Kim Rowell: Strategic Editorial Leader, Advocate for Inclusive Storytelling, and Award-Winning Media Executive

Kim Rowell is a UK media executive and strategist whose career spans more than two decades across leading broadcasters, production companies and publishers. Renowned for amplifying underrepresented voices and delivering content that sparks tangible social change, she blends editorial vision with operational rigour, commercial acumen and people-centred leadership. From commissioning and executive producing agenda-setting documentaries to chairing innovation-focused industry bodies and serving as a trustee for gender-equality initiatives, Kim Rowell has built a track record of impact that resonates from newsrooms to Westminster.

Career Overview

Managing Editor, News Production — ITN Productions (September 2022–Present)

In her current post, Kim Rowell holds editorial, operational and production oversight for domestic and international content destined for broadcast and digital syndication. She leads a diverse, matrixed team and collaborates with major global partners including AP, Al Jazeera, CNN, Bloomberg, PBS, EBU, Channel 7 and TV3. Her remit spans:

• Setting editorial strategy and safeguarding quality across fast-moving news and features.

• Building and monetising the value chain around ITN’s extensive archive.

• Steering business development to diversify revenue streams across markets.

• Managing large-scale budgets and complex logistics for marquee events such as the King’s Coronation (2023), the Olympics, the UK General Election and the US Election 2024.

• Producing bespoke educational bulletins used by thousands of schools nationwide through partnerships with education providers.

Executive Producer & News Editor — BBC Three & BBC News (June 2019–October 2022)

At the BBC, Kim Rowell focused on stories for underserved audiences, commissioning and executive producing documentaries and series across written, audio, short-form and long-form video. Her projects consistently paired rigorous journalism with public-interest purpose, catalysing debate, informing policy conversations and winning multiple awards. Representative titles include:

• You Match the Description: Stop and Search (2019)

• False Hope? Alternative Cancer Cures (2020) — associated parliamentary debate on the Cancer Act; award-winning case study

• Go Back to Where You Came From (2020)

• The Student Mental Health Crisis (2020)

• Under the Skin: The Botched Beauty Business (2021) — influenced calls for changes to aesthetics regulation; BBC News Awards winner

• Ron Jeremy: The Fall of a Porn Icon (2021)

• Is Anti-Semitism on the Rise in the UK? (2021)

• QAnon: After the Storm? (2022)

• SOLD: Sex Slaves Next Door (2022) — Anti-Slavery Awards shortlist

• Split Up in Care: Life Without Siblings (2022) — catalysed calls from MPs to amend the Children’s Act on sibling separation

• Turkey Teeth: Bargain Smiles or Big Mistake? (2022) — Asian Media Awards finalist

• Sexsomnia: Case Closed? (2022) — Best Current Affairs Programme at the Broadcast Digital Awards

The Telegraph (February 2016–March 2019)

Progressing from Executive Producer to Commissioning Editor for Video & Audio, Kim Rowell delivered creative oversight for in-house video and audio across editorial pillars such as tech, science, business, fashion, travel, sport and global health. Highlights included:

• Executive producing two series of Bryony Gordon’s Mad World podcast, including the landmark conversation with Prince Harry, reaching millions of listeners.

• Designing the YouTube growth strategy that added over 60,000 subscribers in six months.

• Launching the Telegraph Video Hub, elevating engagement and retention.

• Pioneering investment in 360 video, VR and home audio formats.

• Creating performance frameworks to optimise the audience journey against data-driven KPIs.

Channel 4 — Senior Interactive Producer, Viewer Interactive Services (September 2013–August 2015)

At Channel 4, Kim Rowell helped reintroduce interactive content across primetime schedules, building the operational framework, overseeing creative and commercial delivery, and ensuring legal and compliance alignment. She directed sponsored and non-sponsored video output, and integrated multimedia experiences around broadcast programming.

Earlier Roles: 2020 Archery, FremantleMedia, ITV, GMTV, Twofour (2007–2013)

From production research at Twofour, through interactive and sponsorship leadership at FremantleMedia (including The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent), to interactive production roles at ITV and GMTV, Kim Rowell cultivated a deep understanding of cross-functional collaboration, live broadcast operations, scripting, compliance, and revenue-aligned interactive formats. A brief stint as Marketing & Communications Director at 2020 Archery sharpened her digital strategy, community management and content-marketing skills.

Leadership, Governance and Industry Service

Trustee & Board Member — UN Women UK

Kim Rowell contributes to global gender-equality initiatives, supporting programmes from grassroots activation to policy advocacy. Her governance work complements her editorial mission to centre women’s safety, choice and voice.

