Clay new Thinkbox Chief Executive
October 24, 2013
Thinkbox – the marketing body for commercial TV in the UK – has announced that Lindsey Clay is to become the organisation’s Chief Executive from 1 January 2014. Clay is currently Thinkbox’s Managing Director. Thinkbox’s current Executive Chair, Tess Alps, will become the non-executive Chair of Thinkbox, working with the organisation two days a week.
“Let there be no doubt; Lindsey is now in charge of Thinkbox,” said Alps. “She has been by my side leading the organisation since 2007, and all that we have achieved has been with her vital input. I couldn’t wish for anyone more brilliant to hand the precious reins over to and I’m thrilled that the shareholders agree. However, I shall still be involved and my devotion to getting TV a fair hearing will never diminish.”
Clay said that Alps was the definition of ‘a hard act to follow’. “She’s an inspirational leader and a much-loved media megastar. Thinkbox is extremely lucky to have had her peerless talent at its helm. It has been a privilege, an honour and enormous fun to work alongside her and I’m delighted that she is still going to be involved. And, as well as Tess, Thinkbox is lucky to have such a supportive group of shareholders who believe in our mission so wholeheartedly. It is a pleasure to work with them and I look forward to this new chapter in Thinkbox’s future.”
Jeremy Tester, Director of Brand Strategy at Sky Media, is the new Chair of the Thinkbox board, taking over from Julia Jordan, UKTV’s Executive Director, Business & Operations. The role of Chair of the Thinkbox board involves leading and representing combined Thinkbox shareholder interests and chairing board meetings. The role is held for a year before passing to another Thinkbox shareholder director.
Tester said that commercial TV and Thinkbox go from strength to strength, side by side, with Alps having played a major role in that. “The board believes that, as Chief Executive, Lindsey will lead Thinkbox with the excellence we are accustomed to and will continue its effective work promoting the power and expansion of TV advertising.”
Total TV advertising revenue in 2012 (including linear spot and sponsorship, Broadcaster VOD, and product placement) in the UK totalled a record £4.48 billion, up 1.4 per on the equivalent figure in 2011, and is forecast to improve again in 2013.
Total average daily TV viewing in the UK during January-June 2013 was 4 hours, 1 minute a day per person, according to the figures from the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB) and the UK broadcasters. Commercial TV accounted for 68 per cent of linear viewing.
Commercial impacts (the number of TV ads watched at normal speed) during the first half of 2013 were up 0.9 per cent on the same period in 2012, and have grown by 12.3% over the last five years, according to BARB, producing the best value TV advertising ever, in real terms. The average viewer watched 48 ads a day – five ads more a day than five years ago. Collectively the UK watched an average of 2.8 billion ads a day in the first half of the year.