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Â鶹Éç Worldwide, the commercial arm of the Â鶹Éç, has appointed Henrietta Hurford-Jones to the newly created role of Director of CBeebies Investment.

Reporting to Â鶹Éç Worldwide's SVP Programming & TV Channels, David Weiland, Hurford-Jones will be responsible for developing and investing in a new stream of original programme content for the CBeebies brand internationally. She will manage the global investment process for all pre-school programming and brand properties and will work closely with all of Â鶹Éç Worldwide's businesses – including Global Brands, Sales & Distribution, Magazines and DVDs – and Channels' central acquisitions team and regional programming heads. Hurford-Jones takes up the role from 19th July.

The appointment reiterates Â鶹Éç Worldwide's commitment to working with the UK and international production community to serve audiences with locally-relevant content for its six CBeebies feeds operating in Australia, Asia, Europe Middle East & Africa, Latin America and North America and to be distributed on channels in those regions where CBeebies is not currently available.

David Weiland said, "CBeebies is a hit with kids all over the world and Henrietta brings to the role an in-depth understanding of this young audience and the types of compelling and engaging programme concepts that resonate with them. Henrietta's unique combination of editorial and sales expertise in this core market will be invaluable as we build on the progress we've made in rolling out the CBeebies brand."

Hurford-Jones joins from the RDF Media Group where she held the role of Director, International Kids & Family. Prior to this, she worked as a Programming Consultant for JimJam Television and spent five years as Director of European Programming at Jetix Europe Limited (formerly Fox Kids Europe Limited).

On joining Â鶹Éç Worldwide, she said, "I'm really looking forward to working with the Â鶹Éç Worldwide team and the global production community to help this fantastic brand in the exciting next stages of its development."

In April this year, Â鶹Éç Worldwide Channels aired its first original commission for the international CBeebies channel. Penelope K, by the way was the winning submission in the company’s inaugural production initiative and produced by Michael Bourchier of Sydney-based Blink Films, in association with Freehand Media. An episode of the show – Penelope K, By the Way - Why Do Elephants Have Trunk written by Melanie Alexander – has been nominated for a prestigious AWGIE (Australian Writers Guild) Award for best Children’s Television Programme.

Harriet Otoo