LEADERSHIP TEAM
Ralph Lee
Chief Executive Officer
Ralph is responsible for BBC Studios Productions' creative and editorial strategies in the UK. With ...25 years’ experience in the UK TV sector he was formerly Acting Chief Creative Officer at Channel 4 overseeing a run of hits including Gogglebox, First Dates and Educating Yorkshire.
Martha Brass
Chief Operating Officer
Martha is the Chief Operating Officer of BBC Studios Productions. Working alongside Production’s CEO... and with stakeholders across the Group she will deliver Studios Productions’ ambitious growth plan and meet the needs of a wide pool of clients. Martha oversees Business Operations and Production across all bases and has a wealth of Global Commercial and Operational experience. Most recently, Martha was the Director of International Operations at the Newen Group (France’s largest producer-distributor of audio-visual content) and prior to this she was the Chief Executive Officer of International Operations at the Endemol Shine Group.
Hannah Wyatt
Managing Director, Factual Entertainment and Events
Hannah oversees the creative, commercial and operational strategy for the Factual Entertainment and ...Events production. This includes the Events and Factual Entertainment teams. She also oversees development of new factual entertainment formats to ensure the continued creative growth of IP in this key genre.
Suzy Lamb
Managing Director, Entertainment and Music
Suzy joined BBC Studios in April 2018. She is responsible for Entertainment and Music productions as... well as leading the development and commercial growth strategy. Prior to this, she was Head of Entertainment at Thames, launching huge, international brands including Take Me Out (ITV). An award-winning executive producer, Suzy has also worked in the U.S. as showrunner on multiple NBC commissions.
Matt Forde
Managing Director, International Production & Formats
Matt Forde is responsible for overseeing BBC Studios’ international production bases and global form...ats business outside of the UK – including the USA, France, Germany, Australia, India, South Africa, and the Nordics. He took up the newly created global role in October 2018. Matt Forde has a wealth of commercial and creative experience having worked in both Europe and North America and through leading teams in both sales and production. From 2016-2018 he headed up the BBC Studios’ Los Angeles Production office, where he led the development of the Dancing with the Stars brand, extending it into spin-offs Dancing with the Stars Athletes and Dancing with the Stars Juniors for ABC, as well as overseeing the multi-Emmy® award-winning franchise Life Below Zero for National Geographic Channel. The Los Angeles unscripted team produces the hit game show Weakest Link, Top Gear America and When Nature Calls with Helen Mirren, all based on UK formats.
Mark Linsey
Managing Director, Scripted
Mark is Managing Director, Scripted, overseeing BBC Studios’ teams in Drama Productions, Daytime, Co...ntinuing Drama Series and Comedy Productions, alongside its scripted labels (Lookout Point, Sid Gentle, Clerkenwell Films, Baby Cow Productions, House Productions), and the Scripted indie minority shareholdings and distribution relationships. He took up the role in February 2022 when BBC Studios combined its Productions and Content Partnerships businesses to create a single content powerhouse for all productions, talent relationships, and content investment. Prior to this Mark was the Chief Creative Officer at BBC Studios, having joined from the previous BBC Studios (formerly BBC in-house production) after it merged with BBC Worldwide in April 2018. Before this, Mark held a number of senior positions across both the BBC and the independent production sector, working for companies including Talent Television, Zeal TV and Tiger Aspect.
Cecilia Persson
Managing Director, Kids & Family
Cecilia Persson drives an ambitious global strategy for BBC Kids & Family, one of our key genres whi...ch make up BBC Studios Productions. As Managing Director, Cecilia works in partnership with all areas of the business to ensure the most creative, efficient and effective approach to bring children’s content to our audiences around the world. Cecilia has extensive creative and commercial knowledge, including more than 15 years at Warner Media, where she most recently held the role of VP Programming & Content Strategy EMEA; Acquisition & Co-Production International.
