Tim Davie to replace Tony Hall as BBC director general

Davie, who is currently CEO of BBC Studios, will lead the British public corporation from September 1.

Tim Davie, current executive director of BBC Studios, will replace Tony Hall as general director of the BBC. Davie said he felt honored to assume this responsibility in the British public corporation at a “critical time for the United Kingdom.”

"Our mission has never been more relevant, important or necessary. I have a deep commitment to content of the highest quality and impartiality," he assured.

"Looking ahead, we will need to accelerate change to serve all our audiences in this rapidly changing world. A lot of work has been done, but we will continue to reform, make clear decisions and stay relevant. I am very confident that we can do this thanks to the incredible teams of people who work at the BBC," he added.

BBC Studios is the commercial arm of the corporation and the company in charge of marketing its own productions around the world. Tim Davie took the reins of BBC Studios in 2012 following the resignation of George Entwhistle following the controversy that arose on the program Newsnight following child abuse that wrongly implicated a fellow conservative.

Davie joined BBC in 2005 and has worked in the marketing and audio divisions. Before that he worked for PepsiCo and Procter and Gamble. He was previously a Conservative Party councilor in Hammersmith in 1993 and 1994 and vice-chairman of the Hammersmith and Fulham Conservative Party in the 1990s.

Davie's annual salary has been set by the BBC Council's Remuneration Committee at £525,000 (€591,000) without any variable components. The CEO's salary has not increased since 2012, and this is the level the salary would have reached if inflation had been applied. Davie has opted to receive the same salary as Tony Hall (£450,000) until August 2021, as all senior BBC managers are currently undergoing a pay freeze. As CEO at BBC Studios, Davie received £600,000, including bonuses, last year.

The election of the new director has been coordinated by the Appointments Committee of the Board of Directors of the British corporation under the leadership of its president David Clementi, together with Dame Elan Closs Stephens, Nicholas Serota and Ashley Steel.