BSkyB digital ‘transition’ chief quits post

David Thatcher, customer marketing director at BSkyB responsible for “transition” – the conversion of analogue TV subscribers to digital – is leaving to join a publisher.

Thatcher leaves at Christmas, three months after Thursday’s launch of Sky Digital, to join International Masters Publishers as new business development director.

He will be responsible for identifying new business areas for the company, which sells a range of goods, from CD-Roms to cookery cards, through direct marketing.

Thatcher, who has worked on the Sky transition programme since last September, joined the broadcaster three years ago. Before this he worked in the books division of Time Life. His role at Sky involved working closely with M&C Saatchi, Sky’s advertising agency, which set the tone of the campaign, and its sales promotion agency Claydon Heeley International.

He says: “It has been a very interesting job because it was so fundamentally different. I would be delighted to stay but this was an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

It is not known if the company will appoint a direct replacement.