Channel 4 has appointed Lucy Thomas as Chief Financial Officer.

Reporting directly to Chief Executive Alex Mahon, Thomas will lead finance across the organisation.

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Lucy Thomas, Channel 4

Channel 4 said the newly created executive role would see Thomas act as a business partner to the Chief Executive and Executive team, identifying commercial and strategic opportunities and supporting the digital transformation of the business.

Thomas was most recently Chief Financial & Operating Officer at Bauer Audio, where she led a commercial finance team spanning nine markets across Europe. Before this, she spent more than 20 years at Sky, progressing through a range of Commercial Finance Director and Commercial Managing Director roles before becoming Group Chief Data Officer. Thomas started her career with Arthur Andersen in London, where she qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

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She will take up her new role on 22 April.

Her appointment comes at a challenging time for Channel 4 which is grappling with a decline in TV advertising and disruption caused by the US streamers. In January the broadcaster said it will reduce its headcount by 18% and plans to move out of its Horseferry Road HQ.

Channel 4 Chief Executive Alex Mahon said: “I am delighted to welcome Lucy to Channel 4. She has extensive experience of media industry transformation and joins us at a crucial time, as we implement our ambitious strategy to protect our long-term sustainability and become the world’s first public service streamer. Lucy is an innovative, data-driven and strategically focused leader, and I have no doubt she will have tremendous impact at Channel 4.”

Thomas said: “I am thrilled to be joining Channel 4 as CFO. It is a fantastic organisation with a unique purpose – creating change through entertainment - in a way that I love as a viewer. I can’t wait to start working with Alex and the wider Channel 4 team.”

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