Amol Rajan - Speaker

Amol Rajan is a presenter for the Radio 4 Today programme and podcast, host of University Challenge, and presenter of Amol Rajan Interviews. When he was appointed by The Independent at 29, he became the youngest Editor of a British broadsheet newspaper and the first from an ethnic minority in over a century.

Amol began his television career as a mic boy on Channel 5's The Wright Stuff, later researching and co-presenting the show during its 2006-7 series. He joined The Independent in 2007, taking on roles as news reporter, sports correspondent, columnist, and comment editor. He also wrote for the Evening Standard and served as a restaurant critic for The Independent on Sunday. In 2013, he became The Independent's Editor-at-Large as the paper transitioned to digital.

In 2016, Amol joined the BBC as its first Media Editor, focusing on media and technology journalism. He has provided holiday cover for Radio 2 presenters, hosted the Media Show on Radio 4, and occasionally appeared on BBC One’s The One Show. His other presenting credits include The Imperial Inversion of Cricket, Archive on 4: Rivers of Blood, and The Decline of the West, along with appearances on Question Time, Masterchef, Great British Menu, Newsnight, The Daily Politics, The Andrew Marr Show, and Celebrity Mastermind, where he finished second with Shane Warne as his specialist subject.

In 2021, he presented a two-part TV documentary and a ten-part podcast on Britain's Royal Family. His 2011 book, Twirlymen: The Unlikely History of Cricket’s Greatest Spin Bowlers, explores the art of spin bowling. Based on his podcast, Rethink was published in 2021, featuring contributions from international figures on improving life post-pandemic.

Amol co-founded KEY Sessions, a charity for inner-city teenagers in London. He enjoys reggae music and cricket, playing as a batting all-rounder for the Authors XI. He lives in London with his wife and three children.