Dame Elan Closs Stephens is being tipped to become the next chair of the BBC in an acting capacity.
Ricard Sharp announced last month his resignation as chair of the public service broadcaster after failing to disclose during his recruitment process his role in facilitating a £800,000 loan guarantee, provided by Sam Blyth, to then Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Mr Blyth is a distant cousin of Mr Johnson.
Dame Elan is being seen as someone who will bring much needed stability underpinned by her huge experience and understanding of the broadcasting sector.
Under the terms of its charter the acting chair has to be a member of the existing BBC board. The interim chair will take up the role when Mr Sharp stands down at the end of June and is expected to be in post for around six months - so providing continuity ahead of a new permanent chair being appointed.
North Wales- born Dame Elan, 72, is a former chair of Welsh language channel S4C and a pro-chancellor of Aberystwyth University. She joined the board of the BBC as a non-executive member for Wales, following an open and competitive recruitment process in 2017. Her current three-year term expires in July. With other BBC board roles, including chairing the Wales and Northern Ireland committees, she is paid £43,000 a year.
The board will make a final decision on the acting chair in consultation with Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Lucy Frazer. The appointment of a new permanent chair will be subject to an open competitive process, but with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak having the final say, acting on the advice of Ms Frazer.
There have been growing calls that the Prime Minister shouldn’t be part of the process with the controversy surrounding Mr Johnson’s final say on the appointment of Tory donor Mr Sharp. Veteran broadcaster David Dimblely has called for a new cross party public commission to be established to make the final recommendation.
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