Gwyneth Williams

Gwyneth Williams recently left the BBC, having been Controller of Radio 4 and 4 Extra since 2011. Before that she was Director of the World Service in English, Editor of the BBC Reith Lectures for many years, and Head of BBC Radio Current Affairs. She started her career at the BBC writing current affairs talks for the World Service and then worked at the Overseas Development Institute before returning to the BBC. She took five years out of formal employment in the 1980s to be with her children. She has published two books, one (co-authored) on Southern Africa, and another on Third World political organizations. Williams grew up in South Africa and was educated at St Hugh’s College, Oxford. While at the Shorenstein Center, Williams hosted events that focused on how to get big ideas into the mainstream and make them part of the discussion.