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United States Samira Ahmed is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster with extensive experience in news, arts, and cultural commentary, also serving as a Visiting Professor of Journalism at Kingston University.
Joined the BBC from university on the fast track journalism graduate trainee programme, training in radio and television news. Samira also presented many news and arts programmes for BBC TV and radio, including The World Tonight, PM, Sunday Morning Live on BBC One, Night Waves on Radio 3 and The Proms on BBC Four. She also presents 'Newswatch' on the BBC News Channel and 'Front Row' on Radio 4.
Samira Ahmed's case against her employer, the BBC, illustrates the value of transparency in closing the gender pay gap. She was supported and funded by the NUJ during her sex discrimination employment tribunal against the BBC for equal pay.
Samira Ahmed is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster, and a Visiting Professor of Journalism at Kingston University with a special focus on culture.
Samira Ahmed writes regularly for newspapers and magazines including The Guardian.
Samira Ahmed writes regularly for newspapers and magazines including The Independent.
Samira Ahmed writes regularly for newspapers and magazines including The Big Issue.
Samira Ahmed was a presenter and reporter at Channel 4 News from 2000 to 2011.
Samira Ahmed has also worked as a news anchor for Deutsche Welle TV in Berlin.
Samira Ahmed won the Stonewall Broadcast of the Year Award in 2009 for her film on so-called 'corrective' rape in South Africa.
Samira attended Wimbledon High School, an independent day school for girls, and edited the school magazine.
Ahmed read English at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, which made her an honorary fellow in 2019. While an undergraduate she edited Isis and the Union magazines, both Oxford University student publications, and won the Philip Geddes Journalism Prize for her work on student newspapers.
After graduation, Samira completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Newspaper Journalism at City University, London.
In September 2019, Samira interviewed Margaret Atwood about the novelist's new book 'The Testaments' at the National Theatre, which was simulcast to more than 1,000 cinemas around the world as part of National Theatre Live.
In June 2020, BBC Four aired 'Art of Persia', a three-part study presented by Ahmed of the history and culture of Iran.
In November 2021, Ahmed interviewed Paul McCartney and poet Paul Muldoon about their book 'The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present' at the Royal Festival Hall.
Samira Ahmed is a trustee of the Centre for Women's Justice, focused on legal remedies to tackle violence against women.
Samira Ahmed is a member of the blue plaques panel for Historic England.
Samira Ahmed sat from 2015-2025 on the advisory board for the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford.
From 2023 to 2024, Samira Ahmed was a trustee of the humanist charity Humanists UK.
Samira Ahmed is President of The Twentieth Century Society, which campaigns to protect modern architectural and design heritage.
Samira Ahmed regularly chairs discussions and panel events for major cultural institutions including the British Science Association.
Samira Ahmed regularly chairs discussions and panel events for major cultural institutions including the British Museum.
Samira Ahmed has shared BBC Election Night footage and other content on Vimeo.
Samira Ahmed's appearances, interviews regarding her equal pay claim, and chaired discussions like 'London Thinks: The Theology and Ethics of Star Wars' are available on Youtube.
Samira Ahmed began her journalism career as a BBC News Trainee in 1990. She worked as a News Correspondent and reporter for programs such as “Today” and “Newsnight.” In the early 1990s, she was one of the first broadcast journalists to examine the growth of Islamic radicalism on British university campuses. Her international experience includes covering the O.J. Simpson case as the BBC Los Angeles Correspondent from 1996 to 1997 and working as a news anchor for BBC World and Deutsche Welle TV in Berlin. She has contributed to various national newspapers and magazines, including The Guardian, The Independent, and The Big Issue.
From 2000 to 2011, Ahmed was a presenter and reporter for Channel 4 News. During this period, she received the Stonewall Broadcast of the Year Award in 2009 for her documentary on “corrective” rape in South Africa. She also presented the Channel 4 documentary series “Islam Unveiled.” Following her time at Channel 4, she became a freelance journalist and broadcaster. She has presented numerous news and arts programs for the BBC, including “The World Tonight,” “PM,” “Sunday Morning Live” on BBC One, “Night Waves” on Radio 3, and “The Proms” on BBC Four. In 2012, she took over as presenter of “Newswatch” on the BBC News Channel. In 2019, Ahmed notably won an equal pay tribunal against the BBC, drawing attention to gender pay disparities in the media industry.
More recently, Ahmed has taken on roles that highlight her expertise in culture and journalism. She was named British Broadcasting Press Guild audio presenter of the year in March 2020. Her documentaries include “Art of Persia” (2020) for BBC Four and “Disgusted, Mary Whitehouse” (2022) for BBC Sounds. In April 2023, she uncovered and broadcast the earliest complete concert recording of The Beatles performing live in the UK. She is currently the President of The Twentieth Century Society, advocating for modern architectural and design heritage, and has been awarded honorary doctorates by several universities, including City, University of London, and Kingston University.
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