Sally Debonnaire has been appointed Director of Production, ITV STUDIOS UK. Reporting to Denise O'Donoghue, Managing Director, ITV STUDIOS UK, Sally will oversee all productions commissioned from ITV STUDIOS' UK production business; and will have responsibility for leading ITV STUDIOS production management strategy to deliver and support growth.
As Director of Production, Sally will be in charge of driving value, efficiency and production modernisation and ensuring effective use of resources and technology across all platforms. She will help develop production partnerships with ITV STUDIOS’ international production businesses and co-producers to maximise the range and diversity of ITV STUDIOS content.
A leading industry executive, Sally is currently Controller, Production Operations, BBC Vision and is responsible for the overall operations function for Vision Productions, the BBC’s in-house production department. She is accountable for the day-to-day management of the production work and oversees a slate which includes programmes such as EastEnders, Top Gear, Strictly Come Dancing, The Thick of It and Antiques Roadshow.
Denise O’Donoghue, who appointed Sally to the role, says: “I am delighted that Sally will be joining ITV STUDIOS and that we are increasingly attracting people of this calibre. We are focused on the continued growth of the UK business. As we see the new commissions emerge from our ongoing creative renewal we need to prepare for an even larger production slate. Sally’s ability to build confidence within production and her major track record for delivering challenging content will play a key role in helping us deliver our five year transformation plan. She brings to ITV STUDIOS an unrivalled wealth of experience from the independent sector and most recently from the BBC.”
Sally Debonnaire says: “I have had an incredible time at the BBC working with some of the most talented people in television today but I am delighted to be joining ITV STUDIOS and look forward to working closely again with Denise and Kevin and the commissioning and production teams. I am excited by the challenges ahead.”
Prior to joining the BBC Sally was Managing Director of Avalon Television where she was an Executive Producer of Not Going Out and Harry Hill’s TV Burp.
In 2003, she was appointed Chief Operating Officer at Talkback Thames where she was responsible for the company’s annual production slate of 1,000 hours of programming which included The Apprentice, Ali G, The Bill, The X Factor, Green Wing and Grand Designs.
She originally joined Talkback Productions in 1993 as Head of Production, becoming Deputy Managing Director in 1999 and Managing Director in 2002.
Sally's early career was spent at London Weekend Television and in freelance production for independent companies including Hat Trick and Tiger Aspect.