Last updated August 2006
Category: Worldwide
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Etienne de Villiers is a non-executive director and Chairman of BBC Worldwide, a position he took up in January 2006.
He has a wealth of experience gained from his non-executive director roles and his various positions with The Walt Disney Company.
In addition to his role as non-executive Chairman of BBC Worldwide, Etienne is Chairman of ATP Inc and holds a number of other non-executive directorships including Jetix Europe, Video Networks Ltd and Private Investor Capital Ltd.
He is also the founder and senior partner of Englefield Capital LLP, a private equity fund.
Etienne has held non-executive directorships with ITV plc (in 2004), Carlton Communications plc (2001-2004), World Travel Holdings plc (2001-2002) and SLEC Ltd (2000-2001), the holding company that controls the Formula One auto racing circuit.
In June 2005 Etienne de Villiers was appointed non-executive Chairman of the ATP. In January 2006 the ATP announced that he would assume broader and full-time responsibilities as Executive Chairman/President, focusing on strategy and Board governance.
From 1986 to 2000, Etienne served in a variety of senior executive capacities for The Walt Disney Company, including President and Managing Director of Walt Disney International Europe based in London, where he was responsible for directing and co-ordinating all Disney's activities in EMEA.
He was President of Walt Disney Television International from 1994 to 2000, responsible for international free and pay television including all production and broadcasting activities of The Walt Disney Company outside the United States, and Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company Limited in the UK from 1988 to 2000.
Etienne was born and raised in Pretoria, South Africa, and graduated from the University of Pretoria in 1970 with a Civil Engineering degree. He received a Rhodes scholarship and read PPE (politics, philosophy and economics) at Oxford University from 1971 until 1974.
