10 August 2020

Ofcom today announced the appointment of two new members of its Advisory Committee for Scotland.

They are Jessica McBeath, an Online Harms and Digital Citizenship Consultant and Elizabeth Partyka, a former Managing Director at STV Productions and a current member of the Screen Committee of Screen Scotland.

Ofcom’s National Advisory Committees provide advice to Ofcom about the interests and opinions of people living in the Nations and Regions of the UK on all communications matters. The Committees were established by the Communications Act 2003.

Liz Leonard, Chair, Advisory Committee for Scotland said: "I am delighted that Jess and Elizabeth will be joining the committee. Their extensive experience in their respective fields of broadcast media and online harms will be invaluable to the ACS moving forward, in what is an increasingly complex, and rapidly changing, communications landscape."

Jessica McBeath is an Online Harms and Digital Citizenship Consultant. She began her career at a multi-national IT company before joining a mobile software start-up. Subsequently, Jess spent several years working in public sector strategy, delivering transformational change. She founded her Online Harms Consultancy in 2016, with a focus on digital citizenship. In 2018, Jess was awarded the NSPCC Childhood Champion Award for Schools Volunteer of the Year in Scotland. She has a degree in Linguistics & Artificial Intelligence and an MBA, and is a serving member of Borders College Regional Board.

Elizabeth Partyka began her career at Radio Clyde with responsibility for developing its social action programming, Clyde Action and Cash for Kids, before joining the BBC as a producer. After a period working as a network producer for Disney in London, she returned to Scotland, joining STV as Head of Childrens. She then spent eight years as Managing Director of STV Productions, before becoming Channel Controller of STV and Deputy Director of all of STVs channels. Elizabeth has held non-executive roles including a member of Court at Edinburgh Napier University (Scotland’s Screen Academy) and a Board member of Creative Scotland (where she is a member of the Screen Committee and is the Chair of the Finance Committee).

Elizabeth was one of the founders of the broadcasting charity, the STV Appeal, and in 2015 was recognised by the Royal Television Society Scotland for her contribution to television in Scotland.

The appointments are for a three-year term beginning from 1 September 2020.