Indiantelevision.com Team

(31 December 2011 3:11 pm)

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide Australia GM Tony Iffland has announced that Amanda McGregor will be the new director of brands, consumers and new ventures, overseeing all commercial and marketing activity for BBC Worldwide in Australia and New Zealand.

She is currently BBC Worldwide Australia director of marketing and her new role will continue to oversee marketing, brand and consumer strategy for BBC Worldwide's Australian group of businesses, but will take on additional responsibility for the commercial activity of its six global brands in territory (Top Gear, Dancing With The Stars, Doctor Who, Torchwood, BBC Earth and Lonely Planet) as well as developing other new areas of business.

This new role has been created to reflect the growing emphasis on brands in the business and it will include overseeing live events and gaming, two new and rapidly evolving areas of growth for BBC Worldwide's global brands in territory. The two Heads of Commercial Services (Heather McIlfatrick and one to be recruited) will report to McGregor alongside her current team of 16.

In her new role McGregor will continue to report to BBC Worldwide global CMO Helen Kellie and Iffland but will come under BBC Worldwide's Brands, Consumers & New Ventures business division led by MD Marcus Arthur.

Iffland said, "Amanda is the ideal person to drive forward greater consumer, brand and marketing focus across BBC Worldwide Australia, and to support our rapidly growing new business areas. She has demonstrated an excellent track record in developing and exploiting our brands across a range of platforms and I am sure will provide great leadership for the live events and gaming areas of our business going forward."

Arthur said, "Spearheading the extension of well-known properties such as 'Doctor Who', 'Top Gear' or 'Dancing With The Stars' into areas of complete consumer immersion like Live Events and Gaming is exciting but not without its challenges. It's for this very reason that I know Amanda is the perfect person to ensure we can build even closer relationships with the Australian and New Zealand fans of these shows in the next few years and give them exactly what they're looking for."

McGregor said, "I'm delighted to take on this new role, leading our world class and much-loved brand portfolio at such an important time for the business. Australian consumers have a great affinity with our brands which is reflected in the fact that a greater proportion of our revenues come from these brands than anywhere else in the world."

One of her first priorities will be to recruit a new head of commercial services.