Making Sense of Media Network and Panel

Our Making Sense of Media Network and Panel bring together those with an interest in promoting media literacy across the UK.

Established in 2019, our network currently has 460 members representing a variety of organisations in the UK and internationally. The purpose of the network is to increase collaboration, information-sharing and debate to improve media literacy in the UK.

We want to use our research and insights from across sectors as a foundation for developing the most effective initiatives and to inform media literacy policy. We want the network to continue to build and share evidence of UK adults’ and children’s understanding and use of electronic media.

Why join the network?

As a network member, you’ll:

be invited to and participate in events showcasing the latest media literacy research, facilitating media literacy discussion, collaboration and activity across the UK;
contribute to regular Making Sense of Media Bulletins that summarise media literacy activities by a range of organisations in the UK and overseas. These activities include research, events, projects and initiatives;
participate in network working groups.

We aim to get as many new and existing Ofcom stakeholders with an interest in media literacy to join the network. You do not need to have a formal role in media literacy to join our network. Whether you simply want to hear more about media literacy activities and research, or you’re keen to take a more active role in discussions, events or working groups, we would like you to be part of the network.

Join the network

Contact the MSOM team

Get in touch if you'd like to know more about our media literacy work

Advisory Panel

The Making Sense of Media Advisory Panel informs Ofcom's work to help improve the online skills, knowledge and understanding of UK adults and children. The Panel provides first-class insight to support and challenge our thinking.

Having recently updated our approach to online media literacy, we have decided to refresh the terms of the Panel and invite new members. The new Panel will support Ofcom's work in five overlapping areas – Engage, Initiate, Establish, Evaluate and Research – with particular focus on the following activities:

Sounding board and critical friend: representing a range of perspectives, the Panel will advise and challenge our media literacy work.
Connector: the Panel will help connect Ofcom to the right expertise at the right time, so our work is informed by best practice across the sector.
Horizon scanning: the Panel will support our thinking on emerging media literacy opportunities and challenges, such as those brought about by new consumer technology like voice assistants, wearables and haptics. It will highlight new themes or trends to consider, particularly where Ofcom has an opportunity to intervene early.

The Panel is a voluntary forum. Members are appointed by Ofcom for an initial 24-month term, and they will be expected to commit no more than two-and-a-half days a year.

Iain Bundred

Job title: Head of Public Policy, UK and Ireland
Organisation: YouTube

Iain Bundred is the UK and Ireland lead for all policy issues relating to YouTube. He works with the wider Google government affairs and public policy teams in London and Dublin, as well as the YouTube leadership teams in the UK, the EU and the US.

Iain also holds a wealth of experience in corporate and public affairs, becoming PR managing director of EAME corporate (including a role as head of strategy for Ogilvy Africa) and then EMEA managing director in 2017.

Carolyn Bunting

Job title: CEO
Organisation: Internet Matters

Carolyn Bunting has been CEO of Internet Matters since it started in 2014. IM is a collective of tech companies who join to help parents and professionals keep their children safe online. Funded by the tech companies, IM is fiercely independent and has a good view on what they are thinking.

Internet Matters founded and still chairs the UKCIS Vulnerable Users Working Group which brings together experts from around the UK to tackle the opportunities and challenges CYP with vulnerabilities face online.

Laura Ellis

Job title: Head of Tech Forecasting
Organisation: BBC

Since 2019, Laura Ellis has been working on establishing and communicating the BBC's long-term technology perspective. She seeks to ensure that the BBC derives the best value from new and emerging technology through working effectively with internal and external partners on creation, delivery, and development. She is also one of the BBC’s founder members of a cross-industry coalition on media provenance called Project Origin – established to help tackle disinformation.

Previously she headed the BBC’s Digital England team, where she led a team of journalists and pioneered work on technology-supported journalism such as automated content, personalisation, and an ethical approach to machine learning.

Sophie England

Job title: Policy Programmes Manager, UK and Ireland
Organisation: Meta

Sophie England currently leads all external UK and Ireland programmes and partnerships for Facebook related to policy agenda covering work around economic impact, safety of vulnerable groups, the metaverse (XR) and youth and wellbeing.

She also brings similar experience from her previous role in forming the Albright Academy – an education, skills, and community online and offline platform for female entrepreneurs and women in business across the UK.

Kate Gillingham

Job title: Senior Manager, Government and Public Affairs
Organisation: The LEGO Group

Kate Gillingham is Head of UK Government and Public Affairs at The LEGO Group, a role she has held since October 2020 – in which she manages various aspects of The LEGO Group’s external engagement in the UK including around digital issues. She previously worked for 3 years at consumer group Which? where she was Principal Policy Advisor for digital life.

