Government kicks of search for BBC Board chair

The UK has launched the recruitment process for the chair of the BBC Board – the new body that will govern the BBC from April 2017.

The new hire will replace Rona Fairhead, the chairman of the BBC’s existing governing body, the BBC Trust, who announced last month that she would leave in the corporation following the formation of the new board.

The government set out plans for the BBC Board last month as part of its new draft charter for the BBC. At the same time it informed Fairhead that she would have to re-apply for her job in order to lead the new governing body – even though the previous government, under David

Cameron, had asked to stay on until the end of her four-year term in 2018 to help oversee the move to a unitary board.

The government said in a statement yesterday that prospective candidates for the BBC Board role must be able to demonstrate a“commitment to the independence, mission and public purposes of the BBC” and have experience working at the highest level of public or commercial life in the UK and/or internationally.

The new chair will be required to work at least two to three days per week and will earn £100,000 per year – a figure set by the secretary of state for culture, media and sport that is reportedly £10,000 less than was taken home by Fairhead.

“It is expected that the appointment will be for a single term of up to four years, with the possibility of renewal for one additional term in exceptional circumstances,” said the government.

The chair will lead a 14-person strong BBC Board that will also consist of: four non-executive board members representing each of the devolved nations; five non-executive board members appointed by the BBC Board; and four executive members appointed by the BBC, including BBC director general, Tony Hall.

Recruitment for the nine non-executive board members is expected to begin in early November 2016.

In the meantime, Sonita Alleyne, Bill Matthews and Aideen McGinley have been reappointed to the BBC Trust for a further six months – appointments that the government said will allow for a smooth transition between the Trust and the new BBC Board.