Chair — Royal Television Society Technology Centre

As Chair, she guides innovation at the nexus of creative production and broadcast technology, championing new methods and tools that improve how stories are sourced, produced and delivered to audiences.

Industry Advisory Board Member — Media Trust

Helping shape strategies that empower communities, Kim Rowell supports the development of media skills and platforms that enable civic participation and social progress.

Chair, Global Advisory Board — In Place of War

She leverages creativity for peacebuilding in conflict zones, supporting impactful projects from Colombia to Greenland, and highlighting the role of culture in resilience and reconciliation.

Ambassador & Podcast Host — Women of the Future Programme

A visible advocate for next-generation female leaders, Kim Rowell hosts conversations that surface inspiration, practical advice and real-world role models for those forging their own paths.

Community & Professional Engagement

A founding member of KindFest, a voting member of BAFTA, and an active mentor and judge across awards ecosystems, Kim Rowell consistently invests in the wider creative community.

Notable Editorial Achievements

Documentaries that Drive Change

• Health & Regulation: Under the Skin: The Botched Beauty Business fed into calls for tighter regulation in the aesthetics industry and won Outstanding Original Journalism at the BBC News Awards.

• Cancer Misinformation: False Hope? Alternative Cancer Cures secured recognition from the Medical Journalists’ Association and prompted parliamentary discussion of the Cancer Act.

• Children in Care: Split Up in Care: Life Without Siblings amplified the voices of care-experienced young people and triggered calls from MPs for legislative updates.

• Modern Slavery: SOLD: Sex Slaves Next Door spotlighted trafficking and exploitation, earning recognition from anti-slavery advocates.

• Sexsomnia Cases: Sexsomnia: Case Closed? brought national attention to a sensitive and underreported area of sexual violence and criminal justice, winning Best Current Affairs Programme.

What Sets Her Editorial Apart

• Audience First: Structured for clarity and empathy, her films are accessible to underserved audiences while appealing to mainstream viewers.

• Evidence-Led: Thorough research and careful compliance underpin narratives that withstand scrutiny.

• Impact-Oriented: Each project is conceived with potential downstream impact—public awareness, policy debate, and practical change—front of mind.

Awards & Honours

• Best Current Affairs Programme for Sexsomnia: Case Closed? — Broadcast Digital Awards (2023)

• Shortlisted, Best Multichannel Programme — Broadcast Awards (2024)

• BBC News Awards, Most Impactful Journalism shortlist for Split Up in Care and Turkey Teeth (2023)

• BBC News Awards, Outstanding Original Journalism — Winner for Under the Skin (2021)

• Anti-Slavery Awards finalist — Human Trafficking Foundation (2022)

• Asian Media Awards finalist, Best Investigation — Turkey Teeth (2022)

• RTS Thames Valley Creative Technology — Production Winner (2022)

• WACL Talent Award (2022)

• Management Today Inspiring Women in Business — Rising Star Winner (2021)

• Digital Women Awards shortlists including Digital Women for Good (2020–2021)

• Campaign Magazine Female Frontiers honouree (2020–2021)

• Financial Times Kindness & Leadership — Leading Light (2019)

• Women of the Future — Media Category Winner (2018)

• Mind Media Awards shortlist for podcast work (2018)

• Press Awards — Campaign of the Year for the Telegraph’s Changing Minds initiative (2017)

• Woman Who Achieves ‘Making a Difference’ Award (2024)

Education & Professional Development

• MSc, Business & Strategic Leadership — Cranfield University (2020–2023)
  Strengthening senior-level strategy, financial fluency, organisational design and change leadership.

• Rising Women Leaders Programme — Cambridge Judge Business School (September 2022)
  A strengths-based approach to leadership development, supported by a WACL Talent Award bursary.

• Head of Production (Short Course) — National Film & Television School (April 2015)
  Intensive training in budgeting, scheduling, legal & compliance, data protection, HR, post-production admin and rights.

• BA, Broadcast Journalism (2:1) — University of Leeds (2003–2006)
  Early newsroom and studio experience across student radio, TV and newspaper; Student Radio Awards recognition.

Publications & Creative Work

Children’s Author — Townie Spider (2017)

As a writer, Kim Rowell extends her commitment to empathy-led storytelling into children’s literature. Townie Spider is a rhyming tale that touches on friendship, kindness and mental health through a gentle adventure narrative. The book’s tone mirrors her editorial hallmark: accessible, compassionate storytelling with a purpose.

