BBC Studios Sets Phil Hardman as Asia GM

Patrick Frater
·2 min read

BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the British Broadcasting Corporation, has appointed Phil Hardman as senior VP and GM of its operations in India, South East Asia, Japan and Korea.

The move is a streamlining of operations under Jon Penn, executive VP for the APAC region. Previously announced positions are Ding Ke as senior VP and GM for Greater China and Fiona Lang as GM for Australia and New Zealand.

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Hardman was until recently the senior VP of commercial strategy for Asia. Last year he also took on the acting lead role of senior VP & GM Greater China, while recruitment was underway.

In a related move, Ryan Shiotani will move from his current role as senior VP & GM of South and South East Asia into a new role as senior VP content, Asia & Greater China. He will be the regional editorial lead across existing and new branded services, as well as advising on brand and content strategy in Asia and Greater China.

An accountant by training, Hardman first worked at the BBC in an internal audit role, before later joining BBC Studios in 2014, when he moved to Singapore. Shiotani has worked at the BBC since 2007. Before that he held roles at Discovery Networks Latin America/Iberia, MTM Entertainment, TV Globo and Sesame Workshop.

“(Hardman) is a strategic thinker and leader who will help turbo-charge our growth in the region. Along with (Lang) and Ding Ke, I have three formidable commercial leaders in APAC who will help us identify and build on the opportunities in this rapidly evolving market,” said Penn in a statement. “The key to our success lies in our premium offering and I am pleased that Ryan, who is a consummate content expert, will be our editorial lead, working across our services and brands in Asia and Greater China.”

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