Chair of the BBC

The Chair of the BBC, referred to as Chairman when the incumbent is male and Chairwoman when female, is the head of the BBC Board, responsible for maintaining the independence of the BBC and overseeing the functioning of the BBC to fulfil its mission.^[1][2] The chair leads the process for appointing the Director-General and can dismiss the Director-General.^[3] The chair of the BBC also acts as the corporation's most senior representative to Parliament and the government, including the devolved administrations.^[4]

Chair of the BBC
Incumbent Dr Samir Shah since 4 Mar 2024
BBC Board BBC
Member of	BBC Board
Appointer	Monarch, on the advice of the Secretary of State.
Term length	Four years, renewable once
Constituting instrument	Royal charter
First holder	Jack Pease, 1st Baron Gainford
Salary	£160,000

The chair is formally appointed by the King-in-Council, on the advice of the Secretary of State for a four-year term.^[3] The current chairman, Dr Samir Shah, succeeded chairwoman Dame Elan Closs Stephens on 4 March 2024.^[5]

List of chairmen

Status

  Denotes Acting Chair

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Honour(s)	Prime Minister	Monarch
Chair of the Board of Governors of the British Broadcasting Company						George V r. 1910–1936
	Jack Pease, 1st Baron Gainford (1860–1943)	18 December 1922	31 December 1926		David Lloyd George
					Bonar Law
					Stanley Baldwin
					Ramsay MacDonald
					Stanley Baldwin
Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC
	George Villiers, 6th Earl of Clarendon (1877–1955)	1 January 1927	1930		Stanley Baldwin
					Ramsay MacDonald
	John Henry Whitley (1866–1935)	1930	3 February 1935 (Died in Office)
	William Bridgeman, 1st Viscount Bridgeman (1864–1935)	1935	14 August 1935 (Died in Office)
					Stanley Baldwin
	Ronald Collet Norman (1873–1963)	1935	1939
					Neville Chamberlain	Edward VIII r. 1936
						George VI r. 1936–1952
	Allan Powell (1876–1948)	1939	1946
					Winston Churchill
					Clement Attlee
	Philip Inman, 1st Baron Inman (1892–1979)	1947	1947
	Ernest Simon, 1st Baron Simon of Wythenshawe (1879–1960)	1947	1952
					Winston Churchill	Elizabeth II r. 1952–2022
	Alexander Cadogan (1884–1968)	1952	1957
					Anthony Eden
					Harold Macmillan
	Arthur fforde (1900–1985)	1957	1964
					Alec Douglas-Home
	Norman Brook, 1st Baron Normanbrook (1902–1967)	1964	15 June 1967 (Died in Office)		Harold Wilson
	Charles Hill, Baron Hill of Luton (1904–1989)	1967	1972
					Edward Heath
	Michael Swann (1920–1990)	1973	1980	Baron Swann for Life in 1981
					Harold Wilson
					James Callaghan
					Margaret Thatcher
	George Howard (1920–1984)	1980	1983	Baron Howard of Henderskelfe for Life in 1981
	Stuart Young (1934–1986)	1983	29 August 1986 (Died in Office)
	Marmaduke Hussey (1923–2006)	1986	1996	Baron Hussey of North Bradley for Life in 1996
					John Major
	Christopher Bland (1938–2017)	1 April 1996	30 September 2001
					Tony Blair
	Gavyn Davies (1950–)	1 October 2001	28 January 2004
	Richard Ryder, Baron Ryder of Wensum (1949–)	28 January 2004	17 May 2004
	Michael Grade (1943–)	17 May 2004	28 November 2006	Baron Grade of Yarmouth for Life in 2011
	Anthony Salz (1950–)	28 November 2006	31 December 2006	Knighted in 2013
Chair of the BBC Trust
	Chitra Bharucha (1945–)	1 January 2007	30 April 2007		Tony Blair
	Sir Michael Lyons (1949–)	1 May 2007	30 April 2011
					Gordon Brown
					David Cameron
	Chris Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes (1944–)	1 May 2011	6 May 2014
	Diane Coyle (1961–)	6 May 2014	8 October 2014
	Rona Fairhead (1961–)	9 October 2014	2 April 2017	Baroness Fairhead for Life in 2017
					Theresa May
Chair of the BBC Board
	Sir David Clementi (1949–)	16 February 2017[6][7]	15 February 2021[7]	Knighted in 2004	Theresa May
					Boris Johnson
	Richard Sharp (1956–)	16 February 2021[8]	27 June 2023[9][10]
					Liz Truss
						Charles III r. 2022–present
					Rishi Sunak
	Dame Elan Closs Stephens (1948–)	27 June 2023	4 March 2024	Knighted as a Dame in 2019
	Dr Samir Shah (1952–)	4 March 2024	Incumbent
					Sir Keir Starmer

See also

• BBC Charter