Endemol has named Claire Heys director, brand partnerships and licensing. She will report to Lucas Church, chief operating officer at Endemol U.K., and Olivier Gers, chief executive officer of Endemol Worldwide Brands.
Heys has been one of the U.K.’s leading specialists in branded content over the last six years, having shaped content strategies for GSK, Camelot, Orange, J&J, Cow & Gate, General Mills, The British Army, Waitrose, Levi’s, Malibu, Motorola, Nintendo and Australia Tourism.
Previously, Heys worked at Tiger Aspect where her credits included partnering with Mediacom, and their client, GlaxoSmithKline, to bring "Cook Yourself Thin" to daytime C4. She also brought "Britain’s Best Brain," with funding from Nindendo and GroupM Entertainment, to prime time Channel 5.
"Product placement, licensing, sales promotions, advertiser funded programming, sponsorship and merchandising are all areas where we see increasing opportunities for Endemol U.K. and intend to grow our business," says Church. "Having someone as highly experienced and skilled as Heys in this role puts us in a strong position to do so."