Gaumont alum Katie O’Connell Marsh to head global scripted hub at Fremantle

Andrea Scrosati and Katie O’Connell Marsh

European production group Fremantle has named former Gaumont executive Katie O’Connell Marsh as the new CEO of its global scripted hub.

O’Connell Marsh will take up the senior leadership role, based in London, this autumn, reporting to Andrea Scrosati, group chief operating officer and CEO for continental Europe, and will sit on the global leadership team.

The role sees O’Connell Marsh lead the newly formed global scripted hub, providing creative, commercial and strategic direction across Fremantle’s scripted labels. Additionally, she will oversee Fremantle’s annual scripted investment budget, recommending investment in new projects and selected third-party opportunities.

She will also work with Fremantle’s commercial and international team, led by CEO Jens Richter, on sales forecasts and commercial analysis to support investment decisions.

The move follows January’s news that veteran Christian Vesper was stepping down from his position as Fremantle’s CEO, global film and drama, bringing to a close a decade-long tenure.

Prior to joining Fremantle, O’Connell Marsh served as CEO of Platform One Media and Gaumont Television, and vice chair of Boat Rocker Studios. She has executive produced numerous television series, most recently Apple TV+’s Emmy-nominated Palm Royale.

Most recently, Katie has served as an external advisor to Bain & Company. Earlier in her career, she held senior leadership roles at DreamWorks Animation, NBCUniversal and Imagine Television.

O’Connell Marsh said: “As the industry continues to evolve, the greatest opportunities will come from bringing together exceptional talent, international collaboration and a commercially driven approach. I am especially looking forward to working closely with Jennifer Mullin, Andrea Scrosati and the outstanding teams across the business to build on Fremantle’s success and help shape the next chapter of growth for its scripted business.”