June in November

June Sarpong has been unveiled as the BBC's first Director of Creative Diversity, and will start in November.

June, 42, was born in Accra, but the family left Ghana in a hurry when armed militia broke into their house. They fled to London with just their passports; she was 4. She went to Connaught School in Leytonstone, and then the Sir George Monoux College in Walthamstow. Her mother wanted her to apply to university, but she joined Kiss 100, as receptionist, also tasked with the reporting of all records played to the Performing Rights Society. After a year, she started at the microphone as 'gossip girl' on a Saturday show.  Then MTV beckoned, and later a eight-year stint as a presenter on Channel 4's youth strand, T4.

She dated David Lammy MP for two years, but moved base to the US in 2003, after the break-up. In 2010 co-founded the Women: Inspiration & Enterprise Network. 2015 saw her back in London, where she's been a panellist on Loose Women, and the Sky News discussion show The Pledge. She also appeared on ITV's Celebrity Juice, feeding Rylan Clark-Neal cheese, crackers and port with her feet. She was a board member of Stronger IN.  She has an MBE, and has worked for the Prince's Trust.

She will report to BBC Managing Director Bob Shennan.