Former Google executive Matt Brittin is set to be announced as the BBC’s next director-general in days, according to reports.
The BBC has been on the hunt for a new chief since Tim Davie announced his decision to step down from the role in November, after the furore surrounding a Panorama edit of a speech made by Donald Trump.
Brittin’s appointment is set to be discussed at a regular BBC board meeting on Thursday, and the announcement could follow next week, The i Paper reported.
A source told the publication: “Matt impressed with his passionate support for the BBC and his vision for its future. He’s a wealthy man but he said he was ready to throw himself into a big public service job. He was also available to get cracking after leaving Google, where other candidates were tied into contracts elsewhere.”
The Independent has contacted the BBC for comment.
A Cambridge University graduate, 57-year-old Brittin started his career as a consultant at McKinsey & Co, before leaving to become commercial director for Trinity Mirror - the owner of the Daily Mirror - in 2004. He was made director of strategy and digital two years later.
Brittin joined Google in 2009, first serving as the managing director of Google UK, before being named the tech giant’s vice-president for Northern and Central Europe in 2011.
A 2014 restructure saw Brittin named president of EMEA business and operations and remained in the role for a decade, before announcing his decision to step down and take a “mini gap year” in October 2024.
In a post on LinkedIn, Brittin wrote: “I’m fortunate to have a wonderful and healthy family that has always supported me, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with them in the year ahead – including my parents who are now in their nineties.
“Beyond, I hope to apply what I’ve learned about technology and leadership to help people make the most of this wave of innovation in education, business, science and society – from different vantage points.
“You know that I love to read, learn and try new things. I’ve already grown a beard, bought a single sculling boat and plan to learn scuba diving from my son when he qualifies as an instructor. I’d love your suggestions, challenges and recommendations.”
Brittin currently describes himself on LinkedIn as a “gap year student [and] part time athlete”.
The BBC’s outgoing director-general Tim Davie announced his decision to step down from the role in October last year, with the corporation’s CEO of news, Deborah Turness, also resigning.
Their exits came amid the fallout from a Panorama edit of a speech Donald Trump gave before the Capitol riots unfolded in Washington on 6 January 2021.
Trump, who was serving his first term as president at the time, had said: “We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.” More than 50 minutes later in the same speech, he said: “And we fight. We fight like hell.”
But in Panorama’s edit, it appeared as though he said: “We're going to walk down to the Capitol... and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”
Trump subsequently filed a $5bn (£3.7bn) defamation lawsuit against the BBC, accusing it of “intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring” a speech he gave on 6 January 2021 before the US Capitol riot.
The BBC has apologised for the edit but says there is no basis for a defamation claim.
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