Nigel Pickard

Nigel Pickard is a British television executive who oversaw the creation and launch of, amongst others, the BBC's children's channels, CBBC and CBeebies and as director of programmes at ITV, was responsible for commissioning some of the UK's most popular shows. He also worked for Zodiak Media, one of the largest independent producers in the world and is currently chairman of The RightsXchange.

Nigel started in career in the early 1970s, as a film editor and then as a Floor Manager, working on Thames Television's Armchair Thriller and the children's series Worzel Gummidge for Southern Television. In 1981 he was made a director and worked on How and Runaround. In 1982 Pickard became a senior programme director of the children’s department at the newly formed TVS, where his work included No73 and Art Attack. In 1986, Nigel was appointed Controller of Children’s and Family.

When TVS lost its ITV contract, he moved to Scottish TV to be controller of entertainment and drama features,

In 1994 he became Director of Programmes, and subsequently General Manager, of The Family Channel in the UK, and he was at the forefront of the growth of multi-channel television in Britain. As Vice President, Production for Flextech he steered the development and launch of Challenge in 1997 and was responsible for all original production for the bouquet of Flextech channels including TCC, Bravo, Trouble, Living and Challenge.

...
Wikipedia