September 09, 2021
Nelesh Dhand, Maxine Watson, Kristina Obradovic and Andy Worboys become Trustees
The Grierson Trust welcomes four new dynamic documentary voices to the Board: Pulse Creative Director, Nelesh Dhand; former BBC Commissioning Editor and previously Head of Programming at Twenty Twenty, Maxine Watson; former Head of Production and Managing Director of Windfall Films, Kristina Obradovic; and multi award-winning editor, Andy Worboys.
From left to right: Nelesh Dhand, Maxine Watson, Kristina Obradovic and Andy Worboys. See the full list of Trustees.
The Grierson Trust is delighted to announce the appointment of four new Trustees following its first ever open call for applications to join its Board. These appointments broaden The Trust’s reach into the nations and regions as well as bringing in specialist skills to support The Trust’s various Grierson DocLab training schemes.
The four are: Pulse Creative Director, Nelesh Dhand; former Head of Production and Managing Director of Windfall Films, Kristina Obradovic; former BBC Commissioning Editor and previously Head of Programming at Twenty Twenty, Maxine Watson; and multi award-winning editor, Andy Worboys.
Lorraine Heggessey, Chair of the Board of Trustees said: “As part of The Grierson Trust’s remit to develop and support diverse voices within the documentary industry, our four new Trustees come from a range of backgrounds and specialisms that will bring fresh perspectives and representation to the Board. This will allow us to continue to champion the documentary form in all its glory and guises and to better support the new talent we bring into the industry. I’m delighted to welcome Nelesh, Kristina, Maxine and Andy and look forward to working with them all.”
Nelesh Dhand
Nelesh Dhand is Pulse Films’ Creative Director where he supervises the creation, development and delivery of all new content in the nonfiction division including recent hits Dead Asleep (Hulu), Hair Power: Me and My Afro (Channel 4) and Inside Missguided (Channel 4).
He said: “It’s an honour to join The Grierson Trust’s board and sit alongside so many brilliant creatives and industry leaders. The Trust has always had a profoundly positive impact in the documentary world and in a time where the documentary landscape has shifted so rapidly, its work is more important than ever. I hope that my insights and experiences will help strengthen this impact and I can’t wait to get involved with the Grierson DocLab training schemes, as well as the annual awards.”
Maxine Watson
Formerly at the BBC, Maxine Watson was Commissioner and Executive Producer for the first and subsequent 10 series of BAFTA-winning Who Do You Think You Are?, A House Through Time, Gareth Malone’s The Choir series and The Met: Policing London amongst others. She is now Executive Producer and Development Consultant for Cardiff Productions and Black Ruby Pictures.
She said: “I am thrilled to be working with Grierson as a Trustee as it moves into its fiftieth year of championing the next generation of filmmakers. I hope to help enhance and broaden its work towards greater inclusion and diversity across our fast-changing industry.”
Kristina Obradovic
Kristina Obradovic is a senior production executive with over 25 years’ experience working in factual TV. Formerly Head of Production and then Managing Director at Windfall Films, she was involved in projects such as the BAFTA-winning series Inside Natures Giants and EMMY-winning series Your Inner Fish. She is currently working with Bigger Bang as a consultant MD.
She said: “The Grierson Trust is such an institution – I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the board as a Trustee. I’m particularly excited to get involved in the Grierson DocLab schemes, where I hope that my production management skills and experience will be put to good use.”
Andy Worboys
Grierson and double BAFTA-winning film editor, Andy Worboys brings over 20 years’ experience in the industry to The Grierson Trust Board with credits including The Serengeti Rules, Hillsborough, Untouchable and Tell Me Who I Am.
He said: “I’m incredibly proud to be joining the Board of The Grierson Trust and I hope to have a positive influence on its future. As the industry strives to make changes for the better, I want to make sure that the talented people that make up the post-production sector are both remembered and included in the conversation and have a relatable voice they can come to whenever needed.”
The four new Trustees join: Lorraine Heggessey (Chair), Ben Anthony, Simon Chinn, Guy Davies, Poppy Dixon, Danny Horan, Marjorie Kaplan, James Quinn, Fatima Salaria, Rob Stapledon, Donna Taberer and Kate Townsend.
