Jeremy Darroch, Broadcasting, Debrett's 500 2015, People

Jeremy Darroch

CEO, British Sky Broadcasting Group

Raised in a working class Northumberland family, and educated at grammar school, the affable Jeremy Darroch has had an incredible career trajectory. Starting out at Procter & Gamble, followed by Dixons, he was appointed CEO of the British Sky Broadcasting Group plc in 2007, and is credited with taking subscribers to over 10 million in the UK, thus hitting his predecessor James Murdoch’s target a month early. Under Darroch’s stewardship, the broadcaster has expanded its scope to become the most comprehensive multi-platform television and home communications service in the UK and Ireland. By the end of June 2013, Sky had increased its profits to £1.26 billion, up 5.7% that year, with revenues up 7% to £7.2 billion. He has also recently replaced James Murdoch as the new chairman of Sky Deutschland’s supervisory board.