One of the most powerful Asians in British media – Jay Kandola – is to leave her senior position at ITV.

Ms Kandola was the broadcaster’s director of acquisitions, responsible for buying and acquiring American shows for ITV’s network of channels.

She is leaving as part of a general cost-cutting restructuring plan, according to the Media Guardian.

The company is axing 600 jobs and cutting its programming budget.

ITV plans to close down the acquisitions department and merge it with the digital channels division, making her role redundant.

According to the Guardian newspaper she was asked to reapply for a job but declined.

In 2005 Jay Kandola left Channel 4 to join Five and head up its external acquisitions department. A few months later she was poached by ITV and has stayed there since.

She officially leaves her post in June.