Fiona Shields

I have over twenty years’ picture editing experience across a range of newspaper titles and have been picture editor of the Guardian for the last nine, having recently taken up the role of Head of Photography for the Guardian News and Media Group. Throughout my career I’ve been involved in the coverage of some of the most historic news stories of our time including the events surrounding 9/11 and the subsequent terror attacks in London and across Europe, conflicts around the world from Bosnia to Iraq and Afghanistan, the revolution of the Arab spring and the continuing violence in the middle east, large scale natural disasters such as the earthquakes in Haiti, tsunamis in southern Asia, famine in Sub-Saharan Africa and the humanitarian crises resulting from the growing refugee numbers across the globe. Also a good few UK general elections and political change and upheaval worldwide. 

In addition I’ve had the wonderful opportunity of delivering talks at photo festivals and to students of photojournalism and have enjoyed judging the Sony World Photography Awards, the UK Picture Editors Guild Awards, the Renaissance Photography Prize to name a few. Last year I was a been a nominator for the Prix Pictet and joined the jury of The Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize. Most recently I took part in the juding panel for the Lensculture Exposure Awards.