EXCLUSIVE: Katie O’Connell Marsh has been named Fremantle‘s next global scripted boss, Deadline can reveal.

Baywatch and M. Son of the Century producer Fremantle has been seeking out a UK-based executive to effectively replace Christian Vesper, the CEO of Global Drama and Film who exited his post in January.

Following an extensive hiring process that attracted top tier scripted candidates, former Gaumont International Television and Platform One chief O’Connell Marsh emerged as the front runner, according to several sources, and she has now officially landed the role.

O’Connell Marsh’s official title of will be CEO, Fremantle Global Scripted Hub, a newly-created drama and film division. She will take up the role in August. Given she is currently U.S.-based, she will relocate to London.

O’Connell Marsh will report to Andrea Scrosati, Fremantle’s Group COO and CEO Continental Europe, with a dotted line to Jens Richter, CEO Commercial and International, and will sit on the Global Leadership Team.

Part of the move is creation of the Fremantle Global Scripted Hub, which will provide creative, commercial and strategic direction across Fremantle’s scripted labels. O’Connell Marsh will work closely with local teams, share best practice and build a connected global scripted business across drama and film.

Additionally, O’Connell Marsh will oversee Fremantle’s annual scripted investment budget, recommending spend in projects and selected third-party opportunities. She will also work closely with Richter’s Commercial & International team on sales forecasts and commercial analysis to support investment decisions.

O’Connell Marsh, a veteran scripted exec who has U.S. and international experience, has a reputation for backing premium, commercially-driven series such as Netflix crime drama Narcos and Apple TV’s Invasion. Her work as an exec producer on Narcos helped establish the notion that non-English language dramas were palatable to global streaming audiences.

In 2010, she established Gaumont International Television, the U.S. arm of French studio Gaumont. There, she produced the likes of Netflix series Hemlock Grove, NBC’s Hannibal and animated streaming comedy F is for Family.

O’Connell Marsh later had a short spell at DreamWorks Animation as Head of Global Live Action TV before establishing Platform One, which made Apple TV’s Invasion and Showtime’s Rust. She then became Vice Chair of Boat Rocker Studios after Canadian firm Boat Rocker bought Platform One. Most recently, she has been an exec producer for Apple and board member at EuropaCorp, while also advising Bain & Company.

“We are delighted to welcome Katie to Fremantle as our new CEO of the Global Scripted Hub,” said Scrosati. “She is a highly accomplished, passionate and commercially astute executive with a deep understanding of global audiences and market trends.

“She joins us at an incredibly exciting time as we continue to build on the strength of our diverse scripted slate, our award-winning creative labels, and the exceptional talent both on and off screen, that defines our scripted business. Her creative instincts, strategic vision and proven ability to attract and nurture world-class talent will be invaluable as we continue to grow our scripted business and further strengthen Fremantle’s position as a global leader in premium storytelling.”

Her predecessor, Vesper, spent nearly a decade with Fremantle, striking a range of talent deals and developing shows from the upcoming Baywatch TV revival to more complex fare such as My Brilliant Friend, The New Pope and The Luminaries. He also led a push into feature film making and exec produced movies such as Pillion, Poor Things and Bugonia. Fremantle released 80 pics during his tenure.

Vesper was also based in London and reported to Scrosati, who has since been leading the film and drama teams on an interim basis alongside the wider management teams at those units.

“I am thrilled to be joining Fremantle at such an exciting time,” said O’Connell Marsh. “I have long admired the strength of its creative vision, its exceptional scripted labels and the critical acclaim achieved across its world-class slate. Fremantle has built a truly unique home for storytellers, combining creative excellence, outstanding talent and global ambition.

“As the industry continues to evolve, the greatest opportunities will come from bringing together exceptional talent, international collaboration and a commercially driven approach. I am especially looking forward to working closely with Jennifer Mullin, Andrea Scrosati and the outstanding teams across the business to build on Fremantle’s success and help shape the next chapter of growth for its scripted business.”

Strategic review

Fremantle is best known for entertainment formats such as Got Talent, The X Factor and Pop Idol, but has expanded into scripted through the likes of Maxton Hall: The World Between Us, My Brilliant Friend, Sandokan: The Pirate Prince and Sullivan’s Crossing. Production companies within the group have been responsible for shows such as the Deutschland… franchise, Normal People and Shtisel, and films including Pillion, The Hand of God and Poor Things.

In March, Fremantle’s parent company, RTL, revealed the results of a strategic review amid falling revenues, with cost saving plans announced at Fremantle and RTL Deutschland. Among the measures was a decision to stop fully financing films, but sources within Fremantle insist it remains a player in the movie space. With her TV background, it is not clear how extensively O’Connell Marsh’s role will cover film.

Fremantle is attempting to navigate an increasingly complex and competitive global market. Rivals Banijay Entertainment and RedBird IMI-owned All3Media completed their merger earlier this month, and now claim the combined entity is the largest independent production business ever created, while ITV Studios is set to become a solo player when its parent, ITV, is sold to Sky. Mediawan has bought the likes of The North Road Company and, along with Banijay, has been tipped to buy Lionsgate, while many expect ITV Studios to be a takeover or merger target, though its bosses have claimed it would not need a “transformational deal” that would combine its assets with another such as Fremantle.

Well-placed sources in Europe have suggested that Bertelsmann-owned RTL will look at how Fremantle operates once former Warner Bros. Discovery exec Clément Schwebig fully gets his feet under the table at RTL.

Schwebig replaced the long-serving Thomas Rabe as RTL CEO in May, as Fremantle posted steady but unspectacular Q1 revenues of €372M ($423M). Rabe remains Chairman and CEO of Bertelsmann, but is set to exit at the end of the year.