Phillips (pictured) was part of the creative team and head of strategic planning at Red Bee, where her work included planning projects for the BBC and UKTV, and brand consultancy work for broadcasters Disney and Canal+.

Before working at Red Bee she set up the strategic planning and insight operation at BSkyB.

At Channel 4 she will lead a team providing the broadcaster’s programming, marketing and strategy teams with research and insight. She will report to director of audience technologies and insight Gill Whitehead.

Whitehead said: “Clare has a fantastic track record in strategic planning and insight and I’m thrilled she is joining the team. She will be at the heart of our strategy to continue to understand more about our audience and to harness this insight to inform Channel 4’s content commissioning and marketing and communications.”

Channel 4 began hunting for a head of audience research and insight last August following the departure of Claire Grimmond, the former controller of research and insight.