For the first time in its history, songwriter and composer org The Ivors Academy has equal gender representation on both its Academy and Trust Boards. Newly elected members include Emmy-nominated composer and BBC Radio 3 presenter Hannah Peel.

Composer Kevin Sargent has been elected to the Academy Board, while Charlotte Harris, Music and Entertainment Partner at Harris and Trotter LLP Chartered Accountants, has joined the Trust Board. The new appointments replace composers Mark Ayres and Marc Sylvan, whose terms have come to an end.

Emily Saunders, Board Director and Chair of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, said this is the first step of many that the org is committed to taking “to make sure we are fully diverse and inclusive across everything do.”

“Diverse life experiences, identities and backgrounds bring diverse thinking and new ways of seeing the world, that creates a stronger Academy for all music creators,” she said.

In July, the Ivors Academy published a 12-point action plan that includes reaching a minimum 50% gender balance on its Boards, improving the protected characteristics data it collects, providing equality and diversity training to staff and Board members, and providing more support and guidance to improve accessibility when entering awards.