Fremantle’s diversity and inclusion head has stepped down as the group decentralises the function across its 27 territories.
Bahita Bahal, a former BBC and Channel 4 diversity executive, joined the company in 2021 and helped to set up 11 global employee networks and its first internal Global Inclusion Summit.
In a LinkedIn post, Bahal said she had joined Fremantle to “build inclusion into content, culture and talent pathways from the ground up”.
She added: “Inclusion work is rewarding and unavoidably complex. Progress is rarely linear. Much of the work happens quietly – but it matters.
“Our screen industries shape culture and influence whose stories are told and whether audiences recognise their own lives on screen. There’s still work to do, and it depends on inclusive rooms and shared accountability.”
Bahal is now consulting on Amazon’s access training scheme Prime Video Pathway (PVP).
She said the scheme helps to address "a real industry challenge about how freelancers continue to build and sustain careers in TV at a time when it remains tough for many".
She wrote: "I’ve seen firsthand what the targeted support funded by PVP can do for freelancers. Programmes like ReSkill and UpSkill became a genuine lifeline, it’s more than just training, but a way for freelancers to stay connected, stay visible, and stay in an industry that’s changing. That really matters right now, and joining the team to build on it feels timely."
Naked MD exits
Meanwhile, Tom O’Brien, managing director of Banijay label Naked, is leaving the company after 12 years to move to Sweden.
Having joined Naked when it was a start-up, he subsequently steered it through commissions such as BBC3’s The Rap Game UK and Charlie Cooper’s Myth Country, Peacock’s Couple to Throuple, BBC1’s first Celebrity Apprentice and two upcoming reboots: BBC2’s Big Break and ITV1’s Farming For Love.
Fremantle UK chief executive Amelia Brown praised O’Brien’s “tenacious approach to getting deals done and thinking outside of the box”.
She added: “I, for one, am very sorry to see Tom go – people who think in an ‘ideas first’ way are a rare breed in our industry, but I am excited for him and his family as they embark on this next adventure. I know everyone at Naked and Fremantle will join me in wishing them all the best.”
