London, 5 March 2021: APL Media is thrilled to announce the appointment of Maria Pieri as Head of Education for the BSME, a role she’ll hold while continuing to serve as APL’s Editorial Director. Maria vacates the position of BSME Chair, which she’s held since 2020, and will be supported in her new role by Tim Pollard, Digital Editorial Director, Bauer Automotive and Specialist.

As Head of Education, Maria will build relationships with academic professionals as part of various new educational initiatives launched by the BSME in association with Readly, the European market leader in digital magazines. These include sharing editors’ experience with others, providing insight into the magazine industry and inspiring and upskilling upcoming talent.

Maria Pieri said: “The BSME continues to support the development of new talent and give back as much as it can, in terms of knowledge and practical skills, to future editors. We’ve had a terrific start to 2021, having successfully delivered our first series of guest lectures across the country, from Cardiff to Glasgow and Oxford to Hertfordshire. We look forward to working with more universities, colleges, schools and education centres to provide invaluable access to our amazing group of established editors.”

BSME Education, launched in association with Readly, will see top editors and magazine experts working with education centres, including schools, colleges and universities, through lectures, webinars, mentorship sessions and visits to primary and secondary schools. 

Maria has initiated a variety of schemes and initiatives to support new talent and will oversee the BSME Education initiative with Readly. The key features are:

• Universities, colleges, secondary and primary can book interactive lectures with the BSME committee and members
• Academic members can gain access to BSME webinars and panel discussions with editors to further engage students’ interest in the magazine industry
• Students can access the educational resource database, which hosts past guest lectures and webinars, including the learnings from these events
• Students can access BSME Education’s work experience pinboard to explore internship and job opportunities within the magazine industry
• The BSME Mentoring Scheme will offer students the chance to meet a BSME committee member for a one-on-one mentoring session

Guest lectures focus on a range of topics and take on a variety of formats, such as engaging Q&As and informative presentations. Previous lectures have been led by Hattie Brett, Editor of Grazia, Terri White, Editor-in-Chief of Empire, and Andrea Thompson, Editor-in-Chief of Marie Claire. Students have the opportunity to ask questions about the magazine industry and receive advice and insights from leading editors. 

For further information, please visit the BSME Education website or contact the BSME Education team at [email protected].

Past events organised by BSME Education include the following guest lectures and webinars:

• Laura Rowe at Cardiff University
• BSME Live: How to reach the next generation
• Maria Pieri at Glasgow Clyde College
• Dan Green at University of Lincoln
• Maria Pieri at University of Derby
• Maria Pieri at Cardiff University (panel discussion)
• Russell Parsons at Oxford Brookes University
• Andrea Thompson at University of Hertfordshire
• Charlotte Richards at University of Sunderland

About the BSME
The BSME is the only society in the UK exclusively for digital and print editors and senior editorial staff. Our aim is to represent the needs and views of all digital and print editors, providing a strong, clear voice for our industry. Our strapline is ‘Championing Editorial Excellence’.

Members of our society edit the top consumer, professional and customer magazines and websites across a wide range of markets, including titles as diverse as National Geographic Traveller (UK), Grazia, Rugby Journal, Which?, Fabulous, Kookie, Marie Claire, FourFourTwo, Good Housekeeping, Cocoa, GQ, Glamour and HELLO!

About Maria Pieri
Maria Pieri was the 2020 Chair of the BSME. As the Editorial Director of travel and lifestyle content specialist APL Media Limited, she oversees the award-winning National Geographic Traveller (UK) and National Geographic Traveller Food titles. 

About Tim Pollard
Tim Pollard is the Digital Editorial Director of Bauer Media’s automotive and specialist division in Peterborough and has been a motoring journalist for more than two decades. He is the incumbent BSME Editor-in-Chief 2020 and BSME Vice Chair 2021.

About Readly
Readly is the European category leader for digital subscription services for magazines, providing ‘all-you-can-read’ access to a portfolio of approximately 5,000 titles and approximately 130,000 issues from trusted publishers. In collaboration with around 800 publishers worldwide, and with users in more than 50 markets, Readly is digitising the magazine industry. gb.readly.com