Tim Davie appointed as new BBC Director-General

The BBC Board has appointed BBC Studios Executive Officer, Tim Davie, as the 17th Director-General of the BBC. Tim will take over from Tony Hall on 1 September.
BBC Director General

With 15 years of executive level experience at the BBC, including a period as acting Director-General, Tim Davie was widely considered a frontrunner for the role.

While his background includes branding and marketing roles at Pepsico and Procter and Gamble, he also held charitable roles as a Trustee of the BBC’s Children in Need and as Trustee and Chair of Comic Relief. Tim joined the BBC in 2005 as Head of Marketing.

His appointment comes at a challenging time for the BBC as it negotiates the COVID-19 crisis, technological disruption, political pressure, pay disparity and threats to the future of the licence fee. The corporation will face its mid-term review of its royal charter in 2022.

Read more: Challenges ahead for next BBC DG

While Tim is currently the highest paid executive at the BBC, he has agreed to a significant cut from £600,000 (base salary and performance bonus) per year to £450,000, the same as Tony Hall. The cut is in line with a salary freeze, which applies to all senior managers at the BBC until August 2021.

In a press release, the incoming Director-General said: “I am honoured to be appointed the BBC’s next Director-General. This has been a critical time for the UK and these past few months have shown just how much the BBC matters to people. Our mission has never been more relevant, important or necessary. I have a deep commitment to content of the highest quality and impartiality.

“Looking forward, we will need to accelerate change so that we serve all our audiences in this fast-moving world. Much great work has been done, but we will continue to reform, make clear choices and stay relevant. I am very confident we can do this because of the amazing teams of people that work at the BBC.”

Tim was appointed by the BBC Board’s Nomination Committee under the leadership of Chairman Sir David Clementi, with members Dame Elan Closs Stephens, Sir Nicholas Serota and Dr Ashley Steel.

The Public Media Alliance welcomes Tim to his new role and looks forward to working with him from September.  

More information

Tim Davie’s BBC profile can be found here: https://www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/whoweare/tim-davie

Previous Director Generals: https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/research/directors-general

The BBC is a founding member of the Public Media Alliance.

Header Image: Tim Davie. Credit: BBC