Lisa Holdsworth

"I joined the Writers' Guild when I became a regular writer on a soap opera. I was encouraged by my colleagues who recognised that despite having one of the more secure TV writing jobs (relatively speaking) it was still important to stand shoulder to shoulder with our colleagues elsewhere. Indeed, the rights that we had as soap writers were won for us by the Guild and that deserved our continuing support.

"Having since moved into the more treacherous areas of television, I am constantly grateful for the invisible supporting hand of the Guild and the confidence that my membership gives me to stand up for myself. I joined the TV Committee in 2013 and went on to be the Regional Rep for Yorkshire and North East, and then joint Deputy Chair.

"I am beyond proud to become Chair of the Guild. I hope to build on the success and hard work of my predecessor who has left me with some very big shoes to fill. I will continue our campaign for equality and diversity in our industry including better access to opportunities for writers from working class backgrounds. I will work to protect the livelihoods and rights of writers in this time of change. And I will continue to call out bad working practices that damage writers' careers, confidence and mental health."