Herb Scannell Leaving BBC Worldwide North America

NEW YORK: Herb Scannell has decided to step down as president of BBC Worldwide North America, with Ann Sarnoff, currently COO, taking over.

Scannell will turn over day-to-day operations to Sarnoff on August 1, but will remain with the company through the summer to aid in the transition. Scannell has been with the company since June 2010, during which time it has seen an increase in overall revenues by 50 percent. He spent much of his career at Viacom, including serving as vice chairman of MTV Networks and president of Nickelodeon Networks.

Prior to joining BBC Worldwide North America as COO in 2010, Sarnoff held senior executive roles in media, including president of Dow Jones Ventures.

Tim Davie, the CEO of BBC Worldwide, said, "Herb is a visionary and passionate executive who has rapidly grown and fundamentally transformed the North American business. He molded cable channel BBC America into an attractive brand and destination for viewers, moved the TV and digital content sales into high growth, and diversified the L.A. production business. We will miss him as a leader and colleague.” 

He continued, “Ann, who has been Herb's collaborative partner, is well positioned to take over the reins. As the media business continues to change at warp speed, Ann's proven leadership coupled with her solid strategic and creative business sense will be a great asset to the company as she and the team move the business towards new heights."
 
“After five years, and with a strong leadership team in place, it feels like the right time for me to return to the entrepreneurial path I was on in digital media before I joined BBC Worldwide,” said Scannell. “The company has a bright future, in no small measure because of the extraordinary talent and leadership of Ann Sarnoff. I have worked side-by-side with Ann for over ten years—both here and at Viacom—and it’s been one of the most fruitful partnerships of my career. Ann will take BBC Worldwide to new places.”
 
“I am thrilled to be stepping into this role and leading the efforts that build upon the growth trajectory that we’ve achieved under Herb’s leadership,” said Sarnoff. “We will continue to leverage the power of the BBC brand and the rich assets we have to grow across platforms.”