ITN appoints ex-ITV director as chief exec

ITN has appointed John Hardie, a senior executive at Disney and former ITV commercial director, as its new chief executive.

Hardie is expected to take up his role with ITN in June, after he leaves Disney, where he has been executive vice-president and managing director across Europe, Middle East and Africa for eight years.

Prior to that, Hardie was commercial director at ITV from 1997 to 2001.

“I am delighted to be joining ITN at this crucial time for public service broadcasting. My objective is to establish a robust commercial foundation upon which ITN’s strengths in news and current affairs can continue to flourish and thrive in the years ahead,” he said.

Hardie is set to replace Mark Wood, who left ITN in February after six years in the role.

Geert Linnebank, the former editor-in-chief at Reuters and a director on the ITN board, will continue to act as interim chief executive, to support the senior management team at ITN until Hardie takes up his role.

Disney today announced that Giorgio Stock, currently senior vice-president and general manager of Disney Channels Italy, will take over from Hardie following his departure.