Shine hires new 'MasterChef' brand manager

Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine Group has appointed former HIT Entertainment executive Lori Heiss as its new global brand manager, with a specific focus on MasterChef.

Based at Shine's London offices, Heiss will handle global strategy for the media company's biggest brands, reporting to Shine Group president Alex Mahon.

When she officially starts on January 4 next year, Heiss will be tasked with further expanding the hugely successful MasterChef brand. The cookery show is now locally-produced in 20 territories and aired in 145, while the format has also spawned branded goods, live events and other initiatives, such as a recently-launched MasterChef Academy digital application.

"Lori is an exceptional marketeer and licensor, who has successfully guided some of the best known and most loved characters and programmes into partnerships that are profitable, suitable and sustainable," said Mahon.

"MasterChef has enjoyed great success in the off-air activity undertaken to date but has phenomenal further potential that Lori is ideally suited to help us realise on a global level."

Heiss added: "I am thrilled to be joining Shine, which has built a reputation as a forward-thinking company which nurtures creativity and fosters innovation.

"MasterChef is a vibrant and evolving brand with a strong foundation on which to build, and provides an ideal property to work with as I return to my TV roots."

As senior director of international marketing at HIT Entertainment, Heiss helped develop various pre-school brands, including Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder and Barney.

Most recently, she has headed up publishing partnerships at newspaper group News International, which is owned by Elisabeth Murdoch's father Rupert.