European recognition for local journalist
A GUERNSEY journalist has been named in the Forbes top 30 under 30 in its European marketing and media list.
Kieran Guilbert, 30, is the modern slavery and human trafficking editor for the Thompson Reuters Foundation and manages a team of journalists across the world to break stories on issues which are often under-reported.
Normally based in London, he returned to work remotely in the island during the pandemic.
He was just making breakfast last Thursday when the list was announced and he found out through social media.
‘On a personal level, it was important to be on there,’ he said.
‘But in terms of work, the Thompson Reuters Foundation is not as well known as other outlets, so it’s lovely to see it up there, as these issues do not get enough attention.’
At school he dreamed of being a novelist, but work placements when he was 15 cemented his love of journalism and he went on to study journalism and French at the University of Sheffield.
In 2012 he spent three months at the Guernsey Press, which he said boosted his confidence.
‘What I loved about the Press was that because you had to go out and do three or four stories a day, you were really plugged into the community,’ he said.
‘You are thrown in the deep end.’
After university he spent a year teaching English in China, before coming back to the UK and entering the challenging journalism job market.
After applying for around 300 jobs, he landed a role at the TRF, the corporate foundation of Thomson Reuters, the global news and information services company.
The charity aims to advance media freedom, foster more inclusive economies, and promote human rights.
After a year with TRF he was given a chance to spend two years based in Senegal reporting on West African issues, like the post-Ebola recovery.
He returned to London as a news editor, managing 50 journalists around the world. Then he moved to become slavery and trafficking editor, still based in London, but needing to manage journalists in far-flung countries like Cambodia, Thailand and Mexico.
When the London office was forced to close, he moved back to Guernsey in October and have been managing his worldwide team from the island.
He said the Forbes listing was a wonderful surprise, although it had to led to some jokes, as he turned 30 in February, after the list was compiled.
He is planning to work in Guernsey over the summer and take advantage of being able to see friends and eat out, before returning to the London office later in the year.
