BBC COO Tavaziva quits
March 3, 2026
BBC COO Leigh Tavaziva has told staff she will step down in September. Tavaziva is the third board-level executive to depart in recent months, following the resignations of director-general Tim Davie and BBC News boss Deborah Turness late in 2025.
Tavaziva told colleagues: “After five brilliant years, I have taken the opportunity to reflect on my own role at the BBC and have decided that the time is right for me to leave to pursue new opportunities. I will be stepping down in September. It is a privilege and honour to work here and to have played my part, alongside you all, to ensure we deliver on the mission and purpose of an organisation that matters so much, and now more than ever.”
The news came with changes to the chief operating officer group, notably the creation of a new BBC Media Tech team. “This new division will unite all our Product and Technology teams in public service with tech and product colleagues from BBC Studios into a single Group team,” said Tavaziva. “Today, our technology capabilities are spread across multiple parts of the BBC, which can slow us down, create duplication, and make it harder to deliver seamless experiences to audiences. By forming a single division, we can focus our investment, make faster decisions, adopt shared tools and standards, and innovate quickly.”
Tavaziva revealed that Storm Fagan, currently chief product officer, has been appointed BBC chief technology and product officer to lead BBC Media Tech. “Storm is a pioneering leader who has delivered outstanding results in the Product Group and brings deep experience in delivering creative, audience-focused technology across the BBC and her previous organisations.”
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