Endemol appoints new chairman and chief executive

by Mark Banham Brand Republic 14-Jun-06, 11:00

LONDON - Endemol has appointed Elias Rodriguez-Vina Cancio as chairman and chief executive officer replacing Agut Bonsfills, who resigned at the beginning of the month amid speculation that the firm behind Channel 4's 'Big Brother' and 'Deal or No Deal' is to be sold by its Spanish owner Telefonica.

Rodriguez-Vina will chair the company's management board, joining its other three members: Tom Barnicoat, chief operating officer; Peter Bazalgette, chief creative officer; and Jan Peter Kerstens, chief financial officer.

The new chairman and chief executive joins from Telefonica-owned search engine Terra Lycos, where he was chief financial officer. Prior to that, he spent time at Arthur Andersen, General Electric and UBS.

The parent company said in May that it had considered selling off the production company on the back of its most successful show.

Speculation has been mounting since the end of 2004 that the company may be taken over by an outside bidder when Bazalgette and Barnicoat joined the international board of the TV business.

Time Warner, News Corporation and French firm Bollore Group have all been linked with plans to buy the production house.

Telefonica currently owns 75% of Endemol, having floated 22.3% of the company on the Dutch stock market last November. The rest is privately owned.

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