STV GROUP - Key Persons
Appointed to the Board in February 2021, Aki has built a successful executive career across the advertising, marketing and digital media sectors and is currently UK General Manager of subscription-based sports news website, The Athletic. Prior to joining The Athletic in early 2020, Aki was Chief Operating Officer of Telegraph Media Group, responsible for delivery of the strategy to transform the business from a traditional publisher model into a successful, sustainable subscription-based business. Aki was UK Managing Director of Omnicom Group Agency, OMD from 2015 until 2017 and prior to this held executive roles within WPP-owned MediaCom in the UK over a period of nine years. Aki's early career was established with employment website Monster.com from 1999 until 2006 where she rose to become General Manager.
Appointed in November 2014, Anne Marie has over 35 years' experience in the energy industry and investment banking and is an experienced director, holding executive and non-executive roles. She is currently Deputy Chair at Aker BP ASA and a non-executive director of both Harbour Energy plc and Aker Energy AS. In addition, she is a Senior Advisor in the Strategic Advisory business at PJT Partners. Anne Marie was previously a Senior Advisor at Morgan Stanley focused on M&A and has also held financial and commercial roles at Shell UK, Schroder Wagg and Thomson North Sea, as well as executive director positions on the boards of Hardy Oil and Gas and British Borneo.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of Broadcast
Bobby Hain is Managing Director of Broadcast at STV Group plc, responsible for TV operations to deliver the Channel 3 licence service that includes the network schedule shared with ITV and regional programmes, primarily news and current affairs. Bobby has over forty years of media experience across radio, television and digital. He is a trustee of the STV Children's Appeal, chair of the trustees of STV's two DB pension schemes and has fulfilled a number of board commitments in the creative sector including Scottish Youth Theatre, Creative Skillset and RTS Scotland.
Appointed to the Board in May 2018, David has worked in the broadcasting industry for over 30 years - at ITV, the BBC, Sky, TV-am and Channel Five. David started his broadcasting career in a number of ITV regional audience research teams (including Grampian Television in the late 1980s), before moving into marketing and programme acquisition roles and then embarking on a succession of senior scheduling positions. David was Director of Programme Strategy at ITV for 20 years from 1997 to 2017. He retains extensive contacts at senior levels in the broadcasting and programme production sectors in the UK and USA.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, STV Studios
David joined STV in November 2018 and provides creative and business leadership for STV Studios, one of the UK's leading content businesses. His three year tenure has seen impressive growth and STV Studios winning significant commissions in both the domestic and international markets. David has also overseen STV Studios' investment and acquisition strategy, with the group now encompassing eight in-house labels and associated production companies.
Particular creative highlights under David's leadership have been two recent award winning dramas, Elizabeth is Missing (BBC) and The Victim (BBC), together with a new six part returnable drama for Channel 4, Screw. STV Studios recently became the first production company to win a commission from the new Channel 4 contestable fund with Murder Island, an innovative blend of unscripted and drama, creating a TV event that will hit our screens later this year.
David is a multi-award winning producer, responsible for creating and producing major hit shows including Dragons' Den (BBC), Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends (BBC), and 71 Degrees North (ITV). David joined from Tinopolis, the UK's largest independent production group - where he was Director of Content. There, he headed up the group's overall scripted and unscripted strategy across 13 production companies in the UK and US. Prior to this, David ran NBC Universal's International Unscripted Group, growing the business from just 12 hours a year when he joined in 2013, to over 150 hours by the time he left in 2016, with a value of $80 million.
David had a fifteen year career at the BBC, working in roles as both a network commissioner and producer, after which he established his own successful independent production company, Fever Media, which focused on entertainment and factual formats and won commissions and format sales in the UK, US and a huge number of international territories.
Job Titles:
- Director of Operations and Delivery
George is a business analyst and qualified accountant (CIMA) with extensive experience in consumer facing sectors of travel and leisure and media. He joined STV in 1999. Prior to his assuming the role of Director of Operations and Delivery, he held the position of Group Financial Controller and Treasurer. In his current role, George is responsible for working across all areas of the business to deliver the growth strategy.
Helen is head of the team that delivers the legal work across STV including its Broadcast, Digital and Studios businesses. She is the legal and regulatory lead in any new business initiatives of STV, whether that be platform expansion for STV Player, or the creation of the STV Children's Appeal. With key experience of IP rights and IT technology deals, and in-depth knowledge of UK media regulation, Helen has successfully supported and underpinned STV's growth from its core broadcasting activity to multi platform content and ad delivery. Helen's past experience on programme production delivered the legal work on pivotal STV programme-making such as the drama series, Taggart and Rebus, and observational factual series Club Reps. On a day to day basis Helen steers the legal and compliance work around STV news and broadcast output. Helen joined STV in 2000 from private practice, having trained in Glasgow, and held an in-house role with Wm Grant & Sons Distillers. Before her law degree at Strathclyde University, she studied modern languages in Edinburgh, working for 5 years on the operational side of broadcasting with the BBC in London, principally in Bush House with the BBC World Service.