Partnerships, Networks and Global Collaboration

In news production and factual content, Kim Rowell has developed a wide network across broadcasters, agencies and educational platforms. She has worked with global news brands, syndication partners and educational organisations to distribute trustworthy content at scale. This network effect—paired with commercial fluency—lets her unlock new value for archives, widen reach for public-interest stories and accelerate innovation in multiplatform production.

What Kim Rowell Brings to an Organisation

Visionary Editorial Leadership

She sees the bigger picture—where a story can travel, whom it serves, and how it can change hearts, minds and policy. Her editorial instincts are matched by a clear sense of ethical responsibility and audience relevance.

Strategic and Operational Excellence

From budget stewardship on complex live events to designing data-driven content strategies, Kim Rowell translates mission into deliverables, schedules and measurable outcomes across domestic and international markets.

Inclusion by Design

Diversity, equity and inclusion are not afterthoughts in her process; they are baked into commissioning, team culture and the narratives that reach screens. This approach yields richer storytelling and stronger audience trust.

Talent Development and Team Culture

A collaborative leader, she builds psychologically safe, high-performing teams, nurturing early-career talent and empowering specialists to do their best work. Mentoring, clear feedback loops and inclusive practices are central to her management style.

Commercial and Audience Growth

Whether repackaging archive content, launching new strands or optimising distribution, Kim Rowell aligns editorial quality with sustainable revenue models and audience expansion—without compromising journalistic standards.

Signature Projects & Their Impact

Health, Safety and Consumer Awareness

• Aesthetics Regulation: By investigating unsafe practices and gaps in oversight, her work helped inform calls for change and prompted industry reflection.

• Medical Misinformation: Through rigorous reporting on alternative cancer cures, she illuminated the stakes of unregulated claims and advanced public understanding.

Social Justice and Vulnerable Communities

• Children in Care: Giving voice to lived experience, she reframed policy conversations around sibling separation and support structures.

• Modern Slavery: By humanising stories of exploitation, she raised awareness and elevated the urgency of anti-trafficking efforts.

Democratic Literacy and Extremism

• Online Radicalisation & Conspiracy: Coverage of QAnon and related phenomena contextualised complex digital dynamics for a broad audience, strengthening media literacy.

Personal Ethos

At the core of Kim Rowell’s practice is a steadfast belief: storytelling should broaden participation and deliver real-world outcomes. She champions kindness as a leadership strength, harnesses data without losing humanity, and ensures that people most affected by a story have agency in how it is told. Her work consistently proves that editorial excellence and social impact are not opposing forces—they are mutually reinforcing.

Looking Ahead

With continued leadership at ITN Productions and across her governance roles, Kim Rowell is shaping the next era of factual storytelling—one where technological innovation amplifies inclusion, archives fuel fresh insight, and public-interest journalism thrives on every platform. For organisations seeking a senior content leader who can unite editorial values, operational discipline and measurable impact, Kim Rowell offers a rare combination of experience, vision and results.

Quick Facts

• Name/Keyword: Kim Rowell

• Current Base: Greater Oxford Area / London, England

• Current Role: Managing Editor, News Production, ITN Productions

• Key Governance: Trustee & Board Member (UN Women UK); Chair (Royal Television Society Technology Centre); Industry Advisory Board (Media Trust); Chair, Global Advisory Board (In Place of War)

• Former Posts: Executive Producer & News Editor (BBC Three & BBC News); Commissioning Editor & Executive Producer (The Telegraph); Senior Interactive Producer (Channel 4); leadership roles at FremantleMedia, ITV, GMTV, Twofour

• Education: MSc (Cranfield University); Cambridge Judge Business School leadership programme; NFTS short course; BA Broadcast Journalism (University of Leeds)

• Awards: Broadcast Digital Awards; BBC News Awards; RTS Thames Valley; WACL; Management Today; Campaign Female Frontiers; FT Kindness & Leadership; Women of the Future; Anti-Slavery Awards; Asian Media Awards; Digital Women Awards; Woman Who Achieves (Making a Difference)

Conclusion

Kim Rowell exemplifies how modern editorial leadership can be principled, data-informed and profoundly human. Her portfolio demonstrates that when stories are crafted with rigour and empathy—and supported by strategic delivery—they can elevate unheard voices and move institutions. For media organisations, charities, brands and public bodies seeking to create content that matters, her approach offers both a blueprint and a benchmark.

NewsDipper.co.uk