Channel 4 names new Commissioning leadership
July 2, 2026



Channel 4 has unveiled new leadership for its Commissioning team, built around three Director roles reporting to the Chief Executive. Louisa Compton and Kiran Nataraja, alongside a third Director yet to be recruited, will together lead the Commissioning team. The structure will come into effect when Ian Katz leaves the channel later this year.

The UK broadcaster said the new structure is designed to give clear and dedicated focus across three distinct areas. The three new Director roles will report to Channel 4 CEO, Priya Dogra.


Director of News, Digital and Audience Trust: Louisa Compton, currently Head of News & Current Affairs, Specialist Factual & Sport will take up this role and will be responsible for a portfolio of genres including news, current affairs, specialist factual and sport, alongside digital-first commissioning. Louisa is an exceptional news executive under whose leadership Channel 4’s news and current affairs team has been recognised with more awards than any other outlet and delivered award-winning current affairs programming. Her new role cements the place of high-quality journalism at the heart of the channel, building on Channel 4’s exceptional record of delivering trusted, in-depth and bold news and current affairs.
Director of Programmes: This role will be the key creative leader for Channel 4 shaping the vision for the channel going forward. The Director of Programmes is being recruited for and will be announced at a later date. This role will have full commissioning and editorial responsibility for all other programming across scripted and unscripted genres, including Documentaries, Entertainment, Factual Entertainment and Lifestyle.
Director of Content Strategy: Kiran Nataraja, Channel 4’s Director of Streaming & Content Strategy, will move into the role, taking an overview of how content is commissioned, funded and delivered while acting as the commercial backbone of the content function. Portfolio planning (across Channels and Streaming) and Acquisitions remain within Kiran’s remit. Kiran is one of the most respected content strategists in the industry, playing a key role in driving growth in streaming as well as efficiency of spend across the portfolio while helping maintain Channel 4’s unique voice.
The Director of News, Digital and Audience Trust plus the Director of Programmes will have end-to-end editorial ownership of their areas, defining the overall vision from a creative, editorial and brand perspective. They will be responsible for overall strategy, talent development, and ensuring the availability of commissionable content designed to deliver against Channel 4’s remit and audience priorities. Meanwhile, the Director of Content Strategy is a critical enabling role, ensuring that the commissioning system operates with clarity and discipline and delivers on overall performance.

Dogra commented: “Independent producers are at the heart of Channel 4, and this new model is about giving them greater clarity and building deeper partnerships in how we work together. With incredibly strong creative leadership and clear accountability across our portfolios, we can back the best ideas with confidence and deliver distinctive programmes that cut through. Both Louisa and Kiran are outstanding leaders and well respected for their craft, and I’m confident that they – alongside the Director of Programmes – will make sure Channel 4 programming remains as distinctive, as relevant and as rebellious as ever, wherever and however our audiences watch.”

Compton said: “Trusted, fact-checked and duly impartial journalism has never mattered more. Channel 4 has a unique role in telling stories others don’t, asking difficult questions and bringing new perspectives to audiences across the UK. This new structure gives us the focus and agility to move faster, back ambitious ideas and create even greater impact across our amazing portfolio of content. I am delighted to be working with the Digital team and to continue to work with the Specialist Factual and Sport teams.”

Nataraja added: “In today’s market, success depends not just on great ideas, but on how effectively you deliver them. This role is about connecting the entire system, so that from commissioning through to performance, we’re backing the right ideas in the right way and giving them the best chance to succeed.”

Katz leaves the company in November after almost nine years leading the broadcaster’s content strategy.