BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand (ANZ) Managing Director Jon Penn has today announced three promotions within his senior team.
Fiona Lang is to take up the new role of Chief Operating Officer, overseeing corporate advisory and strategic planning, business operations and legal and business affairs including rights management. Formerly the Head of Business and Legal Affairs for the company, Fiona will be working with all business areas, supported by the finance team, to track and improve our overall business performance.
Alistair McEwan is to become the new Director of Advertising Sales & Brand Partnerships, setting up a cross-platform media sales department responsible for all advertising sales and brand partnership sales within the region. In his former role as VP for Advertising Sales ANZ, Alistair oversaw management of BBC.com advertising and sponsorship sales and international advertising sales for BBC World News. His new role will include overseeing BBC Worldwide’s TV advertising sales in ANZ via the relationship with MCN and overseeing BBC Worldwide’s joint venture with Bauer, Park Publishing, for the Top Gear magazine and website.
Irene Read is to become BBC Worldwide ANZ’s Director of TV Sales and will join the company’s Executive Leadership Team. Previously the Head of TV Sales she will now take on full leadership responsibility for the licensing of TV programming and news in ANZ.
Completing the Executive Leadership Team for BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand are: Melissa Madden as Director of Brands & Marketing, Rob Leach as Director of Business Development & Consumer Digital, Laura Dumbrell as Head of Communications, Natalie Edgar as Director of Television and Naomi Mourra as Head of HR. Recruitment has commenced for a Director of Finance.
Says Jon Penn: ‘These new roles are a reflection of the company’s changing needs as it builds new partnerships in the market and the ability of Fiona, Alistair and Irene to deliver a first-class service to meet this demand.
‘Fiona has been instrumental in leading several key deals for BBC Worldwide this year and her role reflects the need for enhanced strategic business planning. Alistair’s role will enable us to offer more cross-platform advertising solutions to clients and Irene’s role will help to facilitate better co-ordination of television distribution across all platforms, as we enter our new arrangements with Foxtel and the ABC.’
The new roles will take effect immediately.