Sara Geater gets CEO job at TalkbackThames

Sara Geater has been appointed the CEO of FremantleMedia-owned production company TalkbackThames. She has been acting CEO since Lorraine Heggessy left the company in June. Before that she had been COO since 2007.

Along with taking the permanent CEO position, Geater will also join the FremantleMedia board. She is credited with leading the implementation of TalkbackThames’ new growth strategy since the cancellation of its long-running police drama The Bill earlier this year.

The company said that she was instrumental in closing a three-year deal with UK commercial broadcaster ITV for The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent.

“Sara has a wealth of knowledge and extensive experience in television on both the production and commercial side of the business,” said Tony Cohen, CEO, FremantleMedia. “She’s done an exceptional job in her interim position as CEO of talkbackTHAMES, and I’m delighted that Sara will be taking up this new role.”