Jana Bennett Exiting BBC Worldwide

June 22, 2012 World Screen Top Stories
ADVERTISEMENT

LONDON: Jana Bennett, the president of worldwide networks and the Global iPlayer at BBC Worldwide, is leaving the company this fall, following a major restructure focused on regional business lines.

 

BBC Worldwide is restructuring the business from divisional to geographic lines. Rather than global divisions, the structure will be broken into market- and country-focused units. The reorganization takes effect October 1. BBC Worldwide’s existing structure based on five global divisions will cease to exist. Instead, there will be seven geographical breakdowns: North America; the U.K.; Australia and New Zealand; Western Europe; Asia; Latin America; Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. There will be three newly created areas of accountability: sales, brands and content.
 
Bennett will remain in her current post until late fall.
 
Bennett said: “My time at BBC Worldwide has been exciting and stimulating. I am delighted to have grown the BBC’s international channel portfolio at a time when global markets are so highly competitive and to have brought quality British programs and events to new audiences around the world both through our worldwide networks and the Global BBC iPlayer pilot.
 
“Today’s announcement about the new organization of BBC Worldwide, with regions in future holding P&L responsibility, is an important step in securing the future growth of BBC Worldwide enabling it to compete more effectively in the global market and deliver increasing returns to the BBC. I was pleased to have played a significant role in the organizational design process and fully support the changes under John Smith’s leadership. However with the move of P&L responsibility under the new structure I feel this is a good moment for me to work outside BBC Worldwide.”
 
John Smith, the CEO of BBC Worldwide, said: “Jana has made a hugely positive contribution to BBC Worldwide in her time here. She deserves our gratitude, and leaves us a great legacy to build on. She has extended our channels internationally, driven schedule changes which have translated into ratings and advertising uplifts, and moved forward our digital offer across several platforms. She has also secured some important market entries in Latin America, Asia and EMEA, which will form the cornerstone of our future business there. I am sorry to lose someone of her caliber, as we refocus our business on regional opportunities, but I am grateful she will remain with us for a time to deliver a number of strategically important projects across the world.”
 
Mark Thompson, BBC’s director-general and chairman of BBC Worldwide, added: “The BBC has been fortunate to benefit from Jana’s talents in many ways. As a director of television, and later director of Vision, she was second to none, with a record that speaks for itself in both reach and appreciation across the many services she was responsible for. In that role, she brought to our screens much loved shows from Strictly Come Dancing, the new Doctor Who and Planet Earth as well as comedies like The Thick of It and Miranda and boosted our specialist factual output in science, arts and culture. Over the past decade, she has played an important role in steering the BBC into the digital age, building the new channel portfolio with BBC Three and Four and our much loved children’s channels. She’s expanded the BBC’s global audience at BBC Worldwide as well. She has been a valued member of our BBC executive and worldwide boards and the UKTV board. She leaves with our thanks for all she has done, and our affection for the principled and visionary colleague she has been.”
 
Bennett continued: “After more than 10 years with BBC television both within the U.K. and internationally, there is much here that I will miss. I will leave with huge pride in what the corporation stands for, both here and abroad. I would like to thank the talented and dedicated teams I have worked with and wish all the best to an exceptional organization while I look forward to bringing my experience to another area of international media.”