The NCTJ has unveiled a new team of ambassadors with a brief to promote its values of “quality, trust and diversity in journalism.”

The newly-assembled group will attend events such as careers fairs and speak publicly for the training body.

The list includes several journalists either working in the regional press or with regional press backgrounds.

Among those named are Rhoda Morrison, editor of the Edinburgh Evening News, and Georgia Harland, court and crime reporter with the Oxford Mail.

Also on the list is Sophie Perry, pictured, who also worked for the Oxford Mail where she set up a  network for LGBTQ+ colleagues in Newsquest before joining Pink News as a reporter.

The 21-strong list was announced at an NCTJ summer reception held in London earlier this week.

Kim Fletcher, NCTJ chairman, said the charity was “really privileged” to bring the group of 21 journalists together and thanked them for their contribution.

He urged them: “Join us in getting the word out, talking about journalism and talking about what we’re trying to do on the diversity front.”

The journalists were selected to represent different areas across the UK and are designed to represent different branches of the industry from print, digital and broadcast to podcasts, social media and communications.

The group entered journalism through a variety of pathways including the Journalism Diversity Fund and the Community News Project, both designed to adres the under-representation of some communities and groups within the industry

Other names on the list have been previously been recognised at the NCTJ’s annual Awards for Excellence.

The full list of ambassadors is as follows.

•    Karimah Bangura – digital news producer, ITN
•    Simon Bennett – PR officer, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council
•    Hayley Clarke – advanced apprentice, BBC News
•    Danielle Desouza – multimedia journalist, PA Media
•    Ayisha Gharu – social media executive, What Car? Magazine
•    Mirek Gosney – trainee reporter, Newbury News
•    Kia-Elise Green – features writer, i
•    Georgia Harland – court and crime reporter, Oxford Mail
•    Alex Homer – senior journalist, BBC Shared Data Unit
•    Sara Keenan – reporter, People of Colour in Tech
•    Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero – junior European editor, The Athletic
•    Amar Mehta – assistant news editor, Sky News
•    Rhoda Morrison – editor, Edinburgh Evening News
•    Sophie Perry – news reporter, PinkNews
•    Yasmin Sarwar – reporter, StokeOnTrent Live
•    Aisha Sembhi – digital journalist, BBC
•    Damian Shepherd – European real estate reporter, Bloomberg
•    Catrin Shi – editor in chief, Insurance Insider
•    Amrit Singh Mann – junior journalist, Sky News
•    Charlotte Vowles – press officer, Headway
•    Emaan Warraich – journalist, BBC World Service