{{Short description|British sound engineer and campaigner}}{{Primary sources|date=April 2026}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = <!-- use common name/article title --> | image = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing [[brackets]] --> | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name --> | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1982|2}} | birth_place = [[Berlin]], [[Germany]] | education = [[Madras College]] | website = {{URL|http://www.olgafitzroy.com}} | awards = Recording Engineer of the Year (2016) | employer = [[Associated Independent Recording]]<br />[[Music Producers Guild]] | alma_mater = [[University of Surrey]]<ref name=dotcom/> | occupation = [[Tonmeister]]<br />[[Audio engineer]]<br />[[Record producer]]<br />[[Politician]] | years_active = | known_for = Activism | notable_works = }}
'''Olga Fitzroy''' (born February 1982)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Olga FITZROY personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/wr-RweN5Z7DwhwZ_mWpwgHYMysQ/appointments |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref> is a German-born sound engineer at [[Associated Independent Recording]] (AIR) studios and a campaigner for shared [[parental leave]] and [[gender pay gap|fair pay]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://insidecroydon.com/2019/11/09/labours-croydon-south-candidate-wins-campaigner-award/|title=Labour's Croydon South candidate wins campaigner award|date=November 9, 2019|website=insidecroydon.com}}</ref><ref name=sucks>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07y64hl |title= Does My Music Suck?, Olga Fitzroy (Recording and Mix Engineer) |author=Anon|year=2019|website=bbc.co.uk|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2019-12-18}}</ref><ref name=twitter>{{twitter}}</ref><ref name=dotcom/>
== Early life == Fitzroy was born in Berlin, Germany.<ref name="discogs">{{Discogs artist}}</ref> and educated at [[Madras College]]<ref name="andrews">{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200116152707/https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/fife/495684/st-andrews-raised-music-engineer-olga-launches-national-campaign-shared-parental-pay/|archivedate=2020-01-16|url=https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/fife/495684/st-andrews-raised-music-engineer-olga-launches-national-campaign-shared-parental-pay/|first=Michael|last= Alexander|year=2017|title=St Andrews-raised music engineer Olga launches national campaign for shared parental pay|website=thecourier.co.uk|location=Dundee|publisher=[[The Courier (Dundee)|The Courier]]}}</ref> in [[St Andrews]], Scotland.<ref name="sucks" /> She initially wanted to be a drummer in a [[punk rock]] band,<ref name="punk">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjqnU4uEMmY|publisher=[[YouTube]]|website=youtube.com|title=The UPload: Recording Engineer, Olga Fitzroy|date=8 August 2019 }}</ref> but completed a [[Tonmeister]] degree at the [[University of Surrey]] which included a [[Sandwich degree|placement]] as a runner at AIR studios.<ref name="dotcom">{{cite web |url=http://www.olgafitzroy.com/about/ |title=About ← Olga FitzRoy |website=olgafitzroy.com |date= |accessdate= |archive-date=7 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207215326/http://www.olgafitzroy.com/about/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Professional career== Fitzroy works for [[Associated Independent Recording]] (AIR) studios<ref name=air/> in [[Hampstead]], London.<ref name="sucks" /> She has worked with [[George Michael]],<ref name="sucks" /> [[Paul McCartney]] on the [[Love (Beatles album)|''Love'' album]], [[Chris Martin]] from [[Coldplay]], [[Dave Grohl]] from the [[Foo Fighters]], [[Matt Bellamy]] from [[Muse (band)|Muse]], and [[Hans Zimmer]].<ref name=imdb>{{IMDb name}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Adam |last=Sherwin|date=18 November 2019|url=https://inews.co.uk/news/olga-fitzroy-labour-candidate-swapping-coldplays-studio-for-croydon-south-363348|title=Labour candidate Olga FitzRoy swapping Coldplay's studio for Croydon South|work=i News|accessdate=22 April 2026|publisher=Associated Newspapers}}</ref> She has mixed music for the [[2012 Summer Olympics|London 2012 Olympics]].<ref name=discogs/><ref name=imdb/><ref name=sucks/><ref name=paygap>{{cite web|last=Homewood |first=Ben |url=https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/the-gender-pay-gaps-are-shameful-olga-fitzroy-calls-for-action-at-women-in-music-2019/078079 |title='The gender pay gaps are shameful': Olga FitzRoy calls for action at Women In Music 2019|publisher=Music Week|date=2019|accessdate=16 January 2020}}</ref> As of 2023 her recent projects include [[The Crown (season 5)|The Crown season 5]], [[Live in Buenos Aires (Coldplay album)|Live In Buenos Aires]] by [[Coldplay]], and [[Doctor Who (season 13)|Doctor Who season 13.]]<ref name=discogs/><ref name=air>{{cite web|url=https://www.airstudios.com/olga-fitzroy |title=Olga FitzRoy |publisher=AIR Studios |date= 11 July 2019|accessdate=}}</ref><ref name=imdb/> She formerly served as a member of the [[Music Producers Guild]] (MPG) board of directors <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mpg.org.uk/|title=The Music Producers Guild|access-date=10 April 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Reddington|first=Helen|year=2021|url=https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/shes-at-the-controls/|title=She’s at the Controls: Sound Engineering, Production and Gender Ventriloquism in the 21st Century|publisher=Equinox Publishing|format=Paperback|ISBN=9781781796511}}{{deadlink|date=April 2026}}</ref>
