Anjula Singh is a quiet achiever, and she’s quietly achieved herself up to the highest role to be held by an Asian lady in the BBC.
Career highlights? The launches of World and News Channels from New Broadcasting House; launching BBC Persian TV, re-launching BBC Arabic TV, and creating a production unit within Global News to add on new Language TV in four other languages.Anjula is currently attached to the News Strategic Change team, shaping up a Delivery and Change team to drive News’ Digital and future strategy. Her role is Deputy Head of Production Operations. She leads a department of 450 studio and gallery production staff in TV and Radio News in New Broadcasting House, with a small team in Salford. She said,
“I am responsible for the creative and technical teams who work behind the scenes to get TV and radio programmes on air. The creative teams decide how a story is told. So they plan the whole look and feel of BBC News….how the audio sounds, the camera angles to lighting, whether the presenter stands, or sits, whether there is a still picture or film or graphic, the colours used to illustrate a story. They also communicate with the presenter whilst on air. Currently I am working a range of projects which will transform BBC news for a digital future and a new charter.”
There is Global Language TV and Radio, the Today programme and Newsnight, BBC World and The Ten O’clock News. A first task was to get a big migration into New Broadcasting House, while integrating five teams into one. Anjula started her BBC career as a studio manager. How did that happen? She told us,
“I went to visit a cousin who worked in the Hindi Service and fell in love with the magic of storytelling on radio – the voices painting the scenes and images of news to information- poor countries. I liked the last minute changing nature of news – the buzz of it and the team work of putting together a programme.As a Studio Manager I could work across a wide range of output, and played to my creativity. I enjoyed the physicality and dexterity of recording, mixing, and the different demands on my brain in a studio. I could also voice and report my own packages so liked the self-sufficiency of having the technical and editorial skills.
Seeing the impact on people’s lives of our broadcasting was the icing on the cake.”No-one gets to a position like hers without courage and leadership. Where were the challenges? “Launching BBC Persian was a challenge and enjoyable – getting a brand new BBC Channel off the ground as quickly as possible, on a green field site. There was no studio, no newsroom, and no staff. Only an editorial proposition and a vision for a multi genre channel which could leverage existing BBC expertise, collaborate internally with different BBC departments, and attract a youthful audience.”
Anjula was Project Sponsor for the bureaux built in Kabul, Islamabad, Cairo, Delhi and Kathmandu. “The most difficult thing in leading big departments is learning about pace of change,”she says.She is a formal BBC and British Council mentor, a founding member of the Transatlantic Leadership Network, TN2020 and a member of the City- based Inclusive Leadership Network. Anjula shared her strategy and techniques on how she got to be a BBC star.“Hard work! Working in a male dominated field, I think I had to grasp and absorb a lot of detail quickly so I wouldn’t be blinded by technical terms.Be authentic and be yourself.Research before applying for roles so you are clear what is required – don’t be afraid to ask people about roles.Know your strengths. Build teams around you to shore up your weaknesses.Be easy to work with and always deliver so people want you on their projects.Manage your own brand – be the person you want to be seen as. Manage your own career, watch the industry, tool yourself up – your career is your responsibility and not anyone else’s.Take risks and fail – that’s how you grow, so put yourself up for things that appear to out of reach; projects and promotions. Have a strong network of supportive individuals around you who also can be your supporters / sponsors.
Have a three year plan – you don’t need to share it but know where you are going, and adjust to any unexpected opportunities that come along!”With Anjula having risen to such heights in the world’s biggest news organisation, the mind fondly imagines where she could go to. How far, how high can she go? She is pragmatic.“Ask me in a few years!!I think this is probably it! There are not many Asian women who have run a department of such scale in the industry.I do as much as I can to pave the way for the next generation by mentoring, speaking widely, training others. It’s all about breaking the barriers in peoples’ minds and challenging their assumptions.
”I think this is probably it! There are not many Asian women who have run a department of such scale in the industry
