FIC Italy chief to step down

Fabrizio Salini is stepping down from his role as MD of Fox International Channels (FIC) Italy at the end of the year, with a former Sky Italia exec lined up to replace him.

Salini: stepping down

Kathryn Fink has been named as Salini’s replacement, and will take up the post on January 1, 2016.

Salini will leave at the end of December 2015 to “pursue a new opportunity,” FIC said in a statement. No details of his next move were available at the time of writing.

The exec was VP of entertainment channels at FIC Italy between 2003 and 2011 but later left to join Sky Italia, before moving to channels group Switchover Media, which was acquired by Discovery Communications. He rejoined FIC Italy as MD in 2014.

“Fabrizio has played a key role during the launch and growth of FIC Italy. It’s with the greatest respect that I thank him for all he has done and wish him the best for the future”, said Diego Londono, chief operating officer at FIC, Europe and Africa.

Fink: stepping in

Australia-born Fink was a key player in the launch of Sky Italia in 2003 and remained with the firm for eight years.

After initially working on the merger of pay TV platforms Stream and Telepiu, she became head of programming and oversaw all third party channels on the Sky Italia platform as well as Sky’s owned and operated Cinema and Entertainment channels.

Jan Koeppen, president and CEO of FIC, Europe and Africa, said: “Fabrizio is a creative force and has made a substantial contribution to our business over many years, most recently with the outstanding launch of Fox Comedy and Fox Animation.

“I have always held Kathryn in high regard and she has both the skills and local knowledge to continue to drive the growth of FIC in Italy.”

Sky Italia became part of the wider 21st Century Fox-backed Sky group last November.