Former Paramount corporate boss John Curbishley is returning to the BBC in a beefed-up strategy and transformation role.
Curbishley was previously EVP of Corporate Strategy at Paramount Global, where he spent four years working through the pandemic and shepherding the early days of the merger with ViacomCBS, before leaving last year.
In April, Curbishley will take on the Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer post at the BBC, which has been beefed up since the departure of Group Director of Strategy and Performance Gautam Rangarajan. Curbishley’s new role will see him take a seat on the BBC’s Executive Committee (EC) and bring together the BBC’s strategy and transformation agendas. It comes at a crucial time, with charter renewal just two years away and the future of the corporation’s funding model very much up for discussion. The BBC has also appointed new Chief Product Officer Storm Fagan to the EC.
Having graduated both Oxford and Harvard, Curbishley began his career in the BBC’s corporate strategy team before he moved Stateside, working for NBCUniversal then AccentHealth and finally Paramount Global.
BBC Director General Tim Davie said: “I’m delighted to welcome John to the BBC and to the Executive Committee. His experience and insight will provide strong leadership to our Strategy and Transformation teams during this important next phase for the BBC.”
Curbishley said: “After beginning my media career in the BBC’s corporate strategy team, I am delighted to be returning to the organisation to take up this role at such a crucial time for our industry. I believe the BBC’s mission has never been more relevant than it is today, and it will be a privilege to play a part in charting its future.”
The news comes just a fortnight after Deadline revealed that John Shield, the BBC’s long-serving and popular communications boss, was exiting. His successor is still being sought. The BBC’s biggest role in TV, the chief content officer, is also currently being looked at following Charlotte Moore’s exit announcement.
