Heather Webster

SVP, Content & Creative

A+E Networks UK

Heather Jones is Senior Vice President, Content and Creative at A+E Networks UK: a joint venture between global media content company A+E Networks and Sky.

She was promoted to this position in August 2015, after joining the business as VP Programming in July 2013 and assuming the position of General Manager UK in since February 2015.

In her expanded role as Senior Vice President Jones manages all creative units of A+E Networks UK, including programming, Marketing and Communications, Creative and Digital. Jones continues to serve as General Manager, UK, with responsibility for all aspects of the business across the company’s UK operation and portfolio of channels. She also retains a pan territory oversight of commissions, acquisitions, scheduling, re-versioning and compliance for all of the A+E Networks UK portfolio of channel brands: HISTORY®, Crime + Investigation™ , H2® and new entertainment channel Lifetime®, which Heather helped launch in the UK in November 2013 and in South Africa and Poland in 2014.

Over the past 12 months, A+E Networks UK has remained the fastest growing channel portfolio in the UK.

Previously, Heather was a consultant to a number of British and International broadcasters including RTE, MTV and UKTV. She was also part of the team that put together the London8 bid for the London local TV franchise.

In 2011, Heather took the reigns as Managing Director of North One Television – part of the All3Media group. Reporting to CEO Neil Duncanson, she was responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of North One’s portfolio and its expansion into new genres and territories.

Prior to her role within All3Media, Heather was Director of television at Viacom in the UK, where she held overall responsibility for content and creative across the music and comedy channel portfolio at MTV Networks UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Heather oversaw and managed all areas of business, from strategy through to production.

Before joining MTV, Heather was Managing Director at Paramount Comedy, having joined as Director of Programming in 2002. She was responsible for re-branding and re-positioning the channel as a younger and more aspirational pay-TV brand. She commissioned hundreds of hours of stand-up and co-commissioned three series of scripted comedy alongside Channel 5. In June 2006 the channel won Best General Entertainment Channel and Best Channel Marketing at the Broadcast Digital Channel Awards.

Heather joined Paramount Comedy in 2002 from Flextech where she was Channel Editor of Trouble. Before that, she worked at Buena Vista Television, starting as a researcher before moving on to work as a producer/director.

She began her career at Euro Disney in 1992 where, as its brand ambassador, she represented the company around the world.

Heather is a mum of three, who loves going to the theatre and sings in several choirs.

Speaking at: 30 Minutes With: Heather Jones, A+E Networks UK (2:30pm-3:00pm)