UKTV and BBC Studios’ UK Region appoint Grant Welland as Chief Operating Officer

Grant

10 June 2020

BBC Studios has appointed Grant Welland as Chief Operating Officer (COO), UK Region (Distribution) and UKTV. In the newly created role, Grant will focus on the strategic and commercial direction of UKTV and align it with BBC Studios as it continues to grow.

Reporting to Marcus Arthur, UKTV CEO and President of BBC Studios UK & Ireland, Grant will also lead on pan-BBC Studios projects for branded services, working with colleagues across the international regions. In addition, he will chair a new BBC Studios Branded Services Group that will focus on identifying cross-region opportunities for improvements in this area.

Grant brings to the role extensive industry experience having spent the last six years as Executive Vice President, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EVP, CEMA) in Global Distribution at BBC Studios. During his tenure he led a significant expansion of branded services across the region, while also growing the content and format sales business. Prior to this, Grant held group and regional finance director positions at BBC Worldwide and roles in corporate finance, strategy and business development at the BBC and Fox.

Marcus Arthur said:

Grant's experience in business development and his broader knowledge of BBC Studios and the markets we operate in, made him the perfect candidate for this role. He is ideally placed to help align the UK Region and UKTV businesses and foster collaboration across the wider BBC Studios Group.

Grant Welland added:

I am hugely excited to be joining the UK Region and UKTV team at such an important and dynamic time, with a mission to help it make the most of the incredible opportunities that lie ahead. I am also looking forward to working in partnership with our regional teams beyond the UK to shape the operating model of our global branded services for continuing success.

Grant starts his role immediately and sits on the UK Region Executive Leadership Team.

For more information, please contact:

Kerry Goode, Head of Comms, UKTV Network and BBC Studios Distribution, UK

About UKTV

UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 25 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.

UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.

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