MUMBAI: Thomas Geitner has joined the board of UK pubcaster the BBC's commercial arm BBC Worldwide as a non-executive director. Geitner joined Vodafone in 2000 as an executive director with responsibility for global business integration. He left the company at the end of last year.

As a non-executive member of the BBC Worldwide board, Thomas Geitner will be particularly advising on new media developments, investments and international growth as BBC Worldwide gears up for some major digital business launches over the coming months.

He said, "I am delighted to join the board of BBC Worldwide at this point where the business is setting out to expand its global brand and the range of its products into new media opportunities."

BBC Worldwide CEO John Smith said, “Thomas’s appointment means we now have our full complement of non-executive directors. His vast experience in telecommunications, particularly mobile services, will be highly valuable as we look to launch more direct to consumer businesses.”

Geitner had held his most recent post at Vodafone from April 2006 and had been a Board director there since May 2000. He was responsible for establishing Vodafone as a global brand, for the creation and successful launch of Vodafone live! in 2002 and the establishment of a global supply chain organisation.