Following its acquisition of Endemol Shine Group, former ESG chief creative officer Peter Salmon will serve as executive chairman at Banijay U.K. with former territory COO Lucinda Hicks stepping in as CEO.
The appointments are valid from September. Salmon will oversee the U.K. portfolio of 25 unscripted and scripted production labels, with a focus on content and creativity, while Hicks will run the business’ day-to-day operations. The aim is to integrate the two companies by the end of the year.
Richard Johnston, current CEO of Endemol Shine U.K., will depart as a result of the restructure.
Salmon said: “It’s a great moment to land one of the biggest production jobs in the world. Having worked across our U.K. slate from a global perspective for nearly five years, I know how exciting the shows and producers are.”
“In Lucinda Hicks I also have a terrific partner — bright, hard-working and a lot of fun,” Salmon added. “Together, we are dedicated to building an inclusive and ambitious operation, where our teams have the support, direction and leadership they need but also the autonomy and freedom necessary to deliver the best ideas on the planet. The future here is very bright and given our producers have really shone throughout lockdown — they’ve been clever, innovative and resilient — I’ve no doubt we can go on to do great things together.”
“It’s great to be combining this tremendous talent, entrepreneurialism and IP under one roof.” Hicks said. “I look forward to working with Peter to build a combined creative portfolio renowned for its standout, world-class titles, driving innovation and originality and being at the forefront of positive change in the industry.”
Banijay CEO Marco Bassetti said: “Already heavily engaged in the country’s business and tapped into much of its network, Peter and Lucinda were in a prime position to take the group through the next stage of its journey. Brimming with IP and some of the best minds in the business, I’ve no doubt Banijay U.K., with them at the helm, will continue to be at the epicentre of devising original and innovative brands, which get the world talking.”
The Banijay U.K. slate includes “MasterChef,” “Good Karma Hospital” and “Grantchester.”