Dana Strong will succeed Jeremy Darroch as Sky Group CEO, parent company Comcast said on Wednesday. Darroch will transition into an executive chairman role.
Darroch has been CEO of Sky since 2007. Under his leadership, Sky has tripled in size. In 2018, Comcast outbid Fox to buy Sky for $39 billion.
With nearly 24 million customers, Sky is Europe’s largest multi-platform TV provider.
Strong was most recently the president of consumer services for Comcast Cable. Prior to joining Comcast, Strong was president and chief operating officer of Virgin Media in the UK.
“I would like to thank Jeremy for his exceptional leadership of Sky and his partnership since we acquired the company,” Comcast chief Brian L. Roberts said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “Sky’s values have been a perfect fit for ours and I credit Jeremy with building an incredible culture and executing the seamless integration with Comcast. He and his team have established a world-class brand and a strong, well-run business that will continue to flourish. Jeremy has been a terrific colleague to me and everyone at Sky, but I respect his decision and I am pleased that he’s agreed to stay on to help with the transition and advise the company.”
“I am delighted that Dana will be taking the helm at Sky,” Roberts continued. “She is an accomplished executive with an extraordinary ability to transform, inspire and drive positive change. She quickly made her mark on our US business, driving growth and innovation with an unwavering commitment to our customers. Her global experience and vision coupled with her leadership and track record at some of the largest media and telecommunications companies in the world make her the perfect leader for Sky.”
“It has been a privilege to lead Sky for 13 years, and an experience that I have looked forward to every day, so my decision to leave has not been easy. But with the business firmly settled into the wider Comcast Corporation and a strong plan in place, now is the right time,” Darroch said. “I feel incredibly lucky to have been surrounded by colleagues who care as deeply as I do about this business and our customers and work tirelessly every day to make their lives better. I would like to thank all of my colleagues at Sky and also Brian and the team at Comcast who I have thoroughly enjoyed working with. I have no doubt that Dana will take Sky into a new and exciting future. Her proven record for leading telecommunications and media businesses coupled with her experience in the US, UK, and Europe will be great assets to Sky and I look forward to working with her as she takes the reins.”
“There are few businesses that have the track record of Sky, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead the company,” Strong said. “I’ve always admired Sky’s innovation, brand, and exceptional focus on the customer. I look forward to working with this incredible team to continue to grow the business and shape the next chapter for Sky.”
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