Ashley Highfield

Ashley Highfield (born on October 3, 1965) has been appointed head of Project Kangaroo. [ cite web | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2008/04_april/ashley_highfield_kangaroo.shtml | title=Ashley Highfield appointed as CEO of Kangaroo | publisher=BBC Worldwide Press Releases | date=2008-04-14 | accessdate=2008-04-14 ] He is the former Director of the Future Media and Technology group at the BBC.cite web

url=http://db.bbc.co.uk/info/running/executive/eb_ashley_highfield.shtml
title=Ashley Highfield biography
work=bbc.co.uk
accessdate=2007-10-11

] cite web

url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/14/bbc.digitalmedia
title=Highfield to leave BBC for Kangaroo
work=guardian.co.uk
accessdate=2008-04-13

] At the time of his appointment to the BBC he was, at 34, the youngest ever member of the organisation's Executive Board. His department is responsible for the BBC's internet presence - bbc.co.uk, interactive TV - BBCi, mobile services, the BBC's technology portfolio and the BBC’s Archive. He was responsible for around 1,400 staff across the BBC, and a budget of £400m [http://www.bbc.co.uk/annualreport] .

In 2003 Highfield was awarded the Digital Innovator internet award by The Sunday Times (UK) who dubbed his vision of a 100% digital Britain a "tour de force". In 2004 he was named ‘most influential individual in technology’ by online technology news site Silicon.Com [http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/as2004/thelist/no01.htm] for overseeing a number of ‘firsts’ for a major broadcaster, including the use of peer-to-peer, interactive TV, and multi-casting of TV. In May 2006, Broadcast Magazine [http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk] wrote "The Creative Future review will enhance the already high standing of Ashley Highfield, the BBC's director of new media and technology. As the principal architect of the BBC's digital convergence strategy, he is increasingly coming to be recognised as one of the most influential figures in world media". In 2007, "The Guardian" placed Highfield at #31 in its annual survey of the most powerful people in the UK media industry.cite web

url=http://media.guardian.co.uk/top100_2007/story/0,,2118621,00.html
title=Ashley Highfield
work=MediaGuardian.co.uk
accessdate=2007-10-11

]

In November, 2007 he courted controversy by [http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2008/01/iplayer_launch_first_indicatio.html launching the iPlayer only on the Windows platform] , and angered the Linux community by initially claiming that the BBC website had [http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2007/11/busting_the_bbcs_600_linux_users_myth.php only 600 linux visitors] . Subsequent iPlayer releases for the Mac, Linux and iPhone have been welcomed by these communities. The iPlayer has been a significant success with currently [http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2008/02/iplayer_figures_and_feedback.html 500,000 programs being watch each day from a userbase of over 2 Million] and adding 25% growth to the content served via bbc.co.uk since December 2007.

Career

Educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey, Highfield worked as first as a computer programmer before turning management consultant. He worked in the TMT sector for Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC) for [http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-1574510/Ashley-Highfield-Profile.html six years] , working in post-apartheid South Africa.cite web

url=http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article1219009.ece
title=Ashley Highfield: '99 per cent of the BBC archives is on the shelves. We ought to liberate it'
author=Ian Burrell
work=The Independent
accessdate=2007-10-11

] . In 1994 he returned to the UK to become head of IT and New Media for NBC Europe. He then joined Flextech TV — a pay-TV channel provider — where he worked for five years as managing director of interactive services. While at Flextech he founded Flextech Interactive and invested in online ticketing agency WayAheadGroup and mapping company Multimap.

In October 2000 he joined the BBC as Director of New Media & Technology. working for Greg Dyke who said in his [http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0007193645 autobiography Inside Story pp178-9] "Ashley is one of the most inventive people I know and our one-to-one monthly meetings were amongst the most creative and stimulating I had in my time as Director-General". Tellingly Dyke also noted "Ashley didn't have an easy task bringing all the BBC's online activity under one division, but he did it with great success". In 2005, under new Director Genera Mark Thompson, Highfield retained his place on the new slimmed down Executive Board and was given additional responsibility for Broadcast and Production technology across the BBC. In July 2006 the BBC reformed its structure, turning the New Media department into the 'Future Media & Technology' department (including BBC's Information & Archives business) with Ashley Highfield at its head. During his tenure, Highfield has overseen a massive growth in the BBC's online presence (from 3.5 million to 17 million users), interactive TV and mobile, as well as projects such as BBC Backstage and the BBC Creative Archive — although the latter has been in abeyance since September 2006 pending a public value test. Highfield has also overseen the development of the BBC iPlayer, which has been both [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/nov/13/channelfive.bbc praised] and criticised (especially over its use of digital rights management). [cite web

url=http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,2079046,00.html
title=Situation critical
work=MediaGuardian
accessdate=2007-10-11]

In April 2008 it was announced that Highfield is to leave the BBC to head up Project Kangaroo. [ cite web | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2008/04_april/ashley_highfield_kangaroo.shtml | title=Ashley Highfield appointed as CEO of Kangaroo | publisher=BBC Worldwide Press Releases | date=2008-04-14 | accessdate=2008-04-14 ]

Highfield is a Chartered Engineer.

Awards

Highfield has won several awards, including the following:

*In 2003, Highfield was awarded the [http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/executives/ashleyhighfield.shtml Digital Innovator] internet award by "The Sunday Times".
*In 2004, he was named the ‘most influential individual in technology’ by online technology news site Silicon.com [http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/as2004/thelist/no01.htm] .
*In 2004, he was made a Fellow of the [http://www.rsa.org.uk/acrobat/council_biographies.pdf Royal Society of Arts]
*In 2007, he was made a Fellow of the [http://www.rts.org.uk/Information_page_+_3_pic_det.asp?id=24376&sec_id=174 Royal Television Society]

References

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/ashley_highfield/ Highfield's official blog]
* [http://backstage.bbc.co.uk/news/archives/2008/02/ashley_highfiel.html BBC Backstage blog]
* [http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/agenda-setters-2007/ashley+highfield.htm 2007 Silicon Agenda Setters placed #5]
* [http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/as2006/0,3800012300,39162469,00.htm 2006 Silicon Agenda Setters placed #8]
* [http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20071118205358171&query=ashley+highfield The future is to move beyond DRM]
* [http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,1760999,00.html BBC unveils radical revamp of website]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policies/online_review.shtml DCMS review of the BBC's online service]
* [http://www.c21media.net/news/detail.asp?area=1&article=31340 Department expands]
* [http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,2079046,00.html Bobbie Johnson, The Guardian]