Jacqui Merrington is an award-winning journalist and digital leader with more than 20 years experience in regional and national news in the UK. Most recently, she was discovery director for Reach Plc, Britain’s largest commercial news publisher, working across more than 50 regional news sites to develop new audiences and increase search traffic through SEO, while also leading some of Reach’s earliest trials with Generative AI. She left Reach in August this year and has set up The Happy Journalist – which looks at journalism sustainability in an AI era through a positive lens.
Jacqui started her career at the Press Association. She was the first female editor of The Cornishman before leading the digital transformation of the Cornwall newsroom and launching CornwallLive. She went on to become audience and content director for Reach’s Live network across the South West, ultimately leading a team of 130 digital journalists. Jacqui was also co-chair of Reach’s first inclusion network for gender equality and recently launched a new colleague network bringing together people invested in environmental sustainability and social impact.