Sales operations chief to step up to the role as technology and distribution director Grace Boswood prepares to exit the broadcaster

Barry (8)

Channel 4 has promoted Barry John to technology director. He will begin his new role, stepping up from head of sales operations at Channel 4, on 1 November.

Channel 4’s Content Management and Technology teams will report to John, and he will also take over responsibility for Channel 4 Sales’ Ad Tech team, led by Charlie Glyn (and Nathan Knight as maternity cover). 

John will report to Channel 4’s chief financial officer.

John’s appointment comes at the same time that Channel 4 technology and distribution director Grace Boswood announces her departure from Channel 4. Boswood has been in the role since September 2021 and will leave later this year.

Grace’s former Partnerships team will now report to Channel 4’s recently-appointed new chief strategy and corporate development officer, Simon Rexworthy.

Barry John has been with Channel 4, as part of its commercial team, for 16 years and has strong commercial technology and ad-tech experience.

In a post on LinkedIn earlier today, Barry John said:  

“I’m delighted to say that I’m taking up the new role of Channel 4’s technology director from later this year. I’ve been with Channel 4, as part of our Sales team, for 16 amazing years, starting with 4oD in its infancy when we had one platform running in the browser using a display ad server. We’re a tad bigger and better now and we have made great progress with unifying linear and digital teams and building out our programmatic and data products into a world class broadcaster solution. 

The time is now right to help lead Channel 4’s technology activity across the entire organisation, leading our Content Management and Technology teams, as well as overseeing our brilliant Ad Tech team.

To state the obvious, the media industry is changing rapidly, creating new opportunities to innovate, forge partnerships and find new ways of serving audiences and advertisers. Few organisations are better placed to seize those opportunities than Channel 4.

I’m looking forward to working alongside outstanding colleagues across the business as we continue to utilise the best in tech, innovation and R&D to evolve, grow and deliver on Channel 4’s unique public service mission.”