Virgin Media's chief marketing officer, Kerris Bright, is to exit the brand after three years in the role to join the BBC as its first chief customer officer.
Reporting to the broadcaster's deputy director general, Anne Bullford, Bright will be tasked with helping the BBC double down on personalisation and communication with its audiences; including licence fee payers and those signing in to digital services like iPlayer.
The BBC’s existing marketing and audiences division, as well as its licence fee Unit will report into the newly-created role and "form a new customer relationship management function," according to the BBC.
Having held several senior marketing and general management roles at Unilever over a decade-long period, and headed up global marketing for British Airways, Bright has led a number of big British-founded brands through periods of transformation.
She has spearheaded some of Virgin Media's most memorable campaigns, with longstanding ambassador Usian Bolt continuing to collaborate with the brand throughout her tenure.
BBC director-general ,Tony Hall, said: “Across the BBC we’re working hard to reinvent the organisation for a new generation. Making sure the BBC of the future is uniquely tailored to everyone, and available when and where audiences want it - will be critical to our success.
"We’re making good progress with over 12 million people already signed in use the BBC iPlayer, but I want us to step up our efforts on personalisation in the months ahead. Kerris’s appointment will help us be even more ambitious in this area.”
A Virgin Media spokesperson told The Drum that a search for Bright's successor was "well underway" and that an announcement would be made in due course.
Commenting on her appointment Bright said: “The opportunity to play a role in creating the next chapter of the BBC’s story was irresistible. In pursuing this goal, I have one very simple governing idea: putting the customer at the heart of what we do will be central to the BBC’s long term vitality and success.”