BBC Worldwide has announced the appointment of Joel Churcher as Vice President and General Manager for Africa, which is a new role for the business and emphasises a long-term commitment to Africa as a priority market.
In 2013, BBC Worldwide underwent restructuring from its divisional to geographic lines of management, which enables it to capture future growth opportunities globally and as a result, the role of Vice President and General Manager for Africa was created.
Churcher’s appointment as General Manager is the second for the Asian, Central Eastern European, Middle and East African (CEMA) region after Jacek Koskowski was appointed as Vice President and General Manager for Poland in 2011.
Based in Johannesburg, Churcher will be responsible for strategy and business development across all BBC Worldwide businesses in the CEMA region, including television and digital sales, production and format sales, licensing and publishing, live events, and the daily management of the BBC-branded channels portfolio available on DStv.
Churcher excelled in his previous position as Account Director for BBC Worldwide Channels across the European, Middle Eastern and African (EMEA) region, driving the advertising sales business in markets such as Norway, Poland and Italy. He was also Advertising Sales Director in charge of advertising sales on all BBC-branded channels in Western Europe and within the CEMA region, including South Africa.
Working closely with the senior management team in London, Churcher will report to Ian McDonough, BBC Worldwide’s Executive Vice President for CEMA.
