China shake-up at BBC Worldwide

BBC Worldwide has recruited Kelvin Yau as its general manager for Greater China, with veteran exec Pierre Cheung leaving the commercial arm of the UK pubcaster after 15 years.

Yau will run channels and content activities for Worldwide, the commercial arm of UK pubcaster the BBC, in the Beijing-based role, which covers China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. He will oversee finished programme sales, format deals, licensing and merchandising and channel blocks and launches.

He joins from publishing group The Economist where he was managing director, China and Taiwan. Before that he was at Euromoney Publications.

At Worldwide he will report to Asia executive VP David Weiland (pictured), who said: “Kelvin brings with him an excellent track record in business development to the team. Kelvin’s vast experience will also serve as a catalyst for BBC’s continual growth in the highly dynamic Greater China market.”

Yau added: “As an avid admirer of the British creativity advocated by BBC, I am looking forward to joining BBC Worldwide and helping promote its quality content across Greater China.”

Worldwide this morning confirmed Cheung is exiting. He has been Greater China GM since 2008, and prior to that was a senior manager. He is understood to have a new role in the industry, but his exact next move is not yet known.

BBCWW has a solid programme sales business in Greater China and, although it cannot launch linear channels in China itself, has rolled out channels in Taiwan and elsewhere in the region.

Yau starts in his new position next week.