Dame Elan Closs Stephens has been named as acting chair of the BBC (Picture: BBC)
Dame Elan Closs Stephens has been appointed acting chairwoman of the BBC after Richard Sharp resigned.
Mr Sharp stepped down from his post after a report was published that showed he failed to disclose he played a role in securing then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson an £800,000 loan guarantee.
He was announced as the government’s choice for the chairman role in January 2021.
Mr Sharp, who has a long career in banking, said he would resign to ‘prioritise the interests’ of the broadcaster.
Dame Elan will act as chairwoman of the BBC board from June 27 for 12 months or until a new permanent chairperson has been appointed, whichever is sooner.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said: ‘I am pleased that Dame Elan will take up the position of acting chair of the BBC and has the unanimous support of the board.
‘When she takes over, Dame Elan will provide stability in the leadership of the BBC while a process to appoint a new permanent chair is run.’
Richard Sharp before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee after the disclosure that he helped Boris Johnson secure a loan (Picture: PA)
Dame Elan has been a member of the BBC’s governing body since 2010, serving then as the member for Wales when it was the BBC Trust.
She then continued as the Welsh member of the BBC Board and has been the chairwoman of the Wales committee, and from 2019 to 2022 also served as chairwoman of the BBC’s commercial subsidiary.
Dame Elan said: ‘It’s a huge honour to be appointed by the Secretary of State as acting chair and I am grateful to my fellow board members for putting their trust in me.
‘As a board, we will champion the licence fee-payer across all of the UK, ensure the BBC is a vital partner for the UK creative industries, maintain trust, and drive change to make the BBC fit for a fast-changing media landscape. There is much work to be done.’
The role of acting charperson at the BBC comes with an annual salary of £160,000 (Picture: PA)
In a statement, the BBC board – which was consulted before the appointment in line with the corporation’s Royal Charter – said: ‘Elan has been an active and distinguished member of the BBC board who has brought huge energy and drive to her role as member for Wales.
‘We are delighted that she is taking up the role as acting chair – she is the ideal choice.’
Under the BBC’s Charter an acting chairperson must be an existing non-executive director on the BBC board. The role comes with an annual salary of £160,000.
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Dame Elan Closs Stephens will be acting BBC chair from June 27.
