The BBC has appointed an acting replacement for departing Chairman Richard Sharp, with Dame Elan Cross Stephens set to take over for up to 12 months.
Stephens, who currently sits as the Welsh member on the BBC Board, will act as Chair for a year or when a permanent appointee is hired, whichever comes sooner.
She has spent her career working in broadcasting, the creative industries and academia and chaired the BBC’s commercial subsidiary from 2019 to 2022. She also has past experience as chair of BBC-backed Welsh-language broadcaster S4C.
Stephens replaces Sharp following the controversy over his involvement with a loan guarantee for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The scandal generated headlines for months and an excoriating review from the Public Commissioner’s Office in April led to his resignation.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said Stephens will provide “stability in the leadership of the BBC while a process to appoint a new permanent chair is run.”
“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,” she added.
Stephens described the appointment as a “huge honour.” “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 and maintain trust and drive change to make the BBC fit for a fast changing media landscape,” she went on to say.
