Immediate Media Co appoints new Food MD and People Director, strengthening its leadership capabilities in key strategic functions

Published: 05 May 2023

Jessica Norell Neeson joins as Food MD & David Reay as People Director

4 May 2023

Immediate Media Co announces the appointment of Jessica Norell Neeson as Managing Director of its market-leading Food Portfolio and David Reay as People Director, as it strengthens its leadership capabilities in two key strategic business areas. Jessica will have responsibility for Immediate’s Food Group, the UK’s largest food media portfolio including BBC Good Food and olive, and Nutracheck, the UK’s leading subscription-based weight management and dietary improvement platform, as Immediate looks to accelerate its growth in the food and health sectors through continued digital expansion, new product development, partnerships and strategic M&A.

With 20 years’ experience leading consumer digital businesses, Jessica joins Immediate from Barclays UK, where she was Managing Director Customer Propositions, leading the development of new products, features and solutions across retail and digital to improve customer experience and engagement. Jessica previously held senior commercial, customer and product-centric roles at Paddy Power, running large businesses focused on improving multi-channel customer engagement, loyalty and experience, as well as strategy roles at Vodafone and Bain and Company.

Jessica Norell Neeson, says: “I’m really excited to join Immediate and their market-leading food portfolio. I am passionate about delivering results through great customer experience and I’m looking forward to continue to grow the food portfolio and its strong team.”

David Reay joins Immediate as People Director taking a strategic lead on people development, culture, ED&I and talent management, reporting to Jo Brandl, Chief People Officer. David will head up Immediate’s People Team, incorporating the HR, Internal Events, Learning and Development, ED&I, Facilities, Talent Acquisition and Communications functions.

With a passion for driving diversity, talent development and creating environments where people flourish, David has over 15 years of senior HR and People leadership experience. David joins from Condé Nast, where as SVP for People, Editorial and Entertainment, he led the people function for the global editorial and entertainment divisions, across journalism, creative, digital, film and TV. David has also previously held senior People leadership roles at TikTok, Sony Music, RSA and BAE Systems.

David Reay says: “I’m delighted to be joining Immediate; a truly people-centric business. People and innovation are my passions, which are aligned with Immediate’s, and I can’t wait to be a part of the next stage of Immediate’s journey as they continue to invest in their people to drive their future growth.”

Sean Cornwell, Immediate’s Platforms CEO, says: “We’ve got ambitious growth plans at Immediate, to further extend our reach, engagement and content offer over a range of platforms, products and services, whilst continuing to invest in creating a supportive and exciting working environment. The appointments of Jessica and David strengthen our leadership capabilities in key areas for us, as we look to develop our food and wellness portfolio and continue to attract and retain the best talent to Immediate.”

Jessica and David will both join Immediate’s Platforms Leadership team.

ENDS
For more details please contact: dominic.lobley@immediate.co.uk / 020 7150 5015

About Immediate Media Co: 

Immediate Media Co is the special interest content and platform company, home to over 1,000 people across three business units, based in London, Bristol, Nottingham and Manchester.

We own and operate some of the best-loved brands in the UK and are the market leader in the majority of sectors we operate in, including food, gardening and children’s publishing.  Our brands include Radio Times, BBC Good Food, BBC History magazine, BBC Gardeners’ World magazine olive, Girl Talk, and MadeForMums. We also publish children’s titles for LEGO and Disney, CBeebies portfolio under licence from BBC Studios and BBC Top Gear on behalf of BBC Studios. We engage over 75 million people globally each month, with world-class content across print, digital, video, podcasts and live events.  With over 1.3 million active subscribers across print and digital, we are the UK’s leading publisher by subscribers. We are a purpose-driven business, to create more happiness and fulfilment each day by helping everyone do what they love, creating content and experiences to inspire our audience’s passions in cooking, gardening, entertainment, and beyond.

We have a people-centric culture, with clear values and behaviours, focused on creating a caring, inclusive, collaborative environment, in which our people feel supported and developed. In January 2022, Immediate was named the UK’s 4th best place to work in the Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards 2022 and was the highest ranked media company in the list confirming its position as the leading employer in the sector.

Immediate Live, our live events business, is the UK’s leading organiser of unmissable consumer events.  We create premium events and experiences that connect and inspire our audiences, including BBC Gardeners’ World Live, the Good Food Show, London Art Fair, The Cycle Show, Move It, The Festival of Quilts and the Hampton Court Food Festival. 

In November 2022, Immediate acquired Nutracheck, the UK’s leading subscription-based weight management and dietary improvement platform and with 350,000 premium subscribers, one of the biggest digital subscription apps in the UK. Immediate is part of Burda International, the global arm of Hubert Burda Media.