Sky boss Jeremy Darroch steps down after 13 years

Jeremy Darroch, 58, is to remain on as executive chairman for the rest of the year

(Getty Images for National Geogra)

Sky boss Jeremy Darroch is to step down after 13 years and be replaced by Comcast Cable’s Dana Strong, the company has announced.

Darroch is one of the UK’s longest-serving chief executives, and Sky has tripled in size during his tenure.

The 58-year-old is set to become executive chairman at Sky - the parent company of Sky News - throughout 2021, the company announced on Wednesday, to help “ensure a smooth transition”.

Darroch, who took over from James Murdoch as chief executive in 2004 and led the company through its sale to Comcast Cable in 2018, will afterwards become an advisor to the media giant.

Comcast, a US broadband and pay TV provider, outbid Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox to buy Sky for nearly £30.6 billion.

Strong, who is currently president of consumer services at Comcast Cable, was previously chief operating officer at Sky competitor Virgin Media.

She had previously been tipped as a potential successor.

Comcast chairman and chief executive Brian Roberts praised Darroch's "exceptional leadership" as the news was announced on Wednesday, and said the move was being made after Darroch decided “now is the time for him to make a change”.

Mr Darroch said: “It has been a privilege to lead Sky for 13 years, and an experience that I have looked forward to every day, so the decision to leave has not been easy.

"But with the business firmly settled into the wider Comcast Corporation and a strong plan in place, now is the right time.”

Roberts said Strong is “an accomplished executive with an extraordinary ability to transform, inspire, and drive positive change”.

He said: ”Her global experience and vision coupled with her leadership and track record at some of the largest media and telecommunications companies in the world make her the perfect leader for Sky.”

The announcement completed a busy day in media news, as it emerged the BBC has found a successor to current chairman Sir David Clementi - former Goldman Sachs partner, Richard Sharp.

Sharp, whose appointment is expected to be announced this week, has also acted as an adviser to Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

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