Edinburgh TV Festival has appointed 2 high profile members to its board.
They are Kiran Nataraja, Channel 4’s Director of Streaming and Content Strategy, and former TV Festival Advisory Chair; and ITV Head of Drama, Polly Hill.
They’ll take up the new roles from July, joining Executive Chair Fatima Salaria and current board members Camilla Lewis, (Joint CEO, Curve Media), Danny Horan (CCO, Blast Films), Heather Jones (Chief Creative Officer and UK GM, A+E Networks EMEA), Patrick Holland (Executive Chairman, Banijay UK), Soleta Rogan (Managing Director, Rogan Productions), Tamara Howe (Director of Commercial & Operations, Naked TV).
Nataraja and Hill will be responsible for the governance and strategic direction of the Festival as well as overseeing the finance, strategy, and setting of longer-term goals of the Festival in maintaining and building its position as “the foremost, agenda-setting event in the industry calendar.”
“The Edinburgh TV Festival is a crucial focal point each year for our industry, and it was a privilege to be last’s years Advisory Chair,” said Nataraja.
“I’m looking forward to joining the board to continue to help shape the strategic direction of the Festival and further cement its value and importance to those who work in the industry in these ever-changing times.”
Hill added:
“It’s an honour to be joining the Edinburgh Festival TV Board and I’m looking forward to bringing my passion and enthusiasm for TV and our industry to the table. I’ve always loved visiting the Festival and see it as a place to celebrate television in all its forms. We need to embrace changes within the industry, whilst recognising the power of television and its influence on our daily lives, and how it’s a force of good and can instigate cultural changes.”
The Festival will take place at the EICC in Edinburgh from Tuesday 20 August.
“We warmly welcome Kiran and Polly as they join the Festival Board, recognising and celebrating the wealth of knowledge and expertise they bring. Their contributions will be instrumental in propelling the Festival to new heights,” said Salaria.
“Kiran’s enthusiasm and passion for TV really shone through in her pivotal role in last year’s Festival and it’s exciting that she will not only be bringing that into the backroom set up on an ongoing basis but also her strategic knowledge of an ever-evolving TV landscape. In Polly we have a TV professional with a wealth of experience and industry understanding in a variety of guises from commissioning and production to broadcaster and indie.
“They join an already strong and distinguished board as we look to what the future of the broadcasting industry holds.”
