Industry veteran Sara Geater departs All3Media following Banijay merger

All3Media chief operating officer Sara Geater has become the latest high-profile executive to leave the company following its mega-merger with Banijay.

Sara Geater

Geater was initially due to stay on working alongside Jane Turton, who was appointed deputy CEO to Banijay leader Marco Bassetti, but Banijay today confirmed she will step down from the business later this year.

Geater, a former head of FremantleMedia UK, was appointed COO following the promotion of Turton in April 2015.

Prior to that, Geater was head of commercial affairs at Channel 4 in the UK, following a four-year stint as director of rights and business affairs at the BBC. She was also head of film and TV at Avalon, head of production at Miramax Films, and Channel 4’s drama coproduction executive.

The deal, confirmed after months of speculation in March, brought together Banijay Group and All3Media owner RedBird IMI to merge Banijay Entertainment and All3Media, forming an entertainment giant worth US$8bn.

Louise Pedersen has already exited her role as CEO of All3Media International, with Cathy Payne, previously CEO of Banijay Rights, set to lead the combined distribution entity as CEO. The entity boasts a library of more than 250,000 hours.

Patrick Holland has since been confirmed executive chairman and CEO of Banijay UK.

Turton said: “Sara is a unique blend – she excels in commercial deal-making, she understands and loves the creative and editorial processes, she is a natural leader and she is a fantastic team player.

“Working with her is stimulating and enjoyable and she deserves every ounce of the respect that everyone in television feels for her. Sara’s contribution to All3Media has been huge and enduring. I would like to thank her on behalf of everyone across the business and wish her all the very best for the future.”

Geater added: “My time as COO at All3Media has been fun, challenging and one of the most fulfilling jobs of my career. Jane, the C-suite team and the amazing talent across All3Media are a beacon of excellence both creatively and in business. I have no doubt you will, in every way, add enormously to the success of the new Banijay and I wish all in the combined business the very best for the future.”