Geoff France, 49, head of regional sales at Channel Five, has died following a long battle with cancer.
France was instrumental in setting up the Leeds sales office for the broadcaster, joining from ITV in 1996. He had previously run the regional sales office for ITV including Yorkshire TV.
He joined Channel 5 before its conception, overseeing the channel’s launch and helping to turn around the poor perceptions of the then fledgling station into a successful operation.
France was a hugely popular figure in the industry, influencing the careers and lives of many colleagues, friends and peers that worked with him throughout his career.
Kelly Williams, sales director at Five described France as “a big man in every way. He was 6ft seven inches tall with a big heart and a big personality”.
Williams said that he brought a lot of passion to his role and that he would be greatly missed by everyone at the station.
“He was wholly positive and great company, highly respected and built up a fantastic business in the regions with reasonably limited resources,” added Williams.
James Rice, director of regional sales at Sky, was both a colleague and a close friend: “Geoff was in this business for over 25 years and I never heard anybody say a bad word about him. He was a terrific guy and a brilliant family man. He was better than anyone at getting that work, life and family balance and he will be sadly missed.”
Plans for a memorial services are underway and details and a date will be forth coming in the following weeks.