ABOUT US

Zeinab was born in the Sudan – her family moved to London when she was two years old.

Zeinab studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University and took a Masters Degree (awarded with a distinction) on Middle East History and Anthropology at SOAS London University.  In 2011 Zeinab was awarded an honorary doctorate by SOAS, London University for her services to international broadcasting.  In 2015 she received a second honorary doctorate for journalism from the London College of Communications – University of the Arts London.

Zeinab has extensive experience in television and radio, working on a range of programmes. In 2009 she was awarded International TV Personality of the Year by the Association of International Broadcasters, and was named in Powerlist 2012 and 2015 as one of Britain’s top 100 most influential members of the black community. In 2016, Zeinab received the May Chidiac Foundation lifetime achievement award.

She is the current Chair of the Royal African Society, a Queen’s appointment to the Board of the Historic Royal Palaces, a trustee of BBC Media Action (the charitable arm of the BBC),  a Vice-President of the United Nations Association UK,  and a board member of the African Union Foundation.  She is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council for Africa.

Zeinab is a former trustee of the National Portrait Gallery.  She has been a board member of the British Council, the Centre for Contemporary British History, a former Chair of the London based freedom of speech campaign organisation, Article 19, and a board member of the Overseas Development Institute.

Hard Talk for the BBC:  this programme has, and continues to feature some of the best-known personalities and politicians in the world.

Zeinab also presents Global Questions and World Debates on BBC World News TV featured on both BBC radio and television.

Through her own production company she has produced and presented many programmes, including currently the definitive TV series of Africa’s history.

She has four children.

Lucy has lived across the continent of Africa including spending four years in South Africa and is now based in London. She is a Masters graduate in African Studies from SOAS, London University, where she focused on politics, history and Kiswahili. Lucy started working at Kush as a researcher and assistant producer for the The History of Africa TV series but has now taken on a wider role and much more significant role in production and is the general office manager for Kush Communications.

Bridget is a highly experienced television and radio producer, having worked on live and pre-recorded shows for the BBC for thirty years. In her career she’s produced everything from live children’s entertainment programmes to hard hitting current affairs shows, chat shows, live news and documentary features. Having worked with Zeinab for ten years, producing the HARDtalk programme on BBC World News TV, she became Series Editor for Zeinab’s more relaxed and informal show Rendezvous with Zeinab Badawi. Bridget has experience of working in Africa, knows how to bring a team together calmly and efficiently under the stress of a live situation, and has the BBC’s editorial and production standards as part of her DNA.

Julie is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser. She trained with a small London based firm of Chartered Accountants, and after qualifying in 1980, moved to work in the tax department of the leading accountancy firm Ernst & Young. In 1988 she left to set up her own practice specialising in accountancy and taxation services for small businesses.

Julie’s professional partnership with Zeinab Badawi as a broadcaster extends to over fifteen years. She deals with finance, administration and production management for Kush Communications Ltd. If you have any questions, please email her directly.

Asya Satti was born in Sweden but has lived in the UK since she was a child. She is of Sudanese heritage. Asya studied Biology at Queen Mary’s College, London University, but her first love is music. She particularly enjoys the fusion of music from different countries. She performs regularly but also carries out administrative work on behalf of the band with which she performs as well as with Kush. She manages Zeinab’s non-broadcast work.

Didier Recloux is a Belgian composer based in London. He is in-house composer and music arranger for Kush Production. Didier has brought his talents to the BBC, Financial Times, and a number of award-winning film projects. A multi instrumentalist, he also obtained a diploma from the Los Angeles Film Music Institute, and a certificate of music technology from IMW, London. After taking a master class with Hollywood orchestrator, Steven Scott Smalley in New York , he most recently completed a specialist certificate in harmony, counterpoint, and music for film and television with Berklee College of Music.

He is also available for other commissions.

Website: www.didierrecloux.com
Didier’s IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com