BBC Studios has confirmed that Suzy Raia, svp consumer products and business development, and her New York-based team will join the brands and licensing division from Monday 2 October.
Suzy (pictured) will report into Nicki Sheard, president of brands and licensing.
Suzy joined the BBC in 2018, just a few months before Bluey launched on air in Australia, as part of the consumer products and licensing team. Her move shows a commitment to the global growth of key IPs Bluey and Doctor Who.
Prior to BBC Studios, she spent 19 years at Nickelodeon.
The appointment follows a number of key hires as the division ramps up its activities, most notably former co-ceo of Jungle Creations Nat Poulter, as vice president of digital – commercial and Ashwin Desai as global director for gaming and interactive.
“This is an exciting move for the division and BBC Studios as we look to grow our capability to build a global consumer products and licensing business which focuses on our most promising IPs, in this case, Bluey and Doctor Who,” commented Nicki Sheard, president, brands and licensing at BBC Studios. “The US in particular is a key market for us and success in the region is key to meet our financial goals and achieve global success. I have no doubt that Suzy and her team will help us achieve these goals and I am happy to welcome her to the team.”
Suzy continued: “Unifying the region with the global team underscores the opportunity at hand and I’m confident that under Nicki’s leadership, the BBC Studios CP&L team will be a global powerhouse lead by popular titles Bluey and Doctor Who. I’m so excited to work with Nicki and her team in this next stage of our journey as a global organisation.”
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