Mary Mandefield
Mary Mandefield is a presenter and journalist living in London - she’s an advocate for finding power in your voice, using your platform for good and making a change in your own way. Mary is the presenter of Wednesday evenings on The Scene, a show which uncovers London's diverse culture and emerging talent on BBC Radio London. Since starting in January, Mary’s interviewed artists such as Amaria BB, Maleek Berry, Jack Garrett, Adekunle Gold and more. Stepping in for Richie Brave, Mary is the cover presenter for 1Xtra Talks - never shy to tackle the big conversations, she’s covered topics from the story of Stephen Lawrence, racial representation in politics, to sustainability in fashion. In January 2023, she hosted 2 cover shows on BBC Radio 1, Life Hacks and The Official Chart First Look.
As a journalist, Mary focuses on breaking down complex topics to make them accessible and understandable to youth audiences. Her series, Make it Make Sense for the News Movement asks ‘where are all the Black women on bikes?’ and ‘does your faith impact your career?’.
Mary has hosted events for Soho House, the Radio Academy, the British Science Festival, University for the Creative Arts and Oxfam. A frequent guest on panels - she’s taken to the stage for Universal Pictures, D&AD and Community Media Association. She’s worked on content for Bumble, Capital FM, The Hook and done voice overs for Wet Leg, Arrive, PureGym and Shopify.
As a writer, Mary’s words have been shared in Stylist, Hush and gal-dem. Always keen to share her advice and experience with others, her weekly newsletter ‘Making Moves’ gives a behind the scenes look at the projects she’s working on, insight on trends, conversations across the industry and job and funding opportunities in media.
Always looking for an adventure, instead of going to University, Mary spent extended time in Kenya, South Africa, Namibia, France and loved travelling to new locations. Passionate about supporting young talent, she’s been a long standing sponsor to Otjikondo School in Namibia and is a mentor for The Step-Up Sorority. As a campaigner for equality, Mary has spoken on behalf of the Malala Foundation at the Houses of Parliament and has represented the ONE campaign at the European Parliament.
