Ruth Berry to lead both ITV Studios global commercial divisions as Arjan Pomper exits

ITV Studios (ITVS) is combining its global distribution and entertainment units under one team, to be led by Ruth Berry, with the rejig resulting in the departure of Arjan Pomper.

Ruth Berry

Berry, currently managing director of global distribution, which focuses on scripted content and non-scripted finished tape, has been promoted to lead both global commercial divisions at ITVS under one leadership and organisational structure.

Due to the redesign, Pomper is stepping down as MD of ITVS Global Entertainment (ITVS GE), which focuses on unscripted formats, having been named in the role a year ago. Former Dentsu exec Pomper joined ITVS GE as chief operating officer in September 2020.

ITVS said the bringing together of the two units under a single leadership team will enable it to “align more closely” with buyers and reflects the evolution of the global market with the growth of the streaming platforms, ongoing market consolidation and the adoption by many buyers of a single buying approach across all genres.

The announcement was made by ITVS chief operating officer David McGraynor. Berry’s team will continue to work alongside other parts of ITVS, including its international production arm, which is headed up by Lisa Perrin and The Creative Network, headed up by Mike Beale.

During her decade with ITVS, including a six-year tenure as MD, Berry has overseen a push into premium English- and European-language drama to sit alongside its portfolio of globetrotting non-scripted titles.

Prior to joining ITVS, Berry was at Shine International where she was senior VP, head of EMEA and at The Walt Disney Company, where her roles included head of branded services and digital media distribution, EMEA.

Berry will now lead the distribution and monetisation of the catalogue of 90,000 hours with 285 formats, including Love Island, My Mum Your Dad, Maternal, The Voice and Line of Duty. The sales teams will remain positioned around the world with dedicated format and finished programming teams based in the Netherlands, the UK, the US, Australia and Singapore.

McGraynor said: “Ruth has been instrumental in building our commercial business and partnering with our clients globally. She has a deep knowledge of what our partners need and we look forward to ongoing growth as she leads the two divisions.

“I’d like to thank Arjan for the significant contribution he has played in shaping and delivering the strategy for Global Entertainment. Under his leadership he has created a great team that has delivered impressive financial and operational performance.”

Pomper added: “I am proud to have led Global Entertainment as it has met the increased demand for the very best in entertainment. We’ve taken shows like The Voice, Love Island, The Chase and new formats like My Mum Your Dad and travelled them around the world as well as future proofing the business to fully embrace new opportunities like the metaverse, gaming and podcasts. The business is in strong shape and I leave it in Ruth’s capable hands.”