrew Knight
Trainer
A former Scottish Young Journalist of the Year, Andrew worked as a features editor in Aberdeen before moving to BBC Scotland, and was assistant editor of the Bath Chronicle before becoming training manager for Media Wales newspapers in Cardiff. He has been involved in journalism training as a freelance tutor and lecturer for more than 20 years with a variety of newspaper groups, universities and colleges. He sits on the NCTJ's law board.
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Rachel McGrath
Associate Trainer
Rachel McGrath is a freelance journalist and editor who has held roles at outlets including HuffPost UK, the Evening Standard and OK!, where she oversaw online strategy and editorial planning. Her work – from agenda-setting exclusives to in-depth features and interviews – has appeared in publications such as The Independent, Metro and Sky News.
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Mark McQuillan
Specialist Media Trainer
Mark trains organisations and individuals on how to engage effectively with the media. He continues to work as a journalist, regularly interviewing frontline politicians, business leaders and sports stars.
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Tina Moran
Trainer
During more than 30 years in journalism has Tina worked on titles including the Evening Standard, Daily Mail, The Sunday Times and Daily Express. Her roles have included news reporter, sub editor, night editor, head of features, executive editor and deputy group director of digital content. Her proudest journalistic achievement was night editing a national newspaper on 9/11.
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Keme Nzerem
Specialist media trainer
An award-winning TV correspondent and presenter, Keme has spent two decades reporting, presenting and interviewing leaders around the world on global events such as US elections, natural disasters, international terrorism, World Cups, Olympic Games. Keme trains global organisations in the public eye and is experienced at coaching high profile individuals for specific events.
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Lea Sellers
Specialist media trainer
Lea is an experienced international media trainer and television consultant. A former Deputy Foreign Editor of Channel 4 News, Lea edited The Pulse and First Edition for Channel 4. She trains spokespeople, especially women, to communicate with confidence when they speak in public or media interviews.