Dame Elan Closs Stephens has been appointed as the acting chair of the BBC after Richard Sharp's resignation. It comes after he stepped down earlier this year following a report which found he breached the governance code for public appointments.
The Mirror reports that Mr Sharp had faced calls to step down since it emerged he played a role in facilitating an £800,000 loan guarantee for then prime minister Boris Johnson. He resigned after a report by barrister Adam Heppinstall KC. found he "failed to disclose potential perceived conflicts of interest". Read more on the report here.
Dame Elan, from Aberystwyth, is a native Welsh speaker and served for two terms as chairwoman of Welsh-language broadcaster S4C between 1998 and 2006. She will replace Mr Sharp on June 27 for 12 months, or until a new permanent chair has been appointed. She was appointed by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer following a consultation with the BBC Board, the corporation announced.
Read more: Richard Sharp has resigned as BBC chairman after role in loan for Boris Johnson
She will be tasked with restoring confidence in the BBC. 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 mother of two has been a non-executive director on the BBC Board since July 2017, and before that was the Trustee for Wales on the BBC Trust. Dame Elan also served as chair of the Commercial Holdings Board for BBC Studios between 2019 and 2022.
The BBC 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.”
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."
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