MUMBAI: Banijay has announced that Marie Schweitzer will continue to remain as chief strategy officer. Schweitzer has been with the production house since its inception in 2008, and played a fundamental role in the merger with Endemol Shine group.

In the newly scaled-up group, she will continue to report to CEO Marco Bassetti and oversee strategy, research and communications. In addition, she will also be responsible for Banijay’s overarching strategy and identify strategic expansion opportunities.

Appointed to her current role in September 2016, Schweitzer joined the group during its launch as co-head of market research. Since then, she has held a number of positions across the business. Taking on strategy and business development more recently, she has been working with the executive team on M&A and growth opportunities, while leading the departmental heads within her wider remit.

Prior to Banijay, Schweitzer was head of market research at Endemol France following several years in production.

Banijay CEO Marco Bassetti said, “Marie has been with us since the start and is very much a key figure in the growth trajectory of the business. Aiding most recently on the complex acquisition and integration of Endemol, she has been at the forefront of our strategy and development, consistently balancing content expertise with entrepreneurial spirit. A valuable member of our exec team, she will now continue to work with us to effectively evolve and strengthen our global footprint for the future.”

Marie Schweitzer said, “I have spent the past 12 years at the heart of a company that has gone from one territory to 22 and a few employees to thousands worldwide. It’s a proud moment to see the hard work paying off as we morph into the biggest unscripted player on the planet and with a host of super-brands to now call our own, a fantastic raft of talent and an unrivalled pipeline of premium IP, the opportunities are endless.”