BBC supremo appoints two heads of marketing

The BBC’s marketing supremo Sue Farr has strengthened the corporation’s commercial resources with the appointment of two more heads of marketing.

James Thickett, executive director of European business development at The Walt Disney Company, has been appointed to the new post of head of marketing for BBC regional broadcasting.

Thickett will be responsible for developing the direction of the BBC’s regional marketing strategy and reports directly to Farr, BBC Broadcast’s director of marketing and communications.

He will also co-ordinate marketing activities across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and head marketing for English regional broadcasting.

Farr says: “He has a tremendous track record with one of the world’s major media corporations and will play a key role in ensuring that our marketing strategies are effect ively focused across the whole of the UK.”

Dominic Riley has been appointed to the post of head of marketing for BBC Online, the corporation’s Internet and interactive television service. He joined the BBC in July 1996 and took charge of the launch of Digital Audio Broadcasting that year.

Farr, who is in charge of marketing every BBC channel and service and has a seat on the board of BBC Broadcast, appointed Maureen Duffy to the new post of controller of TV marketing in January.

Two other new marketing posts have yet to be filled – the head of BBC2 marketing and head of public service digital channels marketing.