STV has appointed Rufus Radcliffe as its new CEO.
Radcliffe joins STV from ITV, where until April 2024 he was a member of the executive committee and latterly held the position of managing director of streaming, interactive and data, playing a key role in the acceleration of ITV’s digital transformation.
He was responsible for the strategic development and successful launch of ITVX in December 2022. Radcliffe also led the interactive business and the group-wide data strategy.
Over a 13-year career with ITV, he previously held the positions of chief marketing officer, where he ran all D2C activities and led the brand transformation of ITV, as well as the marketing launch of BritBox. He also served as group marketing and research director.
Prior to joining ITV, Rufus spent nine years at Channel 4 rising to the position of controller of marketing, during which time the business launched E4 and the channels’ first streaming service, 4OD.
This appointment is made following the announcement in March 2024 of Simon Pitts’ intention to step down from the board and his role as chief executive officer which he will do on October 31, 2024.
Paul Reynolds, chair of STV Group plc, said: “The Board is delighted to welcome Rufus to lead STV following a competitive selection process involving some of the best leadership talent in the UK media industry. We now embark on the next phase of STV’s exciting growth journey as a digital first, content-led business and Rufus brings with him a rare breadth of strategic and operational expertise from his previous significant industry roles. We very much look forward to working with him.”
Radcliffe added: “STV is a great brand with an enviable track record of making high quality, must-watch content and has a strong relationship with viewers and advertisers. I’m thrilled to be joining and cannot wait to work with everyone at STV to build on the tremendous success and growth of the past few years.”
