TV veteran Dr Samir Shah appointed new BBC chair months after Richard Sharp resignation
Television veteran Dr Samir Shah has been appointed as the new BBC chairman months after the former head of the broadcaster resigned.
Dr Shah has been celebrated for his work championing diversity and last worked at the corporation in 1998.
The BBC has been without a chairman since June after Richard Sharp finished his time in the role following his resignation in April.
Mr Sharp left the role after he was criticised for facilitating a loan guarantee for the former prime minister, Boris Johnson.
An investigation into his conduct found Mr Sharp, a former Conservative Party donor, "failed to disclose potential perceived conflicts of interest" to a panel of interviewers, risking the perception that he was given the job because he "assisted" Mr Johnson in a personal financial matter.
The failure to disclose, the report concluded, created the risk that Mr Sharp, and indeed the BBC, could be viewed as not fully independent from Downing Street.
Mr Sharp said at the time any breaches of the rules were "inadvertent and not material," but resigned because the scandal had become a "distraction."
After a short stint in the Home Office Intelligence Unit, he began his television career at London Weekend Television in 1979.
His replacement, Dr Shah first joined the BBC in 1987 to head its television current affairs and later ran the corporation’s political journalism department at Millbank.
In 1998, he left the broadcaster to take over production company Juniper TV, where he is chief executive and creative director.
Among Juniper’s current productions are Politics London for BBC London and The Political Slot for Channel 4, while the company won awards for The Qu’ran and for Bare Knuckle Boxers, about black boxers in Georgian England.
Dr Shah was made a CBE for services to television and heritage in 2019 and in February 2022 he was bestowed with the Outstanding Contribution award by the Royal Television Society (RTS) for his commitment to diversity in television journalism.
He is a member of the Bafta board and a fellow of the RTS.
Away from television, he was chairman of the Museum of the Home and deputy chairman of the V&A museum, chairman of the Runnymede Trust, member of the Cultural Recovery Board (2020-2021); and of the Heritage Advisory Board in 2020.
He was born in India and came to England in 1960. He is married to Belkis with one son, Cimran.
Dr Shah will appear before MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee for pre-appointment scrutiny.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...