Friday 24 May 2013 Sky News presenter Samantha Simmonds will be this year’s keynote speaker at GSAL’s Speech Day. The OG, who left Leeds Girls’ High School in 1991, has said that she is absolutely delighted to be invited to speak at the event in Leeds Town Hall on Thursday 28 November. Samantha has been a presenter for Sky News since 2005 and regularly anchors the main morning, afternoon and evening programmes. Highlights include anchoring live coverage at the Olympic Park of the London 2012 opening ceremony and presenting on location outside Buckingham Palace during the royal wedding – covering “the kiss” and interviewing the crowds. She has anchored rolling coverage of the breaking news of the Aurora cinema shootings, Michael Jackson’s death, the death of Amy Winehouse and the sentencing and subsequent hanging of Saddam Hussein. Samantha has also covered the UK, French and Greek elections and has a particular interest in Middle Eastern events. On leaving LGHS, Samantha completed a degree in history and communications studies at Liverpool University. She started reporting for BBC local radio in Yorkshire in 1995 before joining Channel 5 as a producer in 1996. She has also worked for BBC News 24, BBC Breakfast and BBC London. Alumni
