Channel 4 today has appointed Autotrader’s former director of advertising, Rak Patel, as its chief commercial officer.
In the newly created role, Patel will assume leadership of Channel 4 Sales, the commercial arm of Channel 4, with responsibility for driving the organisation’s advertising revenue. A key focus of the role is to accelerate the commercial elements of Channel 4’s Fast Forward strategy, maximising revenues as it transitions from linear to digital, while pursuing new partnerships and expanding into new areas of digital growth.
Rak is currently head of sales EMEA at Spotify, and also spent over four years at Manchester-HQ’d Autotrader from 2013-2017. He started his career at EMAP Magazines, followed by roles at the Financial Times and Microsoft. He will join Channel 4 in January 2025, reporting to CEO Alex Mahon.
Mahon said: “Rak joins at a time of incredible commercial opportunity for Channel 4. Our streaming audience is growing ahead of the market while our overall audience across linear and streaming expands. I know he will bring a world class focus on driving forward our Fast Forward strategy while evolving vital relationships with clients and agencies, alongside innovations to harness digital opportunities.”
Patel added: “Channel 4 has pioneered an approach which empowers and embraces the culture around us. With a truly progressive Fast Forward strategy, embracing an agile and genuinely digital first public service streaming approach by 2030, the commercial opportunities for brands to share their stories is boundless. I couldn’t be more excited to join the incredible Channel 4 team to help accelerate the commercial enterprise and support our advertisers, agencies and partners on the exciting journey ahead. I’d like to thank Spotify for the last seven years and wish them continued success. It has always been an honour to be part of the band.”
