Change at the top of the SRG is initiated

This press release was originally published on SRG-SSR. 

The SRG wants to prepare for the political events that it expects in 2026 with the “200 francs are enough” initiative and in 2027 with the negotiations on the new concession. A new Director General should be ready for action by the beginning of 2025 at the latest.

The strategic and political timetable that awaits the SRG is now clear: After the consultation phase, which ends on February 1, 2024, the Federal Council will decide on its measures in connection with the “200 francs are enough” initiative in June 2024. Parliament will then deal with the initiative and the message from the Federal Council in 2025. The vote is scheduled for 2026. As a result, SRG’s new concession will be negotiated in 2027 and approved in 2028. During this long period, the SRG must be able to count on a stable and long-term oriented general management.

Gilles Marchand would end his term in office when he turns 65 at the beginning of 2027. However, this would entail a successor solution in 2026, i.e. in the middle of the voting period. Against this background, the SRG Board of Directors and the Director General have jointly decided to bring forward the succession process in order to appoint a new Director General who can take over at the beginning of 2025. The position of Director General will therefore be advertised to the public quickly. The process is led by the Human Resources Committee of the SRG Board of Directors, chaired by Jean-Michel Cina.

Gilles Marchand was director of TSR (2001-2009) and subsequently merged and led RTS (2010-2017). He has been General Director of SRG since 2017. This period was particularly characterised by the rejection of the “No Billag” initiative by over 70 percent and the profound digital transformation of the public audiovisual service as well as greater investment in Swiss content such as series and documentaries – combined with the introduction of the national streaming platform Play Suisse.

Jean-Michel Cina: “The major challenges that the SRG will face in the next five years must be led by a general management team that can fully commit itself with sufficient advance notice and over a longer period of time. We have therefore decided together to bring forward the personnel change. I would like to warmly thank Gilles Marchand for his tireless commitment to the public service, and in particular for the fact that he will continue to fully commit himself to the SRG until the successor is determined.”

Gilles Marchand: “It is the best possible decision in the interests of the company. The SRG must prepare for a new cycle, with the vote on the initiative, the negotiations on the new SRG concession and the development of new medium-term financial planning.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and with its full support, Gilles Marchand will manage the SRG until the successor takes office and will continue to drive forward the implementation of the numerous upcoming projects.