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UK ministers are set to pick veteran TV executive Samir Shah as BBC chair to replace Richard Sharp, the former Goldman Sachs banker who resigned this year.
Shah has had a 40-year career in TV and previously served as a BBC non-executive director in 2007 as well as in positions including head of current affairs.
He will face a raft of immediate challenges as head of the BBC board, including the renegotiation of the licence fee in the run-up to the renewal of the corporation’s charter in 2027.
The decision is expected to be announced as early as Wednesday afternoon, according to two people familiar with the situation. DCMS declined to comment. Shah was not immediately available for comment.
The BBC chair — a political appointment made by the government — acts as an intermediary between the corporation and ministers often critical of the corporation’s position on news and current affairs.
This is a developing story