EXCLUSIVE: The head of HR at ITN is to exit not long after the publication of a report into ITN’s controversial use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).
Alexandra Standfast, who was Chief People Officer at the ITV and Channel 4 newsmaker and ran what is called the People Team, had her exit announced last month. In a note to staff, ITN CEO Rachel Corp said Standfast had “decided to step down from her role at ITN and is leaving to pursue other opportunities that allow her to spend more time with her family in Wales.”
Corp said Standfast had “developed and spearheaded an ambitious People Strategy for ITN” during her five-year tenure at ITN’s Grays Inn Road HQ in London, “championing cultural change and introducing a range of progressive policies.” We are told ITN is currently recruiting for Standfast’s replacement. We have reached to her for comment. She has been in the ITN HR team for the past five years and it is her second stint with the outfit.
Standfast’s replacement will have to slowly get to grips with a number of recommendations from the review into NDAs and internal complaints, which we are told ITN is currently working through.
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The report from lawyer Simmons & Simmons, which has not been made public, was reported by The Guardian to have urged ITN to review its use of NDAs and improve whistleblowing processes after concerns were raised that NDAs were being used to cover up gender pay discrimination, harassment and bullying.
In a leaked recording obtained by Deadline from an ITN town hall in October 2024 just after Simmons & Simmons had reported back, the specific issue of high turnover in the People Team was raised. Lead Channel 4 anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy can be heard saying the report “highlights quite a major failure in the People Team.”
During the town hall, Corp was questioned by one ITN employee who claimed that more than 30 people had left the People Team in the past five years “and many more before that.” “What is being done about this to ensure women are able to stay in this team and support the business effectively?,” the employee asked. “Why are women leaving at such a high rate and often with no jobs to go to?”
Corp responded during the town hall by acknowledging the high turnover but saying “we now have a really strong team in place.” She flagged the “pressure” the People Team had been under, which she said was highlighted in the review, and stressed several times that the findings from the review were across the board and not just concentrated on HR.
The leaked recording also contained broader criticism of ITN management from several high-profile journalists including Guru-Murthy and ITV News anchor Rohit Kachroo, which was reported at the time by The Guardian and Financial Times.
Guru-Murthy said: “If we [ITN journalists] were covering this we would say, looking at this report, I’m surprised there have been no resignations or firings.”
Kachroo can be heard criticizing the “cycle” of ITN reviews that take place once every few years. “Issues are left to languish and the people who raised concerns are left to languish,” he said.
An ITN spokeswoman said last October: “We fully accept the findings of this independent review into our handling of complaints which found that at times our management processes fell short, and for this we apologise. We are committed to a culture of openness and trust and will implement the review’s recommendations to make sure that any time a concern is raised, it is addressed promptly, thoroughly, and fairly.”
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