The ABC has appointed Chris Oliver-Taylor to the newly created role of chief content officer, where he will oversee the business’ new content division.
Oliver-Taylor is currently Netflix’s Australia and New Zealand director of production. He has previously served as the CEO of Fremantle and managing director of Matchbox Pictures. He was also the ABC’s head of television business and operations between 2005-2011.
Oliver-Taylor will join the ABC in later this month and the acting directors of the two existing divisions will report to him until the new structure takes effect in July.
In a LinkedIn post, Oliver-Taylor said he was “absolutely honoured” to return to the ABC and was “incredibly humbled” by the kind words he received following the announcement.
“This is a critically important role for the ABC and I am absolutely thrilled to bring my experience of leading incredibly talented people to the ABC at a vital time in its history,” he added.
“In a time of infinite choice across screen, audio and digital, we must deliver high quality and impactful content that resonates with all Australians, and I know to deliver this impact you can only do it with an amazing team.
“I am very much looking forward to working with David, the Leadership Team and all the talented people at the ABC to ensure the ABC continues to be trusted, relevant and valued into the future.”
“Chris is one of the most experienced, both locally and internationally, content leaders in the industry with a well-honed sense of audience expectations and creative trends across platforms and technologies,” said David Anderson, the ABC’s managing director.
“The ABC Chief Content Officer is a role that requires leadership across all content platforms – screen, audio and digital – and must have the right creative approach to support the work of all our content teams and deliver for the Australian public.
“I am very pleased that a leader of Chris’ experience and calibre is joining us for the next stage of the ABC’s story.”
Anna Mallett, Netflix VP production for APAC/EMEA/UK said: “Chris is hugely talented and has made significant contributions leading our studio in Australia and New Zealand since joining Netflix. We are enormously grateful to Chris, wish him every success for the future and look forward to working with him again as a content partner.”
