Cilla Benkö was appointed Director General & CEO of Swedish Radio October 1, 2012. Since 2009 she held the position of Deputy Director General of Swedish Radio. During this time, Swedish Radio has transformed from a traditional analogue company, dating back to 1925, to a modern and digital media player on a market that is not very national anymore.
The Swedish media landscape of today is global and digital and Sweden is one of the top three countries in the world when it comes to consumption of podcasts and audio books. In this highly competitive market, Cilla Benkö has been in charge of formulating the strategy that has secured the company’s number one position as a linear radio company as well as a pod producer, and Swedish Radio currently have the highest total reach ever.
Since 2010 Cilla Benkö is one of eleven members of the EBU Executive Board and currently Chairman of the EBU Personnel Committee. She is a member of the Board of Trustees at INSI (International News Safety Institute) and was President of the Continental Media Festival Prix Europa for four years.
Previously, Cilla Benkö was a member of the Advisory Board for the Media and Communications Department at LSE (London School of Economics), a Board Member at the Public Media Alliance (PMA) and has held the position of Chairman of the jury of UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.
In 2016 she was awarded the Pontus Schultz prize for her leadership and for having achieved an equal workplace at all management levels within Swedish Radio.
In 2017 she was awarded the prestigious Leader of the Year award 2017 by the magazine “Chef”, which yearly appoints Sweden’s best leaders at all levels and from all industries.
In 2020 she was rewarded the Kings medal for “Eminent services to Swedish media” by HRH King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
