Christine Leo-McKerrow, it becomes clear fairly early on, is not one for the quiet life. “I like challenges. I like being pushed to the end of my tether,” she says.
Leo-McKerrow may say it with a laugh, but the quick expansion of the BBC Worldwide network in Asia suggests that the Singaporean native’s hard work is yielding results.
Widely-respected in the industry, Leo-McKerrow has immersed herself in a daunting mandate. BBC Worldwide has been a relatively late entrant to the Asian pay-TV market, a space that has been dominated by US-channels.
Industry commentators note that the BBC is one of the last of the world’s major TV entertainment brands to expand into Asia, putting it about 10 years behind the first movers.
Developing the BBC Global Channels platform in Asia-Pacific, Leo-McKerrow is in charge of 15 diverse markets - a tough enough task for anyone, even someone who appears to thrive on pressure. But her tenure has seen concrete results. Leo-McKerrow has overseen the launch of several new channels in Asia, including BBC Knowledge and BBC Lifestyle. These have been included under the BBC 5 umbrella, which also comprises CBeebies, BBC Entertainment and BBC World.
How has this been possible in such a short period of time? According to insiders, Leo-McKerrow is fiercely professional in her approach to her work. At the same time, there is clear affection for the small group of people that make up her team.
“The people, the team in the region and in London… That’s the amazing thing. When you start something together, you can work through the most ridiculous and stupid things - and survive,” she explains.
A sense of history and responsibility for the brand tends to permeate interviews with BBC staff, despite the occasional debates and turbulence surrounding the direction and integrity of the august broadcasting corporation. “That’s what keeps me going... knowing that we’re involved in something pretty big,” points out Leo-McKerrow.
In part, that’s what differentiates the Beeb from its celebrity obsessed US counterparts. Leo-McKerrow has repeatedly been cited emphasising the quality of BBC Worldwide’s programming, and her descriptions of meeting global icons suggest that her own sense of self-worth has something in common with her company. During her early days at Planet Hollywood, Leo-McKerrow met stars such as Johnny Depp and Wesley Snipes, encounters she only comments on as “part of the job at the time”.
Recalling having had tea with Nelson Mandela, an event likely to fluster businessmen and world leaders alike, Leo-McKerrow demonstrates wit as well as poise. “When I met Nelson Mandela, I was struck by his aura of being a great human being - he’s warm and humbling,” she recalls.
“At the time, I was probably running too fast to appreciate it. But I think you get to this age where you have a clear idea of who you are, and I’m not Nelson Mandela”.
The bundling together of the five channels, together with the solid growth of the pay-TV sector, should increase opportunities for BBC Worldwide to grow revenue. However, the difficulty of standardising measurements remains a challenge for the pay-TV industry. “Everyone is looking for growth and multiple revenue streams, and there is a concerted effort to promote pay-TV as an advertising platform,” observes Leo-McKerrow.
“I would find it hard to believe that my audience has no value to someone trying to talk to them, but is there such a thing as one simple measurement? It has been going on for years.”
Beyond this, Leo-McKerrow also admits that the regulatory landscape in Asia remains challenging, sometimes forcing strategies to lean towards patience. Such is the case for the BBC in China. “Sales has a good business and there has been some co-production. But for Global Channels, our potential is in hotels and compounds, and since we’re already there, we’ll wait until the doors open a little more,” she explains.
India, however, may prove more fruitful. Until now, the BBC in Asia has mainly been repackaging content from its other operations but as a part of its long-term strategy, some programmes will be developed specifically for the Asian markets.
Darren Childs, managing director of BBC Global Channels, has suggested that locally-produced material for broadcast in India is in the pipeline for the second half of 2008.
Which means that, even while she waits for China to open up, Leo-McKerrow seems set to continue being pushed to the end of her tether.
Leo-McKerrow’s CV
2006 SVP, Global Channels Asia-Pacific, BBC Worldwide
1999 VP, channel operations and brand management, Nickelodeon Asia-Pacific
1992 Director, marketing and communications, HBO Asia
1989 Account manager, BBH London
