Ashley Highfield

Managing Director & VP, Consumer & Online UK; a newly established global organisation within Microsoft focusing on building a connection with consumers across PC, mobile and internet platforms and growing the online advertising business. Ashley joined Microsoft in January 2009 from Kangaroo, the proposed video-on-demand joint venture between the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. As Chief Executive he was responsible for developing the service as well as garnering partner and industry support to deliver a web proposition to offer an unparalleled range of quality TV programmes on-demand. Previously he was Director of New Media & Technology and an executive board member for the BBC where most recently he launched the BBC iPlayer, as well as being responsible for all of the BBC's online portfolio at bbc.co.uk, and the BBC's interactive TV and mobile services. He also had responsibility for managing the BBC's technology, research and innovation portfolio. Educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey, Ashley started his career as a computer programmer before becoming a management consultant at Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC). He went on to join Flextech.