BBC hires former Sky digital platform chief

Matt Grest

The BBC has named Matt Grest as director of platform. Grest was previously Sky’s director of digital platforms, with responsibility for web and mobile across Sports, News, Sky.com and intranet. He also led the creation and expansion of Sky’s new digital hub in Leeds.

As the BBC’s director of platform, Grest will be part of the Design and Engineering (D&E) technology division created last year and will be tasked with heading up the transformation of the BBC’s digital and broadcast products into a fully integrated platform, merging together the public broadcaster’s existing platform products and teams with myBBC, the corporation’s digital innovation initiative unveiled by director-general Tony Hall in 2015.

Prior to working for Sky, Grest was part of the IT leadership team at Yorkshire Building Society, head of development at NHS Choices (Capita) and head of software development at Plusnet. He will join the BBC in late spring.

Matthew Postgate, chief technology and product officer for the BBC, said: “I believe Matt’s experience can help us make a step-change toward our goals around platform convergence – broadcast and online, content and users – whilst bringing experience and insight about what it’s like being a user and customer of a platform. Matt is aligned with our philosophy and approach to creating a platform group with a strong sense of identity and service to the BBC; he has achieved just that at Sky, having built up a highly regarded team and established a strong and inspiring culture at a similar scale as we’re working to in D&E.”