Preferred candidate selected for BBC Trust Vice Chairman
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has agreed to appoint Diane Coyle as Vice Chairman of the BBC Trust following an open recruitment process.
The Secretary of State has submitted his recommendation to Privy Council to seek Her Majesty the Queen’s formal approval of the appointment.
Diane Coyle is a serving member of the BBC Trust. She is an economic consultant specialising in new technologies and globalisation and was a member of the Competition Commission from 2001 to 2009. She is a frequent commentator on radio and television and has written many books and articles on economics including The Economics of Enough and The Soulful Science. She was the Economics Editor of The Independent newspaper where she worked from 1993 to 2001 and has a PhD from Harvard.
Notes to Editors
- The appointment of the BBC Trust Vice Chairman will be made on merit and a fair, open and transparent process, regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
- The OCPA Code of Practice.
- Under the terms of the BBC Royal Charter, appointment of the BBC Trust Chairman, Vice Chairman and members is made by HM the Queen on recommendation from Ministers (the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, through the Prime Minister).
- The recruitment process began in June 2010 but a decision on the appointment was held pending a decision on the appointment of the Chairman. The Secretary of State announced on 25 February that Lord Patten is the preferred candidate for the position of Chairman. The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee held a pre-appointment scrutiny hearing and concluded that Lord Patten is a suitable candidate for the role. The recommendation has been submitted to the Privy Council.
Press Enquiries: 020 7211 2210
Out of hours telephone pager no: 07699 751153
Public Enquiries: 020 7211 6000