27 January 2016, London: Guardian Media Group (GMG) is pleased to announce that Baroness Gail Rebuck and Jimmy Wales have joined the GMG board as non-executive directors with immediate effect.
One of the most respected figures in British publishing, Baroness Gail Rebuck DBE is Chair of Penguin Random House UK. She was previously CEO of Random House for 22 years until 2013. The founder of the World Book Day charity, Gail also chairs both the Cheltenham Literature Festival and the Quick Reads charity. She was awarded a CBE in 2000 and was made a Dame in 2009. Gail entered the House of Lords in October 2014.
Internet and technology entrepreneur Jimmy Wales is founder of the online non-profit encyclopaedia Wikipedia and co-founder of Wikia.com. He also serves on the board of trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit charitable organisation he established to operate Wikipedia. In 2006 Jimmy was named in Time magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’ for his role in creating Wikipedia.
Neil Berkett, chair of GMG, said: “Both Gail and Jimmy are leaders in their respective fields and we’re delighted that they have chosen to join the GMG board. The publishing industry is changing rapidly and their collective expertise, along with that of the existing board members, will ensure we continue to be strongly placed to adapt to future challenges, leading the way with our ground-breaking journalism.”
Gail Rebuck said: “I am delighted to be joining the GMG board. Having led a book publishing company for many years, I am aware of both the challenges and opportunities within the industry. I am a Guardian devotee and look forward to working with the Board and the dynamic executive team.”
Jimmy Wales said: “I have always admired the Guardian’s bold, independent and courageous open-source journalism and am thrilled to be joining the GMG board. I can’t wait to get started.”
GMG is wholly owned by The Scott Trust Limited, which exists to secure the financial and editorial independence of the Guardian in perpetuity.
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For more information please contact:
media.enquiries@theguardian.com or 020 3353 3696
Notes to editors
Current GMG Board Members:
Neil Berkett - chair
David Pemsel
Katharine Viner
Nick Backhouse
Ronan Dunne
Judy Gibbons
Jennifer Duvalier
Nigel Morris
John Paton
Baroness Gail Rebuck:
One of the most respected figures in British publishing, Baroness Gail Rebuck DBE is Chair of Penguin Random House UK and sits on the Company’s Global Board of Representatives and the Group Management Committee of Bertelsmann. Previously, she was CEO of Random House for 22 years from 1991 to 2013, having co-founded a publishing company in 1982. She chairs both the Cheltenham Literature Festival and the Quick Reads charity, having founded the World Book Day charity on behalf of the publishing industry. Gail is also Chair and Pro-Provost of the Royal College of Art as well as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Belmond Ltd and of Koovs plc. and was Non-Executive Director at BskyB from 2002 to 2012. She entered the House of Lords in October 2014.
Jimmy Wales:
Internet and technology entrepreneur Jimmy Wales, is founder of the online non-profit encyclopaedia Wikipedia and co-founder of the privately owned Wikia.com. Wales serves on the board of trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit charitable organisation he
established to operate Wikipedia. He is also executive chairman of The People’s Operator PLC, a London based mobile phone company. In 2006 Jimmy was named in Time magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’ for his role in creating Wikipedia.
About GMG
Guardian Media Group (GMG) is amongst the UK’s leading media organisations. Its core business is Guardian News & Media (GNM), publisher of theguardian.com, one of the largest English-speaking quality newspaper websites in the world. In the UK, GNM publishes the Guardian newspaper six days a week and the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, The Observer.
GMG has also built an endowment fund, which includes the proceeds from the 2014 disposal of its 50.1% holding in Trader Media Group. The sole purpose of the fund is to secure the editorial independence and financial security of the Guardian in perpetuity. The business conduct of the Group is guided by The Scott Trust values.
For further information visit www.theguardian.com/gmg
