News Broadcasting
FremantleMedia appoints Dominic Burns as VP licensing, UK
MUMBAI: FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide (FLW) has appointed Dominic Burns as vice president of licensing for the UK market.
Burns will be responsible for managing the brand licensing, sponsorship and interactive businesses in the UK. In addition to this, he will maximise the value of FremantleMedia’s portfolio of rights and sponsorship opportunities and the exploitation of new commercial opportunities.
He will be based in London and will report to FLW senior vice president, licensing, UK and Germany Claire Tavernier. Burns replaces Dom Wheeler, who leaves FremantleMedia this month after six years with the company.
Tavernier said, “Dominic has made a significant contribution to the growth of our sponsorship business in establishing global relationships with major advertisers such as Coca Cola, Nokia and Unilever. His leadership qualities, experience and relationships will be a great asset to our UK business.”
Commenting on Wheeler’s departure Tavernier added, “Dom was one of the very first members of the FLW team and has contributed immensely to its success. We wish him every success for the future.”
Burns joined FremantleMedia in 2003 as vice president, sponsorship and advertiser relationships, where he managed all worldwide agreements with advertisers and sponsors. Prior to this, he was head of commercial strategy for Eurosport TV where he was responsible for setting the commercial programming focus of the channel and providing support to the international sales team.
Further to this appointment, Melissa Goodwin, currently vice president, licensing, EMEA, will be moving to the UK team as vice president, interactive and telephony, UK. In this position, Goodwin will assume day-to-day responsibility for the company’s interactive and telephony business, including voting on The X Factor, home viewer competitions across all of FremantleMedia’s entertainment formats, the commercialisation of the company’s websites and the development of mobile content and games around FremantleMedia and talkbackThames’ extensive TV properties in the UK.
Also, Pindy O’Brien, currently head of brand licensing, UK, becomes head of brand licensing and retail, UK. The position will see O’Brien expand her role to take on the company’s relationships with the retail sector as well as continuing her work in the area of brand licenses around FremantleMedia and talkbackThames’ UK portfolio.
Both Goodwin and O’Brien will be based in London and will report to Burns.
Claire Baker, currently head of retail, UK, will take up Goodwin’s position as vice president, licensing, EMEA. In this capacity, Baker will be responsible for managing the brand licensing, sponsorship and interactive businesses in the Nordic countries, Southern Europe and the Middle East. She will be based in London and will report to FLW senior vice president licensing, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific Mark Newton.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
