Following Richard Sharp’s resignation, an acting BBC chairman will be a state-educated Welsh speaker.
Professor Dame Elan Closs Stephens was named as the BBC’s board chairperson on Friday by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer for a period of twelve months, or until a new permanent chairman is chosen.
The Oxford graduate promised to “champion the licence fee payer throughout the UK.”
Mr Sharp, 67, resigned in April after being found to have violated public appointment standards by failing to declare his participation in negotiating an £800,000 loan to Boris Johnson.
Prof Stephens, a mother-of-two from Aberystwyth, has been a member of the BBC’s governing body since 2010. She previously served as chairman and non-executive director of the Welsh-language broadcaster, S4C, between 1998 and 2006.
From Primary School to Oxford
She is the Pro Chancellor and Professor Emerita in Communications and Creative Industries at Aberystwyth University, in addition to being the Electoral Commissioner for Wales and a member of the UK Electoral Commission Board.
“Dame Elan is a native Welsh speaker,” according to the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport, and “was educated at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle, a comprehensive school in the quarry valleys of North Wales, and won an open scholarship to Somerville College, Oxford.”
Mr Sharp’s appointment was investigated by Adam Heppinstall KC, who discovered that he “failed to disclose potential perceived conflicts of interest” to the cross-party panel of MPs that reviewed his appointment.
Mr Sharp admitted in a resignation statement that he had infringed the regulations, but that the violation was “inadvertent and not material,” and that he resigned to “prioritize the interests” of the broadcaster.
‘There is still a lot of work to be done.’
Following her selection to the £160,000-a-year job, which will commence on June 27, Dame Elan Closs Stephens said: ‘It’s a wonderful pleasure to be nominated by the Secretary of State as Acting Chair and I am thankful to my fellow board members for putting their trust in me.
“As a board, we will champion the licence fee payer across the UK; ensure the BBC is a vital partner for the UK creative industries; and maintain trust and drive change to prepare the BBC for a rapidly changing media landscape.” There is a lot of work to be done.”
“I am delighted that Dame Elan will take up the position of Acting Chair of the BBC and has the Board’s unanimous support,” Ms Frazer said.
“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.”
