The BBC Board appoints Marinella Soldi as Non-executive Director

The BBC Board has appointed Marinella Soldi as a Non-executive Director. She will serve for three years on the Board, effective today, 11 September 2023. "I am delighted to welcome Marinella Soldi to the BBC Board. Marinella has a unique blend of commercial and senior executive experience in media and technology, and her passion for the values of public service broadcasting is evident through her work in Italy and with the EBU," Dame Elan Closs Stephens, Acting Chair of the BBC, said. "I look forward to her bringing her skill, experience and fresh thinking to the BBC."

As a Non-executive director, Soldi will help to ensure the Board makes decisions in the public interest, informed by the best interests of the audience and with appropriate regard to the impact of those decisions on the wider media market in the UK. The executive currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Rai Radiotelevisione Italiana and a member of the Board of Directors of the EBU (European Broadcasting Union). She is also Non-executive Director for Nexi digital payments and Ariston thermal solutions. Under her new role, she will bring extensive editorial, global and commercial experience to the role. 

Born in Italy and raised and educated in London, Soldi has held senior roles in London and Milan at MTV Networks Europe before joining Discovery, where she served as CEO of Discovery Networks Southern Europe for 10 years until October 2018, transforming its business model from linear to a diversified multiplatform portfolio. She has a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and an MBA from INSEAD.

The BBC Board consists of 14 members, with a majority of non-executive directors. The board is responsible for ensuring the BBC fulfils its mission and public purposes as set out in the Charter. The Board must uphold and protect the independence of the BBC and make its decisions in the public interest. It is accountable for all of the Corporation’s activities including the publicly funded services, as well as the commercial activities in the UK and around the world.

"The BBC is a benchmark for media, and specifically public service broadcasting, around the world," Soldi said. "I am honored to contribute to its mission of winning the hearts and minds of diverse audiences in today’s challenging and ever-changing scenario. The BBC is not only one of the most respected and trusted brands in media, but also an intrinsic part of my personal experience growing up as an Italian in the UK."