==Campaigning and politics== Fitzroy unsuccessfully stood as parliamentary candidate for the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] in [[Croydon South (UK Parliament constituency)|Croydon South]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://olga4croydonsouth.com/|work=Olga 4 Croydon South|title=Olga FitzRoy|first=Olga|last=Fitzroy|year=2019|access-date=6 December 2019|archive-date=13 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213020254/http://olga4croydonsouth.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref> in the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 General Election]] against the winning [[Conservative Party(UK)|Conservative]] incumbent [[Chris Philp]]. She is the founder of Parental Pay Equality<ref name=ppe>{{cite web|url=http://www.parentalpayequality.org.uk/author/olga/ |title=Olga, Author at Campaign for Parental Pay Equality |work=Parental Pay Equality|date=25 June 2019|accessdate=22 April 2026}}</ref> and worked closely with [[Tracy Brabin]] on the Selfieleave Bill to give shared parental leave to the self-employed in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ramsey |first1=Colby |title=Supporters of Olga FitzRoy's Parental Pay Equality campaign gathered outside Parliament |url=https://audiomediainternational.com/video-supporters-of-olga-fitzroys-parental-pay-equality-campaign-gathered-outside-parliament/ |publisher=Audio Media International |date=23 February 2018 |access-date=23 February 2018}}</ref>
During Covid she worked pro-bono for the charity ''Pregnant Then Screwed'', leading their work on a judicial review against the chancellor for discrimination in the SEISS scheme.<ref>{{cite web |title=SEISS grants did discriminate against new mothers – the government must do better|first=Olga|last=FitzRoy|date=24 November 2011 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/seiss-scheme-discrimination-mothers-b1963670.html |work=The Independent |access-date=24 November 2021}}</ref>
She was elected as a councillor for [[St Martin's (Lambeth ward)|St Martin's]] ward in Lambeth in the May 2022 [[2022 Lambeth London Borough Council election|local elections]].
She stood to be the Labour [[prospective parliamentary candidate]] for the new constituency of [[Croydon East (UK Parliament constituency)|Croydon East]] at the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Olga FitzRoy – Fighting for Croydon's Future |url=https://olgafitzroy.com/ |access-date=29 February 2024 }}</ref> She lost the nomination to [[Natasha Irons (politician)|Natasha Irons]].
==Awards and honours== Fitzroy was named recording engineer of the year at the [[Music Producers Guild]] (MPG) awards in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mpg.org.uk/news/mpg-awards-2016-winners/|title=Music Producers Guild Announces its 2016 Award Winners!|date=4 February 2016|publisher=Music Producers Guild}}</ref> She was recognised by [[BBC Radio 4]] on ''[[Woman's Hour]]'' power list in 2018<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3WWSL8B88gS1sCRYrgC1ZTy/power-list-2018-top-40|title=BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour - Power List 2018: Top 40|publisher=BBC Radio 4}}</ref> for her successful campaign for shared [[parental leave]] and [[maternity]] allowance for [[Self-employment|self-employed]] and [[freelancer|freelance staff]]. In 2019 she was awarded the [[The Ivors Academy|Ivors Academy]] Gold Badge Award<ref>{{cite web |title=The Ivors Academy Gold Badge 2019 Recipients Announced |url=https://www.thejazzmann.com/news/article/the-ivors-academy-gold-badge-2019-recipients-announced/ |work=The Jazz Man |access-date=12 September 2019}}</ref> and also the 2019 campaigner of the year award at ''[[Music Week]]'''s [[women in music]] awards.,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/you-re-an-inspiration-all-the-winners-and-tributes-at-the-music-week-women-in-music-awards-2019/078023|title='You're an inspiration': All the winners and tributes at the Music Week Women In Music Awards 2019|work=Music Week|first=Andre |last=Paine|year=2019}}</ref> which was presented by [[Tom Watson, Baron Watson of Wyre Forest|Tom Watson]].
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [https://olgafitzroy.com/ Campaign website] {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzroy, Olga}} [[Category:Alumni of the University of Surrey]] [[Category:People educated at Madras College]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates]] [[Category:German emigrants to the United Kingdom]] [[Category:British audio engineers]] [[Category:21st-century British women politicians]] [[Category:21st-century German women politicians]] [[Category:Women councillors in England]] [[Category:Labour Party (UK) councillors]] [[Category:Councillors in the London Borough of Lambeth]]