Lucinda Hicks, CEO of Banijay U.K., is stepping down this summer after 12 years with the combined group and two years after the acquisition of Endemol Shine by Banijay.
Patrick Holland, who most recently served as director, factual, arts and classical music at the BBC, takes up the position of executive chairman and CEO in May.
Prior to taking up the position of CEO, Hicks held the position of COO of Endemol Shine U.K., following the merger of the Endemol and Shine groups in 2015. She was appointed CEO when Banijay acquired Endemol Shine in 2020. During the past two years, working with executive chair, Peter Salmon, Hicks oversaw the merged entity’s growth strategy including overseeing the acquisition of Znak TV to the group earlier this year and was instrumental in the two-year unscripted deal with Jack Whitehall and his production company, Jackpot.
Hicks said: “I have had the best 12 years. From working with the team at Shine to running Dragonfly; figuring out how to keep our shows on-air during lockdown to managing the integration of the businesses post acquisition with Peter Salmon and the Banijay team, I have worked with the most amazing people and had more fun than I ever thought possible in a job. I am hugely proud of what we have achieved together, growing the business despite covid, expanding internationally, and attracting top talent on and off-screen. With some of the industry’s top creative leaders running our labels and a business that is increasingly more structured for the future, it’s time for a new chapter.”
Marco Bassetti, CEO, Banijay added: “Lucinda is a clever and talented leader with a commercial and creative mind, making her an integral partner in steering the integration of our businesses in the U.K., following the acquisition of Endemol Shine Group. We are all thankful for her hard work to date in building a hugely creative portfolio of companies, and a local group which continues to put talent, innovation, and its responsibility in the wider industry first. While we are sad to see her leaving, we wish her all the best with whatever comes next.”
Hicks has held several strategy and commercial development roles within the UK television industry including at FremantleMedia, Channel 4 and BBC.
