Legal head at BBC Worldwide departs

Holder, who held the post for seven years, does not have a destination, but will leave in May. It is unclear if he will be replaced.

"We're considering the different options as to how to structure the area moving forward. We're not recruiting at the moment," said a BBC Worldwide spokesperson.

Until recently, BBC Worldwide, responsible for the exploitation of the BBC's intellectual property rights, was its only commercial arm.

It was the deal-making side of the role that interested Holder. He helped create the 14-lawyer legal team and was involved in the establishment of a Hindi TV service in India, joint ventures to establish online businesses and corporate restructuring involving BBC World and the audio books business. "My role had become mainly corporate law and, as company secretary, corporate governance. It was hard to let go, but it's time for a change," said Holder.

Prior to joining the BBC in 1995, Holder was controller of legal and business affairs for Central Broadcasting, which is now part of Carlton.