Dana Strong has been promoted to the chief executive role at Comcast’s European satellite subsidiary Sky Group, the media company said in a press release on Wednesday.
Strong, a veteran of the telecommunications industry in the United States, previously served as the president of Comcast’s consumer services division.
She will report to Comcast chief executive Brian Roberts, the company said.
“I am delighted that Dana will be taking the helm at Sky,” Roberts said in a statement. “She is an accomplished executive with an extraordinary ability to transform, inspire and drive positive change. She quickly made her mark on our US business, driving growth and innovation with an unwavering commitment to our customers.”
Before joining Comcast, Strong was the president and chief operating executive at Virgin Media in the United Kingdom. She worked in other executive and management roles at Liberty Global in the United States and Austar in Australia.
“Her global experience and vision coupled with her leadership and track record at some of the largest media and telecommunications companies in the world make her the perfect leader for Sky,” Roberts said.
Strong will assume command of Comcast’s three satellite television services in Europe: Sky UK, Sky Italia (Italy) and Sky Deutschland (Germany). Sky UK is also available in Ireland, while Sky Deutschland serves customers across the German border in Switzerland and Austria.
Comcast acquired Sky Group in 2018 for $40 billion. Previously, the company was independently owned, though Rupert Murdoch-controlled News Corporation held a minority stake.
Strong succeeds Jeremy Darroch, who will step down from the chief executive role at Sky Group at a later date. Darroch served as Sky’s chief executive since 2007 and was one of the longest-tenured executives at the company.
“Sky’s values have been a perfect fit for ours and I credit Jeremy with building an incredible culture and executing the seamless integration with Comcast,” Roberts said. “He and his team have established a world-class brand and a strong, well-run business that will continue to flourish.”
Darroch will remain on at Sky Group as executive chairman of the company, Roberts said.
In a statement of his own, Darroch said he felt it was best to leave the company following the integration of Sky’s European businesses with Comcast.
“It has been a privilege to lead Sky for 13 years, and an experience that I have looked forward to every day, so my decision to leave has not been easy. But with the business firmly settled into the wider Comcast Corporation and a strong plan in place, now is the right time,” Darroch wrote. “I feel incredibly lucky to have been surrounded by colleagues who care as deeply as I do about this business and our customers and work tirelessly every day to make their lives better.”
Darroch said he was excited to see how Strong performed in her role as chief executive of Sky. Likewise, Strong released a statement saying she was excited to get started.
“There are few businesses that have the track record of Sky, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead the company,” Strong said. “I’ve always admired Sky’s innovation, brand, and exceptional focus on the customer. I look forward to working with this incredible team to continue to grow the business and shape the next chapter for Sky.”
In addition to the satellite business, Sky operates the streaming service Now TV in the United Kingdom. It also offers consumer home phone and broadband Internet to most of its customers.
