Blair Jenkins (born 1957 in

Elgin Elgin may refer to: Places Canada * Elgin County, Ontario * Elgin Settlement, a 19th-century community for freed slaves located in present-day North Buxton and South Buxton, Ontario * Elgin, a village in Rideau Lakes, Ontario * Elgin, Manit ...

, 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 vot ...

in the campaign for a "Yes" vote in the

2014 Scottish independence referendum A independence referendum, 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 ...

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

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...

. He chaired the Scottish Broadcasting Commission in 2007–2008 and the Scottish Digital Network Panel. 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 broad ...

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 2007–2008 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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two 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