Management team

Michael Grade

Executive Chairman

Michael has a long and distinguished career in broadcasting encompassing London Weekend Television, BBC and over nine years as Chief Executive of Channel Four Television. He is non-executive Chairman of Pinewood and Shepperton Film Studios and also of Ocado. He is also a non-executive Director of Charlton Athletic Football Club. In May 2004, he was appointed Chairman of the BBC, succeeding Gavyn Davies, resigning in November 2006 when his appointment as Executive Chairman of ITV was announced.

John Cresswell

Chief Operating Officer

John became ITV’s Chief Operating Officer in January 2007 following a period as interim CEO. John is also Finance Director, appointed to the role in January 2006. Previously John spent 5 years as Chief Operating Officer of Granada Content, building the production and distribution division of ITV plc. John joined Granada in 2000 from United Business Entertainment where he was the Chief Operating Officer of the Broadcast division. He qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG from where he joined TVS and Meridian.

Lee Bartlett

Managing Director of Global Content

Lee Bartlett joined ITV in March 2008 from Fox where he was executive vice-president of business affairs, based in the US. As Managing Director of Global Content, he oversees ITV’s production and distribution businesses including ITV Productions, Granada America, Germany and Australia, and Granada International and Ventures. Bartlett was with Fox since June 2005, handling business affairs, programming and theatrical film acquisitions for the web. Before that, he was at Fox Cable Networks, and has also worked for Greenblatt Janollari Studio, the production company behind the hit drama ‘Six Feet Under’.

Carolyn Fairbairn

Director of Strategy and Development

Before joining ITV in February 2007, Carolyn Fairbairn was a partner at McKinsey & Co and leader of its UK Media Practice. Previously, she was Director of Strategy at the BBC and a member of the BBC’s Executive Board. Carolyn’s main focus at the BBC was on the development of their digital strategy and, in 2002, she led the development of Freeview. Carolyn has also worked in the Downing Street Policy Unit as a policy advisor, for the Economist as a financial writer, and for the World Bank as a development economist. She holds a first class degree in Economics from Cambridge University, an MA in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA with Distinction from INSEAD.

Peter Fincham

Director of Television, Channels and Online

Peter began in broadcasting in 1985 as a producer at independent production company Talkback Productions. He became Managing Director of Talkback in 1986 and also executive produced many of their biggest shows including Smack the Pony (Channel 4), Da Ali G Show (Channel 4) and Never Mind the Buzzcocks (BBC2). In 2001 Talkback Productions was sold to Fremantle Media and in 2003 Peter became Chief Executive of newly merged company TalkbackThames. In January 2005 he left TalkbackThames to become Controller of BBC One, serving for two years before leaving the BBC in October 2007

Mark Gallagher

Director of Group Corporate Affairs

Mark Gallagher joined ITV as Director of Group Corporate Affairs in November 2007. Mark is responsible for all areas of corporate advocacy, including regulation, public policy, channel, commercial and programme PR and internal communications.

Mark joined ITV from lottery operator Camelot Group plc where he was Director of Corporate Affairs and Executive Director.

Previously Mark was Director of Public Affairs for ITN. His first job in the commercial sector was as a lobbyist for ITV Network.

Andrew Garard

Group Legal Director

Andrew joined ITV as Group Legal Director in November 2007.

Previously Andrew was a Partner in the corporate department of LeBoeuf, Lamb's London office. Andrew's practice focused on mergers and acquisitions and projects primarily in the telecoms and media sectors in Europe, Asia and the US.

Prior to joining LeBoeuf, Lamb, Andrew was group general counsel and company secretary at Cable & Wireless PLC, where he was a member of the group executive responsible for global legal, at Reuters Group PLC as global head of legal and deputy general counsel based in the UK, and before that, general counsel Asia based in Hong Kong.

Mike Green

Deputy Group Finance Director

Mike Green began his television career in 1989 with TVS Television after 11 years with KPMG. He joined Carlton Television in May 1992 and was responsible for setting up the finance department, accounting systems, controls and reporting prior to launch on 1 January 1993 when he was appointed Finance Director.

After the Carlton/Granada merger in February 2004, Mike was appointed Finance Director of the ITV Broadcasting Division and took on his current role in December 2005. He represents ITV plc on the Board of two cinema sales joint ventures in Europe and the US as well as ITN and GMTV.

Ian Griffiths

Group Finance Director

Ian Griffiths became ITV’s Group Finance Director and a member of the Board of ITV plc in September 2008. From 1994 to 2008 Ian was at Emap plc where he held a number of senior finance roles, including the position of Group Finance Director from 2005 to 2008. Ian’s early career was at Ernst and Young where he worked in the corporate finance team.

Jeff Henry

Managing Director of ITV Consumer

Jeff Henry is the Director of ITV Consumer. He has a rich and varied background in television, having previously held the positions of Director of Scottish Television Enterprises, Programming and Marketing Director at NYNEX CableComms, Managing Director of LNN and Chief Executive of Granada Sky Broadcasting. More recently, he devised and produced one of the most successful channel launches of the last decade in the UK and as Chief Executive of The Hallmark Channel (Europe, Middle East and Africa ) developed and sold a business operating in over 100 countries. Jeff joined ITV in 2005 and is keen on realising and growing new revenue outside of ITV’s traditional advertising and programme production.

Philippa Hird

Group HR Director

In her role as Group HR Director, Philippa oversees the entirety of ITV's HR activities. She joined Granada Television in 1988 where she held a variety of line management posts which included creative programme making departments, the Casting department and the creation of a new Rights Management department. Philippa became Head of Personnel for LWT in 1996, Director for Granada Media in 1997 and Director for Granada plc in 2001.

Rupert Howell

MD of ITV Brand and Commercial

Rupert Howell joined ITV as Managing Director, ITV Brand and Commercial on November 1st 2007. He first joined the Ogilvy group for a position in advertising in 1979. Two years later he moved to Grey, and after another two years, to Young & Rubicam. He decided to found his own agency, Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury in October 1987. In 2001, Rupert became Joint CEO of Chime, which grew rapidly over the next 3 years to become the UK’s largest independent communications group. He was also President of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising for 2000/2001. In October 2003 he joined the world’s largest advertising agency McCann Erickson as President EMEA and Chairman UK & Ireland Group. In October 2005, Rupert was elected President of the European Association of Communications Agencies for 2006/’07.

James Tibbitts

Company Secretary and Director of Investor Relations

James is Company Secretary and Director of Investor Relations. He, like John Cresswell, reports direct to Michael Grade. He also looks after property, insurance and pensions. James studied Natural Sciences at university before switching to law and becoming a barrister. He joined Granada long enough ago to have worked for the founding Bernstein family and has held a number of other roles in the Head Office team including Group Treasurer in the days that Granada was a large diversified business.

John Whiston

Director of ITV Productions

John Whiston, Director of ITV Productions, was appointed to the post in mid-December 2005. John joined ITV in Yorkshire Tyne Tees Productions as Director of Programmes, where he oversaw established programming such as Emmerdale and Heartbeat. Two other major jobs followed: Director of Programmes Granada Content (North) where he took responsibility for Coronation Street, and Director of Drama, Kids, Arts & Features, Granada, where he helped launch some significant new series and high end drama.

Management Team