±«Óătv

Director-General of the ±«Óătv

The Director-General and the ±«Óătv Executive Board are responsible for delivering the ±«Óătv’s services in accordance with the priorities set by the Trust, and for all aspects of the operational management of the ±«Óătv.

The Director-General is the Chief Executive Officer and the Editor-in-Chief of the ±«Óătv. He is the editorial, operational and creative leader of the organisation, with responsibility for the Corporation’s global workforce and all of the ±«Óătv's services across television, radio and online.

The Director-General chairs the ±«Óătv Executive Board, which consists of seven executive directors, and six non-executive directors.

Tony Hall, Director-General

Tony Hall (Lord Hall of Birkenhead CBE) is the 16th Director-General of the ±«Óătv, a role he started on 2 April 2013. His official biography and more information about his role can be found on the Inside the ±«Óătv website.

Tony Hall was appointed by the Trust on 22 November 2012. You can read the  and press release relating to his appointment. 

The Director-General has been appointed on a permanent staff contract. The remuneration package is set by the ±«Óătv Trust and consists of a salary of £450,000 with no bonus potential. Tony Hall is currently in receipt of a ±«Óătv pension from his previous employment with the Corporation and has not joined the ±«Óătv pension scheme. The Director-General is provided with a car and driver. In the interests of transparency the Trust has agreed with Tony Hall to publish his employment contract:

 (PDF file)

The Chairman wrote to the Director-General on 3 July 2013 to amend the terms of his contract. You can read the Chairman's letter and the amendment below: 

(PDF file)

Prior to joining the Corporation the Chairman agreed with Tony Hall that in addition to his role as Director-General he could continue two non-executive roles: as Trustee of the Paul Hamyln Foundation and as a Trustee of the Foundation Years Trust. It was agreed that there was no conflict of interest associated with these roles. The Chairman also agreed with Tony Hall that he should not suspend his membership of the House of Lords, although it would be inappropriate for the Director-General to vote in any divisions due to his role as Editor-in-Chief of the ±«Óătv. Tony Hall assured the Chairman that it was unlikely that he would speak in any debate, however if he felt it important to do so he would discuss the matter with the Chairman in advance. Please note that the Director-General’s formal declaration of interests is published, and updated as appropriate, on his ±«Óătv profile page.

Each year the ±«Óătv Trust sets a number of priorities for the Director-General and his Executive team. The  details the progress made with the priorities set for 2014/15 together with .

Appointments to the Executive Board

Having determined that the role includes that of chairman of the Executive Board, the ±«Óătv Trust is responsible for appointing the Director-General of the ±«Óătv. The Trust does not appoint the other members of the Executive Board.

The Charter does not prescribe a process for the appointment of the Director-General.

Former ±«Óătv Directors-General

Between the Trust’s establishment in 2007 and the appointment of Tony Hall, three people have held the post of Director-General They are listed below. A list of all of the ±«Óătv’s former Directors-General  (PDF file).

Mark Thompson

Mark Thompson was appointed Director-General in May 2004 by the ±«Óătv Board of Governors, the then governing body of the ±«Óătv. After eight years in the role Mark Thompson stood down from the post and left the ±«Óătv on Friday 14 September 2012.

George Entwistle

Following Mark Thompson's announcement that he was stepping down,  the ±«Óătv Trust ran a lengthy global recruitment process. You can read the  (PDF file) that was published on the ±«Óătv careers website. This process resulted in the appointment of George Entwistle as Director-General.

George Entwistle was Director-General of the ±«Óătv between 16 September 2012 and 10 November 2012. Further information about the circumstances surrounding his departure is available in the minutes of the Trust meeting on 10 November 2012.

You can also read the exchange of letters between George Entwistle and Lord Patten and the letter that the Chairman wrote to the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee explaining the terms that were agreed for his departure.

Tim Davie

Tim Davie was appointed by the Trust as Acting Director-General following George Entwistle’s departure from the ±«Óătv. He undertook this role from 11 November 2012 to 1 April 2013. Tim is currently the Chief Executive Officer of ±«Óătv Worldwide, and Director, Global; you can read his biography here.