BBC Director General Tim Davie, who is set to leave the corporation next week, has been appointed co-chair of the Creative Industries Council. He will replace outgoing chair Peter Bazalgette, the former ITV chairman, who steps down on August 1.
Davie will lead the council alongside Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Business Secretary Peter Kyle. The council is a forum that brings together industry leaders and government to discuss priorities such as innovation, access to finance, workforce development, trade, and investment. The role is unpaid and voluntary; Davie previously held it before Bazalgette.
Davie will co-chair with Baroness Shriti Vadera until she steps down on December 31 at the end of her term. His appointment comes despite a reportedly rocky relationship with Nandy during his BBC tenure; she criticised him last summer over the Bob Vylan incident, calling it and other editorial issues “a problem of leadership.”
Davie leaves the BBC after nearly six years as Director General. His successor, former Google EMEA chief Matt Brittin, will take over in May. Davie said: “It is a privilege to be asked to chair the Creative Industries Council and champion a sector that’s a world-class success story for the UK. With the right backing, there’s a huge opportunity for our creative industries to deliver not only significant growth for the UK economy… but good growth that supports jobs and skills in every part of the country.”
