A senior executive at Netflix is among the contenders vying to become the next boss of Channel 4, the state-owned broadcaster.
Sky News has learnt that Emma Lloyd, the streaming giant’s vice-president, partnerships, in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is one of a handful of media executives shortlisted to replace Alex Mahon as Channel 4’s chief executive.
Ms Lloyd, whose previous employers included Sky, the immediate parent company of Sky News, also served on the board of Ocado Group, from which she stepped down this month after nine years as a non-executive director.
She is understood to be a serious contender to take the helm at Channel 4, with other candidates understood to include Jonathan Allan, the interim chief executive who has also been its chief commercial officer and chief operating officer.
The identities of others involved in the recruitment process was unclear this weekend.
The appointment of a successor to Ms Mahon, Channel 4’s long-serving boss, comes at an important time for the company, and the broader public service broadcasting sector.
Recruitment to the board of Channel 4 is technically led by Ofcom, the media regulator, in agreement with the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, although the process to land a new chief executive is being steered from within the company.
In September, Geoff Cooper, who chairs the online electrical goods retailer AO, was named Channel 4’s next chairman.
He replaced Sir Ian Cheshire, the former Kingfisher boss, who held the role for a single three-year term.
Channel 4 saw off the prospect of privatisation under the last Conservative government, with Ms Mahon a particularly vocal opponent of the move.
Nevertheless, Channel 4, which is funded by advertising revenues, faces significant financial challenges amid shifting – and in many cases waning – consumption of traditional television channels.
In the aftermath of a sale of the company being abandoned, its board last year unveiled Fast Forward, a five-year strategy designed to “elevate its impact across the UK and stand out in a world of global entertainment conglomerates and social media giants”.
“While getting ourselves into the right shape for the future is without doubt the right action to take, it does involve making difficult decisions,” Ms Mahon said at the time.
“I am very sad that some of our excellent colleagues will lose their jobs because of the changes ahead.
“But the reality of the rapid downshift in the UK economy and advertising market demand that we must change structurally.
“As we shift our centre of gravity from linear to digital our proposals will focus cost reductions on legacy activity.”
Ms Mahon’s departure earlier this year saw her quit to run Superstruct, a music festival business owned by private equity backers.
In recent weeks, her name has been linked with the BBC director-general’s post, which is soon to be vacated by Tim Davie.
Mr Davie announced this month that he would step down amid fierce criticism of the Corporation’s handling of a misleadingly edited speech made by President Donald Trump, which was included in an edition of the current affairs programme last year.
The public service broadcasting arena will also undergo significant change if a prospective bid by Sky for the television arm of ITV progresses to a definitive transaction.
Talks between the two companies emerged earlier this month.
In addition to the corporate developments in British broadcasting, the government has also confirmed a Sky News report that a search for a successor to Lord Grade, the Ofcom chairman, is under way.
On Saturday, Netflix declined to comment on Ms Lloyd’s behalf.
