Jacqui Merrington

At-a-Glance

Serves as Executive Editor at The Independent, focusing on journalism sustainability and audience engagement.
Previously Director of AI at Mail Metro Media, responsible for leading AI strategy and adoption.
As Discovery Director at Reach plc, developed new audiences and led SEO strategy for over 50 news brands.
Led one of the first Generative AI experiments at Reach plc and devised a new business model for local sites using AI.
Holds a Masters in Journalism Innovation Leadership with distinction, with a thesis on 'Who cares if AI writes the news?'.
Awarded the Google Squared Leadership Award for innovation and leadership in 2016.

Biography

Jacqui Merrington is the Executive Editor at The Independent, where she drives quality journalism sustainability in an AI era through storytelling excellence and audience engagement. Her work also focuses on revenue diversification and building direct relationships with readers.

Prior to her current role, Merrington was the Director of AI at Mail Metro Media, where she led the company's AI strategy, drove AI adoption, and shaped cultural change for AI transformation within the commercial team.