Channel 4 Boss To Step Down After Eight Years

Channel 4 boss Alex Mahon is stepping down from the network.

She worked for the British channel for eight years before her departure. She was the first female CEO of the network.

It’s another blow to UK broadcasting after Charlotte Moore, BBC’s Chief Content Officer, left the network to become CEO of the company that produces Netflix’s historical drama The Crown.

Mahon was one of the most impactful CEO’s to work at the British network, producing or co-producing several TV shows and movies well-loved around the globe, like It’s A Sin, All of Us Strangers, and the Oscar-nominated films The Zone of Interest, The Banshees of Inisherin, and Poor Things.

She also fought off attempts to privatize the network from government officials—the network is funded by the UK public, and uses all of the channel’s advertising dollars to put more money into the country’s local and national arts communities.

“I feel lucky beyond belief to have had the chance to lead Channel 4 for nearly eight years – through calm seas (very few) and stormy waters (more than our fair share),” Mahon wrote in a statement to Deadline. “From navigating the threat of privatisation (twice), to shifting out of London, to digital transformation, lockdowns, political upheaval, advertising chaos – there has never been a dull moment. But through every twist and turn, there’s been one constant: the astonishing calibre, resilience, and creativity of all my colleagues at Channel 4.”

As the company searches for a new leader, the channel’s current COO Jonathan Allen will step in as interim CEO.