Sophie Turner Laing

Chief Executive Officer

Sophie Turner Laing is Chief Executive Officer for Endemol Shine Group.

Sophie took up her position as CEO in December 2014. She previously held a number of senior positions at BSkyB, leaving in May 2014 after 11 years with the company. She joined Sky in 2003 as Director of Movies and was appointed Managing Director, Content at Sky in March 2007. In this role she had overall responsibility for Sky’s portfolio of entertainment and news channels including Sky 1, Sky Arts, Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, Sky Movies and Sky News, as well as Broadcast Operations. Sophie also led Sky’s relationships with joint venture and partner channels and oversaw the international distribution of channels and programmes.

Under Sophie’s leadership, Sky significantly broadened its entertainment offering and increased its investment in the UK creative industries. Sophie was instrumental in forging Sky’s ground-breaking partnership with HBO, which led to the launch of Sky Atlantic. She was also the driving force behind Sky’s commitment to increase investment in original British programming to £600m a year, achieved in 2014.

Prior to that she was at the BBC where she held a number of senior roles including Acting Director of Television. Sophie began her television career at Henson International Television where she was promoted through a number of positions, rising to become Sales Director. She worked on programmes like The Muppet Show during this time. Sophie went on to set up HIT Entertainment with Peter Orton in 1989 and later moved to Flextech, as a buyer.

She is a non-executive director of Debenhams plc., a trustee of the National Film & TV School, and the Vice President of Television for BAFTA.

Sophie has been honoured with a Royal Television Society (RTS) Fellowship for her “outstanding contribution” to British television, as well as the inaugural MIPTV Médaille d’Honneur for her contribution to television globally.