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The BBC has appointed Rhodri Talfan Davies as deputy director general, following his tenure as interim chief of the broadcaster before Matt Brittin was hired.
He will be second-in-command to Brittin, who officially joined
the BBC as its new director general last month after serving as president of EMEA business and operations at Google. Davies was selected after a “competitive internal recruitment process” and will be “responsible for shaping and delivering the BBC’s editorial strategy and safeguarding the public’s trust in the BBC,” according to a press release.
“Rhodri was the outstanding choice among several very strong candidates,” Brittin said in a statement. “He is a trusted, experienced leader — the BBC’s values seem woven into his DNA. I’ve got to know him myself in recent months and I’ve seen at first-hand how invaluable his judgment, breadth of experience and sense of purpose are to this organization. He is steeped in the BBC’s public service mission while sharing my ambition and sense of urgency to reinvent the BBC for the future.”
Davies will step into the role immediately and will also serve as a member of the BBC’s executive committee and board. He has worked at the BBC for more than 28 years, most recently as director of the BBC’s Nations division.
“I’m honored to have been appointed deputy director-general,” Davies said. “The BBC is a beacon of trust and excellence for millions of people here in the U.K. and globally. I’m looking forward to working with teams across the organization to promote the highest editorial and creative standards, and to uphold the BBC’s values across our services.”
Brittin succeeded Tim Davie, who stepped down on April 2 after tendering his resignation last year following a documentary-editing scandal.
The appointment of a tech insider to lead the BBC signalled an internal shift at the broadcaster, which over the past 100 years has morphed from a radio broadcaster to a behemoth that encompasses everything from television and streaming to IP licensing and production. The BBC’s past five director generals have all had news or at least media experience before taking the job.
Pictured above: Matt Brittin and Rhodri Talfan Davies
