New ASA Council Members Appointed

01 April 2008

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) Chairman, Lord (Chris) Smith has made two new appointments to the ASA Council. Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate and Professor of Creative Writing at the University of London, and Louisa Bolch, former Editor for science programming at Channel 4, will take up their roles as independent members on 12 April. Mr Motion will sit on the non-broadcast Council. Ms Bolch will sit on both the broadcast and non-broadcast Council.

Mr Motion is a widely published and critically acclaimed poet and author as well as a journalist. He has taught at the Royal Holloway College, University of London since 2004 and is also the co-founder and co-director of The Poetry Archive. Mr Motion has lectured at the University of Hull and was Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia.  He is a member of the Blue Plaques Committee for English Heritage.

Ms Bolch was awarded a Fellowship with the Clore Leadership Programme in 2007. The Programme provides and develops management and leadership training in the Cultural Sector.  Her early career was spent working for LWT on the South Bank Show where she became a producer before moving to the Discovery Channel as programme manager.

On appointing the two new Council members, Lord Smith said “I am delighted to welcome Andrew and Louisa to the ASA Council. Andrew brings a unique perspective on the impact that language and images can have, whilst Louisa’s experience of programme making lends itself to understanding the balance between creative freedoms and editorial judgement. I very much look forward to working with them both.”

Mr Motion and Ms Bolch replace the outgoing Christine Farnish and Donald Trelford who have both served their full term of six years on Council.