Dame Elan Closs Stephens has been appointed as the acting chair of the BBC, the Government has announced.
It comes after Richard Sharp resigned following a damning report which found he breached the governance code for
public appointments.
Mr Sharp - who used to be Rishi Sunak's boss when he was an investment banker - had faced calls to step down since it emerged he helped Boris Johnson secure an £800,000 loan.
Tory Party donor Mr Sharp steadfastly refused to do so for months until a report by barrister Adam Heppinstall KC. found he "failed to disclose potential perceived conflicts of interest".
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer made the appointment of Dame Elan following consultation with the BBC Board, the corporation announced.
Dame Elan will replace Mr Sharp when he leaves on June 27, and will remain in post while a permanent chairperson is recruited - a process set to last several months.
She 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.”
She will be tasked with restoring confidence in the BBC following the troubling saga.
Dame Elan has been a non-executive director on the BBC Board since July 2017, and prior to that was the Trustee for Wales on the BBC Trust.
She served as chair of the Commercial Holdings Board for BBC Studios between 2019 and 2022.
Under the BBC’s Charter an Acting Chair must be an existing non-executive director on the BBC Board.
The board 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.”
Ms 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."
