Reporting to BBC Library Sales managing director Simon Gibbs and based in Los Angeles, Ross will manage the overall strategy in the US for the company's motion imagery licensing business.

Gibbs was quoted in an official release saying, "Ross' track record in the industry will be invaluable in driving forward our ambitious business plans. She has become a member of the team at a time when our business is going from strength to strength on both sides of the Atlantic and I am looking forward to her further increasing our profile in the US market."

With more than 20 years' senior management experience in stock footage marketing, film production and the commercial film licensing business, Ross was a founder of the Energy Film Library. She led the company's global expansion, conversion of its digital assets to digital media, and the development of its Internet strategies, prior to selling Energy assets to Getty Images in 1997.

Following this acquisition, she served as the chief executive officer of Getty's film division and as a member of the senior management team of gettyone, the creative channel of the company.

After leaving Getty in 2000, Ross has served as an executive of Blacklight Films, which recently produced the broadcast series, America! BBC Library Sales operates from offices in London and regional offices in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Sydney and Tokyo.