Comic Relief has appointed betty founder Liz Warner as the charity’s new chief executive officer.
Warner will replace Kevin Cahill who is stepping down after 25 years. She joins Comic Relief in October, taking on the responsibilities for Red Nose Day and Sport Relief as well as the charity’s international expansion.
Warner was the founder and CEO of betty, which she led for more than 13 years, building it from a start-up to one of the UK’s top 30 independent TV companies with credits including C4’s The Undateables and child abuse drama Forgiven. She sold betty to Discovery in 2011.
Earlier this year, Warner gave the BAFTA annual television lecture in recognition of her career achievements and in 2014 Cultural Diversity Network gave her their Diversity Champion Award for her commitment to diversity, in particular disability.
Tim Davie, chair of trustees at Comic Relief said: “We are delighted Liz is joining. She is known as an innovator and has an award winning body of TV work. She has a track record in youth, diversity and has spent the last year working in digital – all of which make her a great candidate for the future of Comic Relief.”
Warner said: “I have always been hugely motivated by social issues, I really enjoy leading creative teams and working with top talent to do ground-breaking work. I am very interested in brands, business and their evolution. And this unique role at Comic Relief brings all these together.”
Staff Reporter
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