She also brings an extensive range of experience in public affairs, most principally as Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change between 2012-2014.

Richard Graham

Job title: Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
Organisation: stem4, South London and Maudsley Mental Health Trust

Richard Graham is a Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist and a former Clinical Director at the Tavistock Clinic. For the last five years, he was Clinical Director for Good Thinking: London’s Digital Mental Wellbeing Service.

He has worked extensively in digital health and e-safety for the last 12 years and is recognised as a digital health pioneer. Since 2012, he has been actively involved with the UK Council for Internet Safety (the British Government’s principal advisory body for online safety and security) and co-chairs its Digital Resilience Working Group. He also works with the BBC as Digital Well-being Consultant to the Own It App, as well as acting as an adviser to companies such as TikTok and Yubo.

Tim Judge

Job title: Head of Schools Programmes
Organisation: National Literacy Trust

Since 2021, Tim Judge has been responsible for developing and delivering education programmes that motivate and engage young people to improve their literacy. These programmes draw on exciting partnerships across sports, culture and broadcasting sectors and include the flagship partnerships with Premier League, Football Association, Comic Relief, and the BBC.

In his previous role, he worked as a Programme Manager for Teach First. He was directly responsible for the strategic planning and management of a programme that empowered 500 teachers to work in some of the most disadvantaged London schools.

Sonia Livingstone

Job title: Professor of Social Psychology
Organisation: London School of Economics and Political Science

Sonia Livingstone – DPhil (Oxon), OBE, FBA, FBPS, FAcSS, FRSA – is a professor in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is primarily concerned with Children’s Rights in the Digital Age.

Sonia currently directs the Digital Futures Commission (with the 5Rights Foundation) and the Global Kids Online project (with UNICEF). She also contributes to the euCONSENT project, and leads work packages for two European H2020-funded projects: ySKILLS (Youth Skills) and CO:RE (Children Online: Research and Evidence). She is also a #SaferInternet4EU Ambassador for the European Commission.

Cliff Manning

Job title: Research and Development Director
Organisation: Parent Zone

Cliff Manning has over twenty years’ experience developing digital services that enable people to connect with others and learn. As R&D Director at Parent Zone, Cliff is exploring ways to improve outcomes for children in a connected world through improved services for families and turn to professionals. He also founded More Than Robots – a platform to share research, ideas and good practice around digital participation and youth engagement.

Caroline Millin-Brawn

Job title: Regional Lead, UK, Ireland, Southern Europe and Israel
Organisation: TikTok

Caroline Millin-Brawn’s current role is within Tik-Tok’s Trust & Safety team, where she is primarily responsible for leading Product Policy in the UK, Ireland, Southern Europe, and Israel.

She also brings a huge wealth of experience in leading policy output for other digital platforms, having previously worked for both Instagram and Facebook before joining Tik-Tok.

Georgina Powell

Job title: Digital Wellbeing Consultant
Organisation: Sentient Digital Consulting

Georgina Powell is Founder of Sentient Digital, a Responsible Technology & Digital Wellbeing Consultancy. She works to better understand our relationship with technology, so that we can use it more positively and productively.

At Sentient, Georgie has supported clients such as Google, the Charity for Civil Servants, the UK Government Services Department and O2 to help guide their product development, people, and policy practices with digital wellbeing in mind.

Glen Tarman

Job title: Head of Policy and Advocacy
Organisation: Full Fact

Since 2020, Glen Tarman has led Full Fact’s policy and advocacy team and is responsible for securing changes from those in governments, parliaments, the media, internet companies and beyond that influence people’s exposure to bad information and its harms.

He has a huge abundance of experience in the not-for-profit sector, with over 25 years working in advocacy, campaigning, policy, communications and digital for charities and international development, human rights, and environmental NGOs.

Jo Twist OBE

Job title: CEO
Organisation: UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie)

Dr Jo Twist OBE has been CEO of Ukie, the trade body for UK games and interactive entertainment since 2012. With a 25-year background in interactive entertainment, technology, education, creative media and youth culture, Jo has wide-ranging experience in high-level influencing, stakeholder management and organisational change.

Jo also sits on a range of high-level boards, committees, and advisory groups, representing the games and interactive entertainment sector and advocating change on its behalf. She is a VP for games accessibility charity SpecialEffect, Patron of Safe in Our World mental health and games charity, Queen’s Appointed trustee for Royal Historic Palaces, and holds two visiting academic roles.

In 2016, Jo was awarded an OBE for services to the creative industries and won MCV Women in Games award for Outstanding Contribution. She was also named as one of the Evening Standard’s Progress 1000 Most Influential People in 2019 and entered the Computer Weekly Hall of Fame in 2021.