The Future of Broadcasting

Mike Darcey

Chief Operating Officer, BSkyB

Biography

Mike Darcey is Chief Operating Officer at BSkyB. Mike joined Sky in 1998 to establish and run Sky's Strategic Planning Group, becoming a member of Sky's Executive Board in 2002.

As COO, Mike continues his overall responsibility for group strategy but also looks after the following areas: television and online advertising sales; procurement of content from third party channel providers; syndication of Sky content to non satellite platforms; on-demand services; games; Sky's investments in joint venture channel partnerships; business development; and Sky's commercial online activities. He is on the board of National Geographic Channel UK and Nickelodeon UK.

Prior to joining Sky, Mike was an economic consultant with Lexecon, specialising in regulatory and competition law disputes, especially in the media and telecoms sectors. Mike has post-graduate degrees in Mathematics (from New Zealand) and Economics (LSE), is married with two children, and is a keen skier as well as occasional golfer, snow-boarder and surfer.

 

Ed Richards

Chief Executive, Ofcom

Biography

Ofcom role:

Ed Richards is the Chief Executive of Ofcom, appointed in October 2006.

Previously Ed was Chief Operating Officer, responsible for Strategy, Market Research, Finance, HR and other functions.

Strategy responsibilities included Ofcom’s strategic thinking on the communications sector and covering economic issues and consumer policy.

Ed was previously Senior Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister (Tony Blair) for Media, telecoms, the internet and e govt and Controller of Corporate Strategy at the BBC.

He has also worked in consulting at London Economics Ltd, as an advisor to Gordon Brown MP and began his career as a researcher with Diverse Production Ltd where he worked on programmes for Channel 4.

Ed is also a Director of Donmar Warehouse and a Director of The Teaching Awards Trust and a member of the Centre for Economic Performance Policy Committee at the London School of Economics.

Richard Halton

IPTV Programme Director, BBC

Biography

As Programme Director IPTV for the BBC, Richard is responsible for Project Canvas, the proposal to bring internet connectivity to the UK’s free to air platforms. The plans were shared as part of the BBC’s PSB Partnership announcements in December 2008 and are under consideration by the BBC Trust.

Prior to this, Richard was Controller, Business Strategy (2006-08), co-led Creative Future, the BBC’s editorial strategy (2005-06) and was Controller Television Strategy (2003-05).

Through these different roles Richard has been instrumental in shaping the BBC’s response to the changing audience, competitive and technology environment, led the development of a number of the BBC’s existing services and led teams responsible for many of the BBC’s existing commercial and policy frameworks.

He joined the BBC from Andersen Consulting in 1999.

 

Richard Eyre

Non-Executive Director, Starcom MediaVest Group UK

Biography

Born May 1954. Married for 32 years with 2 married kids, aged 29 and 27.

Education: Kings College School, Wimbledon
Oxford University, Politics, Philosophy and Economics
Harvard Business School, Advanced Management Program (1993)

Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts

1975-2001 Executive roles

Benton and Bowles 75-84: Graduate trainee to Head of Media Planning
Aspect Advertising 84-86: Media Director

Bartle Bogle Hegarty 86-91: First Media Director; built the media department from scratch to billings of c£100m with a media reputation to match one of the most creative agencies in the world.

Capital Radio plc 91-97: Chief Executive; led industry lobby to change the ownership rules and acquired radio companies outside London. Played a role in building the industry’s revenue share from under 2% to over 5%

ITV Network Ltd 97-2000: Chief Executive; tackled a demotivated and declining network. Published aggressive audience targets and built a new network team to achieve them.

Pearson Television 2000-1: Chief Executive; cancelled Baywatch and midwifed the creation of Pop Idol one of the most successful TV formats in the world.

Merged into RTL plc 2001: Director of Strategy and Content. Miserable

Since 2001 Non-Executive roles

Chairman of the Internet Advertising Bureau, a joint venture between all the major online companies.

Director of The Eden Project (2003-9). Chair from October 2009.

Chairman of Rapid Mobile, a specialist in mobile phone advertising

Director of MGt, Customer management services

Director of Results International LLP, M&A advisors

Co-founder and Chairman of Atlantic FM, a Cornish radio station

Co-founder and Chairman of Bess Media LLP, a new social/search application

Senior Independent Advisor to Starcom Mediavest Group UK, a media agency.

I write a fortnightly column for Media Week

I sat on the Phillis Committee advising the DCMS in the run-up to the 2003 Communications Act; contributed to Ofcom’s Public Service Broadcasting review; and advised Camelot on its successful re-application for the lottery franchise.

Chairman of RDF Media plc, the independent TV producer for 8 years, through flotation and subsequent sale in February 09. Now RDF’s Compliance Ombudsman. I spent three years working with 19 Management (creator of Pop Idol, Spice Girls etc) on a new media/music idea; three years on the board of the Guardian Media Group and five years on the board of Digital Bridges, a mobile games publisher, becoming Chairman when it rebranded as I-Play. In 2007 I joined the board of GCap Media plc, the UK’s largest radio group, becoming Chairman in November, managing its sale in June 2008.

Leisure

My favourite leisure occupations are music, cooking, writing and travel. I have written a novel which was published by Penguin in 2005. In 2004 I walked to the North Pole and am planning a trip to the South Pole in December 2010.

Richard Eyre
October 2009

 

Sue Robertson

Director of Corporate Affairs, FIVE

Biography

Sue Robertson has been Director of Corporate Affairs at Five since January 2001. Prior to this she was Director of Corporate Affairs at United Broadcasting and Entertainment (1999 - 2000) and Head of Corporate Affairs at Channel Four (1995 -1999). She worked at the BBC (1987 - 1995) initially in production on Panorama, Question Time and Newsnight and then as a manager within Political Programmes.

Before starting her TV career, she worked as secretary to the SDP parliamentary committee and as press secretary to the Rt Hon Dr David Owen MP. She is a fellow of the Royal Television Society and was Vice Chairman of the RTS 2002 -2005.

 

Caroline Thomson

Chief Operating Officer, BBC

Biography

Caroline Thomson is the Chief Operating Officer of the BBC. She is a member of the BBC’s Executive Board and reports to the Director-General.

Caroline has responsibility for the BBC’s Policy and Strategy, Legal, Distribution and Business Continuity functions and for all of the BBC’s property plans. As a result she is the Executive Director accountable for the BBC’s major infrastructure projects: digital switchover, the move to Salford and the development of the BBC’s two main sites in central and west London. Caroline was also responsible for leading the BBC’s bid for a successful review of its Charter and negotiating the licence fee settlement. She manages the BBC's main policies in regulatory and compliance areas and freedom of information as well as the BBC's legal affairs and government Relations. Caroline has responsibility for strategic analysis and planning and for the distribution of BBC services and is particularly involved in the development of the BBC’s digital strategy.

Caroline began her career in broadcasting 30 years ago, joining the BBC as a journalist trainee and going on to produce a range of BBC radio and television series including BBC Radio 4’s Analysis and BBC One’s Panorama. She left the BBC to work as political assistant to Roy Jenkins, then the leader of the SDP, during the 1983 General Election campaign.

In 1984, Caroline joined Channel 4 Television as Commissioning Editor, Science, Finance and Industry and went on to start Business Daily and the Equinox series. She was subsequently appointed Head of Corporate Affairs, reporting to the Chief Executive, Michael Grade.

Caroline rejoined the BBC in 1996 as Deputy Director of the BBC World Service. Then, in July 2000, she became the Director of Policy and Legal, before her role was expanded to incorporate Strategy and then further expanded when she became Chief Operating Officer in 2006.