Blair Jenkins (born 1957 in Elgin, Scotland) is a Scottish former journalist who served as chief executive of

Yes Scotland Yes Scotland was the organisation representing the parties, organisations, and individuals campaigning for a ''Yes'' vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. It was launched on 25 May 2012 and dissolved in late 2014 after Scotland voted ...

in the campaign for a "Yes" vote in the

2014 Scottish independence referendum A referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was held in Scotland on 18 September 2014. The referendum question was, "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" or "No". The "No" side w ...

. Previously, he was Director of Broadcasting at STV, and Head of News and Current Affairs at both STV and

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Ireland. I ...

. He chaired the

Scottish Broadcasting Commission The Scottish Broadcasting Commission ( gd, Coisisean craolaidh na h-Alba, sco, Scots Braidcastin Commeesion) was established by the Scottish Government in August 2007. Its purpose is to conduct an independent investigation into television produc ...

in 2007–08 and the

Scottish Digital Network Panel The Scottish Digital Network (SDN) is a planned new public service broadcaster and online services provider in Scotland. It was the principal proposal of the Scottish Broadcasting Commission. The Scottish Broadcasting Commission published its final ...

. In June 2012, Jenkins was appointed chief executive of Yes Scotland. He is not a member of any political party and has not previously been involved with any political campaign.

Journalism career

Jenkins was named Young Journalist of the Year at the

Scottish Press Awards The Scottish Press Awards is an annual ceremony which recognises talent in Scottish journalism. The ceremony was established by the Scottish Newspaper Society (SNS), which "represents, protects, and promotes" Scotland's newspaper industry, in 1979 ...

in 1977. He spent time with

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

in London before moving on to STV. He went on to serve as Director of Broadcasting at STV, and Head of News and Current Affairs at both STV and BBC Scotland. He later chaired the Scottish Broadcasting Commission in 2007–08 and the Scottish Digital Network Panel.

Honours

In the Queen's Birthday Honours List 2010 he was made an

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for services to broadcasting.

References

External links

Interview: Blair Jenkins, of Yes Scotland
1957 births Living people People from Elgin, Moray Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish television executives People educated at Elgin Academy, Moray Officers of the Order of the British Empire {{Scotland-business-bio-stub