Mr Radcliffe joins STV from ITV plc where until April 2024 he was a member of the executive committee and latterly held the position of managing director of streaming, interactive and data, playing a key role in the acceleration of ITV’s digital transformation.

He was responsible for the strategic development and successful launch of ITVX in December 2022. He also led the interactive business and the group-wide data strategy.

Over a 13-year career with ITV, Mr Radcliffe previously held the positions of chief marketing officer, where he ran all direct-to-consumer activities and led the brand transformation of ITV, as well as the marketing launch of BritBox. He also served as group marketing and research director.

Prior to joining ITV, Mr Radcliffe spent nine years at Channel 4 rising to the position of controller of marketing, during which time the business launched E4 and the channels’ first streaming service, 4OD.

This appointment is made following the announcement in March 2024 of Simon Pitts’ intention to step down from the board and his role as chief executive officer which he will do on 31 October 2024.

Paul Reynolds, chair of STV Group plc, said: “The board is delighted to welcome Rufus to lead STV following a competitive selection process involving some of the best leadership talent in the UK media industry.

“We now embark on the next phase of STV’s exciting growth journey as a digital first, content-led business and Rufus brings with him a rare breadth of strategic and operational expertise from his previous significant industry roles. We very much look forward to working with him.”

Mr Radcliffe said: “STV is a great brand with an enviable track record of making high quality, must-watch content and has a strong relationship with viewers and advertisers.

“I’m thrilled to be joining and cannot wait to work with everyone at STV to build on the tremendous success and growth of the past few years.”

Additionally STV announced the appointment of Colin Jones as an independent non-executive director and chair of the audit and risk committee, effective 2 September 2024. Mr Jones, an experienced FTSE-250 CFO, brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles in the technology, media, and telecommunications sector.

He served as chief operating officer and chief financial officer at Euromoney Institutional Investor Plc, the global information and events business, where he worked for 22 years until 2018. Mr Jones spent seven of these years based in New York. During his tenure as CFO, Euromoney grew to become a £1.5 billion FTSE-250 organisation.

Prior to this, Mr Jones was a director at PwC for 15 years, working across strategy, remuneration, financing, technology and M&A in the UK and Europe.

Since 2018, He has pursued a non-executive career. He is currently a non-executive director and audit committee chair at global communications agency, M&C Saatchi Plc; non-executive director and remuneration committee chair at professional services firm, Gateley (Holdings) Plc; and non-executive director of Datatec Limited.

Mr Jones is also a governor and trustee of adult education college, The City Literary Institute, a registered charity, where he chairs the finance & commercial committee on a voluntary basis.

Mr Reynolds said: “Colin’s impressive track-record brings with it a wealth of valuable experience to STV.

“His keen interest in the media sector, extensive finance and non-executive experience and his detailed understanding of the challenges faced by small cap businesses will be of benefit to us. Colin is a very strong addition to our board at an exciting time of growth for the company.”

Mr Jones added: “STV is a dynamic business with a clear and ambitious strategy.

“I look forward to working with my fellow board members and STV colleagues to contribute to the company’s continued growth and success.”

In further board changes, the STV has also announced that Simon Miller has decided to step down from the board in December 2024. Mr Miller has served STV since December 2016 as senior independent director and as employee director.