She sits on the Privacy Committee of the Law Society of Scotland.
Appointed to the Board in November 2015, Ian qualified as a CA in 1980 with Arthur Young McClelland Moores. His subsequent career involved time with The British Linen Bank, Touche Ross, Rutherford Manson Dowds and Deloitte. Ian retired as Senior Partner for Deloitte in Scotland and Northern Ireland in 2015 and prior to retiring, had been on the UK Board of Deloitte LLP for over eight years. Ian was a Corporate Finance Advisory Partner with Deloitte and was Head of Global Advisory for some three years. He is on the Advisory Board of Visible Capital and is Chairman of Iomart Group plc.
Job Titles:
- Company Secretary
- for Investor and Shareholder Enquiries, Contact
Job Titles:
- Senior Communications Executive
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Chief Financial Officer
Appointed to the Board in May 2019, Lindsay is a Chartered Accountant with extensive commercial experience gained across a range of sectors covering the FTSE 100, 250 and large private companies. Previously, Lindsay held the role of Group Financial Controller at William Grant & Sons Limited. Prior to this, she was Group Financial Controller of The Weir Group plc. In addition to her core financial responsibilities she has wide ranging M&A, investor relations and international experience. In her early stage career after qualifying at Deloitte, she held senior finance roles with Johnston Press plc.
Appointed to the board in February 2021, Paul has over 30 years international public-company experience, mainly in the TMT sector, as a Chair, non-executive Director and senior executive, including tenures as Chief Executive of BT Wholesale and Executive Director of BT Group plc and Chief Executive of Telecom New Zealand Ltd. He is currently a non-executive Director of Tosca IOM, the holding company for TalkTalk Telecom Group, and was previously Chair of TalkTalk's subsidiary, FibreNation Limited. Paul is also active in financial services, as a non-executive director at Computershare Ltd in Melbourne and Chair of data-analytics fintech, 9Spokes Ltd. He has held previous roles as a non-executive Director at Eircom Ireland Limited, XConnect Global Networks Ltd and Japan-based telecommunications company, eAccess Ltd.
Peter Reilly - Chief Commercial Officer
Peter joined STV in September 2010 as Commercial Director. Peter has extensive broadcast experience, including 18 years working for ITV in commercial roles based in London and Leeds. Lead by Peter, STV's commercial division offers an innovative, multi-platform approach to advertising solutions, serviced from STV's Scottish and London offices. The commercial team has achieved significant growth by developing strong relationships with advertisers: reaching out to the business community in Scotland and to nationally-based advertisers seeking to speak directly to Scottish consumers. Peter has led the development and integration of STV's extensive digital offering into the commercial portfolio, driving significant growth in the process, and established an in-house award-winning commercial production team, STV Creative.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Digital
Richard has been Managing Director of STV's Digital division since 2018 with a focus to drive growth of STV Player.
Job Titles:
- Senior Independent Director
Appointed to the Board in December 2016, Simon is an experienced director and chair with exposure to a wide range of financial, commercial and manufacturing businesses, holding both executive and non-executive roles. He is currently chairman of Blackrock North American Income Trust plc; chairman of Hampden & Co; and was formerly a non-executive director of Scottish Friendly Assurance Limited. Simon read Law at Cambridge and is a Barrister at Law.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Chief Executive Officer
Appointed to the Board in January 2018. Previously, Simon was a member of the executive board of ITV plc, holding the position of Managing Director, Online, Pay TV, Interactive & Technology. Over a 17 year career there, Simon held a range of senior roles and, as Director of Strategy, was one of the main architects of the company's transformation under Archie Norman and Adam Crozier and also oversaw strong growth in ITV's digital businesses. Simon was also on the board of news provider ITN for 8 years and prior to ITV, worked in the European Parliament. He is Vice Chair of the Royal Television Society and a trustee of the STV Children's Appeal and literary charity Oscar's Book Prize.
Job Titles:
- HR and Communications Director
Suzanne has extensive experience in generalist HR, organisation development and strategic communications roles. This experience has been acquired across a range of industry sectors including technology and utilities; FMCG manufacturing and media supporting corporate restructuring and organisational change programmes. Prior to joining STV, Suzanne held an HR position with Allied Domecq plc and prior to that participated in a VC-backed MBO of the former technology and engineering business of Scottish Power, which was developed and grown for sale to a telecoms company. Suzanne currently sits on the UK TV Skills Strategy Committee; is a board member of Skillset Scotland and serves as a director on the Council of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.