GBC’s CEO James Neish is to leave the broadcaster after he decided not to renew his current contract.

A joint statement from Mr Neish and the GBC Board continued:

“It has been a transformative three years for GBC under James Neish’s tenure as GBC’s CEO.  Since rejoining GBC as CEO in 2022, James has re-energised the station, improved LOCAL output, and almost tripled audience satisfaction ratings across Television, Radio, and News. He has led on a massive transformation of the output, and the huge positive impact on the community has clearly been felt.

“As most may be aware his original contract was for a three-year term which expires in a few months’ time. After thoughtful discussion and mutual reflection, it is with regret that we announce that James Neish has decided not to extend his contract as CEO beyond its current term.

"The GBC Board was hopeful that James Neish would extend his contract and there have been ongoing talks over a potential extension over the past few weeks but regrettably in the end this has not been possible.”

Alice Mascarenhas, Chair of the Board of GBC, said: “The newly appointed GBC Board is sorry to see James Neish leave GBC. His time with the Corporation as its CEO has seen vast improvements, the most recent example of which has been the extraordinary coverage of the Treaty announcement which was a credit to both his leadership and the staff at GBC. His commitment to engaging the community has been exceptional. The idea of introducing Radio Gibraltar’s ‘Gibraltar Today’ on GBC Television has worked extremely well and proven to be of great success. There is no doubt he is leaving strong foundations for his successor. 

“The GBC Board and I fully supported him staying but we respect his decision and now wish him all the very best in his new endeavours. We know he will keep in touch, and we therefore look forward to seeing what he does next, and to the contributions he will make to GBC.”

Alice added: “At a personal level, I have worked with James since his first days as an intern at GBC and have closely followed his career achievements over the years, and his move to the UK. Knowing that we both share the same views on the role of ‘community radio and television’ I was greatly looking forward to working with him once again.”

James Neish said: “My decision was not taken lightly and follows careful consideration of a range of personal and professional factors.  I want to express my sincere gratitude to the GBC Board for their strong encouragement for me to continue in the role.”

In a message to staff he said: “I am proud of all we have accomplished together, often under extremely challenging circumstances.  To each, and every one of you: THANK YOU. I will continue being a fan of GBC and supporting you in any way I can.  Likewise, I have offered myself to the GBC Board to assist, if needed, in any way I can in the future.”