Phoebe Finegan
Business Manager
Phoebe provides effective business support to ensure the smooth running of Production HQ including h...olistically managing Production Executive. She ensures governance is appropriate, accurate and properly adhered to whilst also monitoring and reporting progress against business objectives
Fiona Hill
Head of Business
As Head of Business, Fiona sits at the heart of Productions evaluating commercial opportunities and ...shaping business practice. Her strategic insight is invaluable to Productions success. An experienced consultant, Fiona has led a range of high-profile projects for Studio and blue-chip clients including Warner, Disney, Apple and Amazon.
Matt Garside
Director of M&A and Corporate Development
Matt is responsible for BBCS Productions’ M&A activity and development of its equity portfolio, lead...ing on investments into startup ventures and acquisition of existing labels. Matt partners closely with genre leadership to identify and secure growth opportunities through investment and works with management of the labels via board directorship. Recent deals include the acquisition of Sid Gentle Films, House Productions, Clerkenwell Films, Firebird Pictures, Voltage TV and investment into Moonage Pictures, Turbine Studios and Mothership. Previously, Matt had number of strategy and advisory roles across BBC Group and worked in consulting and corporate finance at Deloitte.
Helen Pendlebury
Director, Digital & Business Development
Helen leads our business development, focusing on new content opportunities including digital origin...als, podcasts, ad-funded programming and branded content. She previously headed up our formats and live events business in Australia and New Zealand, looking after local versions of popular BBC formats including Dancing with the Stars, Mastermind and Coast. She has also held the roles of Controller Multiplatform Solutions at ITV, and Interactive Editor across BBC Radio 1, 2 & 6 Music.
Kevin McCormick
Head of Production, UK Operations
Kevin oversees our production activity and manages our key relationships in Scotland and Northern Ir...eland as well as working on projects across production in the UK. Kevin has nearly 30 years’ experience in production, business, finance and project management roles within the industry.
Suzanne McKenna
Director of Unscripted Indies
Suzanne is responsible for BBC Studios unscripted slate with independent producers, as well as with ...the BBC around its news and current affairs output and with BBC Studios across Factual Entertainment, Music and Live Events. In addition to overseeing day-to-day commercial activities, Suzanne leads on business development with a particular focus on first look and equity arrangements, strategic partnerships, co-funding opportunities and self-commissioning routes to market. She is passionate about identifying and securing content which will deliver commercial and creative success and her work has resulted in the investment into hits including Rogan Productions’ Freddie Mercury – The Final Act, Mindhouse’s Louis Theroux: Forbidden America and 72 Films The Spice Girls. In recent years Suzanne has grown BBC Studios-originated content offering with titles including David Beckham: Into The Unknown, Serengeti, and A Life in Ten Pictures.
Roger Leatham
Director of Business Affairs
Roger runs the Legal and Business Affairs teams for production in the UK and internationally, managi...ng teams throughout Studios’ bases across the UK and in EMEA, APAC and the USA. The teams negotiate talent deals, development and commissioning agreements, clear rights and provide general production support.
Lisa Hardy
Head of HR
Lisa is responsible for the People agenda at BBC Studios Productions, leading a team of HR professio...nals to drive HR activity across all our genres. Focused on all elements of the HR strategy, Lisa works with the team to ensure we provide the most creative and diverse environment for our people to succeed. Before BBC Studios, Lisa has many years' experience as an HR leader working across multiple industries.
Joanna Rwama
Commercial Finance Director
Joanna oversees commercial activity across all Production Brands. Prior to this she was Head of Fina...nce at BBC Studios for Factual Entertainment and Events, and Entertainment and Music, and before that she worked as the finance lead for investments and acquisitions of independent production companies.
Colin Waters
Content Investment Director
Responsible for managing BBC Studios investment portfolio into content rights of approximately £200m... per annum, including the allocation of capital against strategic priorities, post investment performance assessment and sponsorship of various initiatives that seek to grow and accelerate IP development within the group. Colin is also a member of the senior finance leadership team reporting into the CFO and COO, Production.
Philip Fleming
Senior Head of Communications
Phil has over 20 years’ experience in UK and global PR and media relations management honed in the a...irline, publishing, broadcast and media industries. He leads a team of communications managers and publicists responsible for all BBC Studios Productions and Brands external communications.