DAME Elan Closs Stephens has been announced as the new acting chair of the BBC by the UK Government.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer revealed the appointment on Friday, adding that Stephens will take over the post from Richard Sharp on June 27.
Who is Dame Elan Closs Stephens?
The 75-year-old Dame is currently serving as the Pro Chancellor and Professor Emerita in communications and creative industries at Aberystwyth University having spent her career in broadcasting and academia.
She has sat on the BBC’s governing body since 2010, initially as a member for Wales on the BBC Trust and then as a Welsh member on the BBC board.
A native Welsh speaker, Stephens has also previously served two terms as the chair of Welsh-language broadcaster S4C.
In stark contract to Richard Sharp – who stepped down as director after he failed to declare his role in introducing Boris Johnson to a man who would act as a guarantor on a loan – Stephens appears to have few political affiliations.
Indeed, the governance code of the BBC requires that any “significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared”.
This is defined as encompassing public speaking, making a recordable donation or standing as a candidate.
Stephens has not declared any such activity.
However, she was involved in conducting a review alongside three other non-executive members of the BBC board’s Nominations Committee into Richard Sharp’s failure to disclose his actions in helping to facilitate a loan for Boris Johnson.
The review concluded that there were “no concerns” about Sharp’s integrity while serving as chairman but noted that he should have made the relevant declarations at the outset of his tenure.
How much will she get paid?
The yearly salary of the BBC chair is £160,000.
Why did she get made a Dame?
Stephens accepted a CBE in 2001 for services to broadcasting and the Welsh language.
In 2019, she was made a dame for her services to the Welsh government and broadcasting.
