Channel 4 poaches Ofcom executive

Channel 4 has poached Ofcom digital executive Tom Loosemore (pictured) to head its £50m fund to drive public service digital media. Loosemore, Ofcom senior adviser for digital media, joins as head of Four Innovation for the Public Fund.

He joined the media regulator just over a year ago, tasked with developing Ofcom’s public service publisher project, which has since been dropped, and is currently seconded to the Cabinet Office.

Loosemore will join Channel 4 in October and report to Jon Gisby, Channel 4’s director of new media and technology. He will lead 4’s digital innovation fund, which was announced by chief executive Andy Duncan earlier this year as part of the Next on 4 strategy and intends to secure its future funding in the digital age.

Loosemore joined the BBC in 2001 as head of broadband, rising to become BBC director of web 2.0 projects and was part of the team that developed the iPlayer on-demand TV service. Previously, he was part of the launch team for local information website Upmystreet.com.