Dr Leon Hawthorne

Leon spent 30 years as a journalist, TV producer, and executive, before returning to academia to focus on the impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in media communication. He was a World News Anchor for CNN International in the United States, a World News Anchor for CNBC Europe in London, and a Lobby Correspondent for BBC News in Westminster, after which he moved into management.

He became Founder CEO of the Baby Channel, a 24/7 parenting television channel on Sky satellite, Virgin Media cable, and online. Next, he became CEO of the channels and production division of Simply Media, where he launched an entertainment channel and web portal, Simply TV, along with a portfolio of online lifestyle channels, including Food Zone, Beauty Zone, Health Zone, Gardening TV, Avenue 11, and Simply Entertainment.

After selling his stake in those businesses, Leon worked as a consultant on digital content strategy for the CEOs of major UK publishers and retailers, including Hearst Magazines, the London Evening Standard, the Independent, and Boots.com.

He returned to academia in 2019, completing an MA by Research at the University of Birmingham, with a thesis titled 'Old news, young views: how UK news providers engage young adult audiences (aged 16–34) on digital and social media platforms'. And he completed his PhD at City, University of London in 2024 with a thesis titled Talking Heads: The use of virtual human presenters for the delivery of news content.

His doctoral research examined the use of anthropomorphic AI avatars ('virtual humans') to deliver news and factual information. This multidisciplinary work spanned Human-Computer Interaction, Social Psychology, Business, and Journalism, and explored when and where generative AI could be deployed in ways that are engaging, ethical, and editorially desirable.