The BBC has appointed former Google executive Matt Brittin as its new director-general.
The broadcaster has been on the hunt for a new chief since Tim Davie announced his decision to step down from the role in November, after the furore surrounding a Panorama edit of a speech made by Donald Trump.
Mr Brittin spent nearly two decades at Google before leaving the company last year and was rumoured to be a frontrunner for the role despite lacking in editorial experience.
Announcing his new position, Mr Brittin said in a statement: “Now, more than ever, we need a thriving BBC that works for everyone in a complex, uncertain and fast-changing world.
“At its best, it shows us, and the world, who we are. It’s an extraordinary, uniquely British asset, with over 100 years of innovation in storytelling, technology and powering creativity. I’m honoured and excited to be asked to serve as director-general.”
He continued: “Working alongside so many talented journalists, creatives and technicians, across the country and around the world, I join with humility, to listen, to learn, to lead, and to serve the public, working hard to earn their trust every day.”
Brittin added that while this is “a moment of real risk” for the BBC, it is also a “real opportunity”.
“The BBC needs the pace and energy to be both where stories are, and where audiences are. To build on the reach, trust and creative strengths today, confront challenges with courage, and thrive as a public service fit for the future. I can’t wait to start this work.”
Samir Shah, the BBC Board’s chair, said that Mr Brittin brings “deep experience of leading a high-profile and highly complex organisation through transformation”.
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He continued: “He is an outstanding leader and has the skills needed to navigate the organisation through the many changes taking place in the media market and in audience behaviours.
“Matt’s passion for the BBC, his understanding of the challenges facing the organisation, his commitment to its independence and his determination to maintain the BBC’s position as one of the country’s greatest national assets were critical factors in the board’s decision to appoint him as the 18th director-general.”
Adding that Mr Brittin is joining at “a critical time” for the BBC, with the review of its charter underway, the board believes that he is “the right person to lead the BBC as it fights for a sustainable future in an uncertain world”.
A Cambridge University graduate, 57-year-old Brittin started his career as a consultant at McKinsey & Co, before leaving to become commercial director for Trinity Mirror, the owner of the Daily Mirror, in 2004. He was made director of strategy and digital two years later.
Brittin joined Google in 2009, first serving as the managing director of Google UK, before being named the tech giant’s vice-president for northern and central Europe in 2011.
A 2014 restructure saw Mr Brittin named president of EMEA business and operations, and he remained in the role for a decade before announcing his decision to step down and take a “mini gap year” in October 2024.
In a post on LinkedIn, Mr Brittin wrote: “I’m fortunate to have a wonderful and healthy family that has always supported me, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with them in the year ahead – including my parents who are now in their nineties.
“Beyond, I hope to apply what I’ve learned about technology and leadership to help people make the most of this wave of innovation in education, business, science and society – from different vantage points.
“You know that I love to read, learn and try new things. I’ve already grown a beard, bought a single sculling boat and plan to learn scuba diving from my son when he qualifies as an instructor. I’d love your suggestions, challenges and recommendations.”
Brittin currently describes himself on LinkedIn as a “gap year student [and] part time athlete”.
The BBC’s outgoing director-general Tim Davie announced his decision to step down from the role in October last year, with the corporation’s CEO of news, Deborah Turness, also resigning.
Their exits came amid the fallout from a Panorama edit of a speech Donald Trump gave before the Capitol riots unfolded in Washington on 6 January 2021.
Trump, who was serving his first term as president at the time, had said: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.” More than 50 minutes later in the same speech, he said: “And we fight. We fight like hell.”
But in Panorama’s edit, it appeared as though he said: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol… and I’ll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.”
Trump subsequently filed a $5bn (£3.7bn) defamation lawsuit against the BBC, accusing it of “intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring” a speech he gave on 6 January 2021 before the US Capitol riot.
The BBC has apologised for the edit but says there is no basis for a defamation claim.
