BBC appoint new Director-General

 

The BBC trust has appointed George Entwistle as the Director-General of the BBC. On his appointment Mr Entwistle said "Mark Thompson will be a tough act to follow. But it’s a privilege to be asked to lead the greatest broadcasting organization in the world and a privilege to be able to continue to serve our audiences in this new role." Mark Thompson will stay on as BBC Director-General until the end of the summer.

George Entwistle is currently the Director of BBC Vision, he takes over from Mark Thompson on a salary of £450,000 (€560,177). In March 2012 Mark Thompson declared his intention to step down as Director General of the BBC.

Lord Patten, Chairman of the BBC Trust, said today of George Entwistle "His experience of making and delivering great programmes that audiences love - built up through many years of working for the Corporation - will prove invaluable as he and his team work to ensure the BBC remains the greatest broadcaster in the world."

On the appointment of George Entwistle as Director General Mark Thompson said "I think this is a brilliant appointment. George has shown himself to be an outstanding leader with an intuitive understanding of public sector broadcasting. He has a formidable track record as a programme maker and in recent years has also shown his calibre as a leader. I wish him and the BBC every success in the years to come."

George Entwistle entered the BBC in 1989 as a Broadcast Journalist Trainee. He has been head of BBC Vision since 2011. Over the years his roles have varied from Controller of Knowledge Commissioning and Head of Current Affairs.