_{Sarah Cooper, COO, NBCUniversal Intl TV Production}

London – Sarah Cooper has been appointed to the newly created role of Chief Operating Officer of  NBCUniversal International Television Production, effective March 11.  The announcement was made by Michael Edelstein, President, NBCUniversal International Television Production, to whom she will report. 

Based in London, Cooper will be integral to the management team Edelstein is continuing to build to drive strategic growth across the television production business. She will assume daily operational responsibility for business and legal affairs, HR, finance, merchandising and licensing, and format sales as NBCUniversal International Television continues to expand by establishing new ventures and forging creative and strategic partnerships across the international television and digital landscape.

“Sarah Cooper is one of the most outstanding and respected executives in the business and we are delighted that she has joined our growing team. She has a vast array of international experience and will be an invaluable asset as we continue to build NBCU International Television Production into the premiere destination for content creators working outside the United States,” said Edelstein.

Before NBCUniversal, Cooper was Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO at BBC Worldwide. She led the company’s negotiations on international partnerships and joint ventures, oversaw rights acquisitions across all media and was responsible at Board level for global ad sales across all platforms. Additionally, she led large scale initiatives such as the transformation of BBC Worldwide’s strategic marketing capability and brand strategy and was globally responsible for the company’s editorial standards and values. She also served as Director of Business Affairs at BBC Worldwide overseeing a high-performing legal function and a host of innovative deals across all media formats, having been promoted to a newly created Board position. In 2011, Cooper was the recipient of the Women in Film & Television Barclays Corporate Business Award for Outstanding Business Achievement.