Navigating the BBC: Challenges and Opportunities

Kerris Bright is the Chief Customer Officer at the BBC. She was previously Chief Marketing Officer at Virgin Media.

She is a highly experienced leader, bringing a customer-centred, data driven approach to setting marketing strategy and executing with creative flair. Before Virgin, she held senior marketing positions at British Airways, ICI Paints and Unilever. While at British Airways, she spearheaded the development of ‘To Fly: To Serve’, a new purpose for the organisation and a multi-platform campaign and at ICI Paints she transformed the company from a ‘multi-local’ to global brand building organisation. After gaining a PhD in molecular neuroscience from the University of Sussex, she began her career in marketing as a graduate trainee at Unilever.

Timestamps

00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:26 - Why Kerris has a PHD in molecular neuroscience
00:04:04 - Getting marketing training at Unilever
00:09:56 - From Unilever to joining Dulux in crisis
00:18:33 - How marketers can work closely with commercial teams
00:22:12 - Purpose led campaigns
00:31:36 - Lessons from Kerris’ time in Private Equity
00:42:06 - From British Airways to Virgin
00:48:42 - Kerris’ role at the BBC
00:58:32 - The power of the BBC’s editorial independence
01:01:05 - Marketing the BBC
01:05:20 - How the BBC makes engaging content
01:08:13 - Kerris’ advice to aspiring marketers