James Wildbore

About James Wildbore

I am a senior operating leader with 25+ years of experience building, scaling, and running complex media, streaming, and advertising businesses across the US, LATAM, EMEA, and APAC. I currently serve as SVP & General Manager for Global Advertising & StoryWorks at BBC Studios, with responsibility for our global operating performance.My career has focused on designing and leading effective operating models at scale — combining P&L accountability with hands-on leadership across sales, content, technology, finance, and operations. I have worked across multiple business models, including advertising, streaming, content and channel distribution, and have led organizations through periods of growth, restructuring, and transformation.I have held regional and global leadership roles, integrated businesses, and stepped into interim GM responsibilities where stability, execution, and delivery were critical. I am particularly experienced in aligning strategy, structure, systems and talent to improve operating discipline, margins, and long-term performance.I am a collaborative, execution-focused leader who enjoys working across functions to simplify complexity, build resilient teams, and create operating platforms that scale. My leadership style emphasizes clarity of accountability, strong governance, and disciplined delivery.

Experience

1. SVP & General Manager Ad Sales

   BBC Studios

   Jun 2024 — Present · NY, US

   Global leadership role with responsibility for the operating performance, organisational effectiveness, and commercial results of BBC Studios’ advertising and branded content businesses across North America, EMEA, and APAC.Accountable for global operating performance across sales, branded content, ad tech, ad operations, marketing, and business intelligenceLed delivery of strong revenue and EBITDA growth while strengthening execution discipline in a volatile advertising marketImplemented a global operating model balancing regional decision-making with scaled centres of excellenceRe-structured leadership, footprint, and cost base across key regions to improve margins and operating leverageOversaw end-to-end commercial process transformation, including Salesforce and MediaCloud implementation

Education

• University of Oxford

  Bachelor’s Degree, Philosophy, Politics & Economics

  1995 — 1998

Skills

• Start-Ups
• Cash Flow
• Financial Reporting
• Financial Planning
• Strategy
• Acquisition Integration
• Strategic Financial Planning
• Forecasting
• Managerial Finance
• Business Strategy
• Financial Analysis
• Auditing
• Corporate Finance
• Ifrs
• Internal Controls
• Restructuring
• Management
• Financial Modeling
• Valuation
• Business Planning
• Budgets
• Finance
• Cash Management