ARN‘s Head of News & Information Fiona Ellis-Jones has been awarded the 2024 Maureen Kerridge AM Scholarship and will attend an Executive Leadership Development Program at Stanford University.

Fiona applied for the scholarship to further develop her leadership skills in a rapidly evolving media landscape. She currently leads the network’s team of journalists across KIIS, Gold, Mix, CADA, ARN Regional and iHeartRadio.

She said:

“I’m so grateful for the chance to study this course at Stanford, honouring Maureen Kerridge’s remarkable legacy and empowering more women to excel in leadership roles within the media industry. I’m excited to gain new perspectives, discover more about my leadership style, and make a meaningful impact on the future of news media in Australia.

As a busy mother of four young children, I quite simply wouldn’t have had the opportunity to invest in my own development in this way without the support of CEW and the Kerridge Foundation.”

Fiona’s media career includes early roles at Nine News Sydney as a producer and reporter, then the national newsreader for ABC TV and Radio and later the head of ABC’s Radio/Audio News division. She recently was mentor to the finalists for the 2024 Brian White Scholarship.

As an ambassador for the Red Nose Foundation, Fiona also supports bereaved parents and advocates to reduce stillbirth in Australia. Her daughter, Elizabeth, was stillborn, Fiona also serves on the committee of Women in Media, Tasmania, and is based in Hobart.