33 Facts About Jana Bennett

Jana Eve Bennett was an American-born British media consultant; member of the board of the British Library; member of the board of the Headlong Theatre Company.

Jana Bennett joined A+E Networks in June 2013 as President of The Biography Channel and Lifetime Movie Network.

Jana Bennett was Worldwide's Managing Director for Latin America with oversight of the company's businesses in the region.

Jana Bennett sat on Worldwide's Executive Board and on the Board of UKTV, Britain's second largest pay-TV group.

Jana Bennett took up this role in February 2011 moving from the BBC's UK public service where she had been Director of Vision at the BBC from 2006.

Jana Bennett was previously Executive Vice President and General Manager at Discovery Communications in the US.

Jana Bennett was a Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company and was made a Fellow of the Royal Television Society in 1999.

Jana Bennett was born in Cooperstown, New York on 6 November 1955, the third of five daughters born to Gordon and Elizabeth Jana Bennett.

Jana Bennett's father was an English professor and her mother was a librarian and educator.

Jana Bennett then studied philosophy, politics and economics at St Anne's College, Oxford, where she was in a band with future Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Jana Bennett undertook post-graduate studies at the London School of Economics where she was awarded an MSc for her work on strategic analysis and international and defence studies.

In 1979, Jana Bennett won a place on the BBC News trainee scheme, and began her first period of employment with the corporation working on radio and television news; BBC Newcastle's Look North and Radio Sheffield.

Jana Bennett worked on Nationwide, The Money Programme and Newsnight.

Jana Bennett became a producer of Panorama in 1986, and co-authored The Disappeared: Voices from a Secret War with the BBC's diplomatic editor John Simpson about the actions of Argentina's military government during the same year.

Jana Bennett introduced a new animal genre to UK television with the highly successful and long-running Animal Hospital, alongside live events such as Hospitalwatch.

Jana Bennett joined the BBC's Board of Management in 1997 as Director of Production, then became Director of Programmes for the former BBC Production division until she left the BBC to join Discovery Communications as General Manager of the TLC channel in August 1999.

Jana Bennett was appointed an OBE in 2000 for her work in science broadcasting.

At TLC Jana Bennett transformed the channel's ratings and revenue performance.

Jana Bennett introduced a new editorial direction under the slogan "Life Unscripted" which included reality-drama and interior design shows, some of them based on popular British formats.

In 2002, Jana Bennett returned to the UK to take the job of Director of Television.

Jana Bennett was promoted from Director of Television to Director of Vision taking "overall creative and leadership responsibility" for the commissioning, production and scheduling of television, video and online content across the BBC's analogue and digital television networks, the web, mobile phones and interactive technology.

Jana Bennett's division was heavily involved in the planning and launch of the corporation's on-demand service, BBC iPlayer, providing 400 hours content for the service each week.

Jana Bennett championed new multi-media approaches to major fundraising entertainment events.

Jana Bennett implemented the BBC's out of London strategy for commissioning and production.

Jana Bennett was appointed to BBC Worldwide as President, Worldwide Networks and Global iPlayer in February 2011.

Jana Bennett left BBC Worldwide in 2012 following a reorganisation of the company.

In June 2012, Jana Bennett was appointed President of The Biography Channel and Lifetime Movie Network at A+E Networks in New York.

Jana Bennett was a member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Executive Committee and of the Advisory Board of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

Jana Bennett was a trustee of Comic Relief, on the board of OurBrainBank UK, and fellow of the Royal Television Society.

Jana Bennett was on the board of Women in Film and Television and in 2011 and 2012 she was included in the WFTV power list.

In 1995, Jana Bennett married Richard Clemmow, an editor and fellow media executive.

In May 2019, Jana Bennett was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a kind of brain tumour.

Jana Bennett died at her home in Oxfordshire on 11 January 2022, at the age of 66.