The IPM unit will now be merged with the marketing services department under Farhana Gani to create an integrated, full service marketing operation for BBC Worldwide. Farhana will report to Alix with the new title of Head of Creative Services, informs a company release.

Reporting to Mike, Alix and her team will act as the company's central marketing hub, facilitating company-wide marketing projects, and expanding to include all non-children's TV and consumer-publishing related projects and will help shape the company’s investment strategy.

The team will continue to account manage the BBC specialist factual departments, working with producers and BBC marketing and communications to develop programming with a global multi-media potential and coordinating and managing the global exploitation of those brands across media. The team will continue to develop and manage special projects such as the feature film, Deep Blue and the forthcoming Planet Earth movie, bringing the BBC brand to new audiences, adds the release.

"The role brings, for the first time, our strategic market planning and the creative execution of campaigns together under a single management, with a clear remit that will be more easily understood by our partners in the BBC and in the wider production community," said BBC Worldwide managing director international television Mike Phillips.

"Alix’s experience and skills are perfect to further develop our marketing strategy and bringing the strategy team together with our highly regarded Creative Services team will enhance our world class capability," he said.

Alix joined BBC Worldwide in 1998 as Brand Manager for the BBC natural history unit. In her role as director of IPM - factual, she developed the role of marketing factual landmark series on a global basis.