BET Names President, COO

BET promoted its CFO/Digital Media president Scott Mills to President/COO of the company. The COO role was last held by BET's current Chairman/CEO Debra Lee, to whom he will report, although Mills' role is limited to overseeing business operations, whereas Lee had broader network responsibilities.



Mills, who has been President of Digital Media since January 2007 and CFO since 2003, will now oversee all of BET's business operations, including ad sales, marketing, legal, finance, digital and research. He remains based in Washington D.C. He joined BET in 1997 as Senior VP of Business Strategy & Business Development. Prior to BET, he was a vice president with Lehman Brothers and deputy treasurer of the City of Philadelphia.



Filling the CFO slot is Michael Pickrum and stepping up as President of Digital Media is MTV Networks executive Denmark West. Pickrum, Executive VP/COO of BET Interactive since 2003, will now manage financial operations for BET Networks and contribute to overall company strategy. West, Executive VP/Chief of Operations, Global Digital Media, MTVN since Jan. 2007, will oversee BET's digital products, including online, mobile and video on demand.



"It’s an exciting time at BET Networks, and with these three key executive appointments, our company is in an even better position to continue extending our leadership position, expanding our digital dominance across all platforms and building the BET brand internationally," said Lee in a memo. "Scott, Michael and Denmark each bring unique expertise and vision to their respective roles, and I’m so glad to have them on our team."