The Scott Trust appoints new chair of Guardian Media Group

The Scott Trust today announces the appointment of Amelia Fawcett as chair of Guardian Media Group plc (‘GMG’).

Amelia has been an independent member of the GMG board since June 2007. She succeeds Paul Myners, who stood down from the position in 2008.

Amelia, 52, is chair of financial services firm Pensions First Group LLP, having previously been vice chair of Morgan Stanley’s European operations. She is a non-executive director of State Street Corporation in Boston, a member of the Court of the Bank of England, deputy chair of the National Portrait Gallery, chair of the London International Festival of Theatre, and a director of the board of Business in the Community. Until last year she was a member of the Council of the University of London.

Amelia joined Morgan Stanley in London in 1987, working first as an executive and then in a non-executive role, before leaving in April 2007. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, she worked for US law firm Sullivan and Cromwell in New York and Paris. She has a law degree from the University of Virginia and was admitted to the New York Bar in 1984.

She has dual British and American citizenship, and was awarded the CBE in the 2002 New Year’s Honours List for services to the finance industry. She is a keen sailor and in 2006 crossed the Atlantic in 17 days to raise more than £275,000 for a breast cancer charity.

Amelia Fawcett said: “GMG is a special organisation and, due to its ownership structure and ethos, quite unique among its peers in UK and world media. It is a great privilege to become its chair, especially in such exciting and challenging times for the industry.”

Liz Forgan, chair of the Scott Trust, said: “Amelia is a true polymath whose field of experience encompasses business, finance, law, the arts and charitable organisations. She will be a superb chair of GMG and we are delighted to welcome her.”

The Scott Trust Limited is the sole owner of GMG. GMG is one of the UK’s leading media companies. Its flagship is the Guardian newspaper and website.

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Further information: Chris Wade 020 3353 4041

Notes for editors

The Scott Trust was created in 1936 to protect the legacy of the long-standing editor and latterly owner of the Guardian, CP Scott: the independent, liberal journalism of his newspaper. The core purpose of the Scott Trust is “to secure the financial and editorial independence of the Guardian in perpetuity”. In October 2008 the Scott Trust became a limited company to strengthen the protection it affords to the Guardian. All trustees became directors of The Scott Trust Limited.

The Scott Trust Limited is the sole owner of Guardian Media Group plc (‘GMG’). GMG’s portfolio comprises:

• Guardian News & Media: the Guardian and Observer newspapers and guardian.co.uk.
• GMG Regional Media: the Manchester Evening News and its website, and other regional newspapers in the North West and South of England.
• GMG Radio: regional radio stations across the UK under the Real Radio, Smooth Radio and Rock Radio brands.
• GMG Property Services: providers of software to independent estate agents.
• Trader Media Group: one of Europe’s largest specialist print and online media companies, and publisher of the Auto Trader magazine and website. Trader Media Group is jointly owned by GMG and Apax Partners.
• Emap: the B2B publishing, events and information business, also jointly owned by GMG and Apax Partners.