Alex Mahon: Driving Change at the UK's Channel 4---and Beyond

This case focuses on the leadership of Alex Mahon, CEO of British public service television broadcaster Channel 4. Mahon took the helm at Channel 4 in 2017 and disrupted the traditional broadcasting business model as she tackled streaming services and sparked a digital revolution. In addition, she led the largest organizational structure change in the broadcaster's history to promote a more diverse and inclusive staff and culture. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, she adopted an innovative approach to commissioning programming that led to record-breaking revenue. She managed complex external stakeholders and successfully defended the channel against threats of government privatization that might have jeopardized its remit to champion unheard voices. Mahon also closed the gender pay gap, created an education and training program targeting young people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, and developed ground-breaking women's health policies that myriad companies around the world adopted. Both Mahon and the channel she ran shared an aversion to conformity, a commitment to inclusion, and a passion for driving social change on screen through the broadcaster's commissioning decisions and off-screen through organizational structure and culture.