The man who urged ministers to scrap the existing “flawed” BBC Trust and hand regulatory powers to Ofcom is among six candidates in the running to head up the BBC’s reformed governing body, according to reports last night.
Sir David Clementi, a former chairman of Prudential, published his independent review of the governance and regulation of the corporation earlier this year. As a result the BBC is facing changes to its structure under a new royal charter starting next year.
So far the shortlist to replace Rona Fairhead contains the names of five men, only one of whom has a broadcasting background, Sky News said.
The candidates believed to have been interviewed include William Shawcross, chairman of the Charity Commission, John Makinson, the outgoing chairman of Penguin Random House, and Sir David Arculus, the former Emap boss who is chairman of the lobbying group Energy UK.
Interviews took place this week for the £100,000, three-day-a-week job after signs that headhunters were struggling to find anyone with the necessary experience. Other candidates have ruled themselves out over the time commitment and salary, which has been cut by £10,000 a year.
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The only candidate with a broadcasting background is Roger Parry, a former BBC journalist who is the non-executive chairman of YouGov.
An unidentified woman is also believed to be in the running, a source said, adding: “I don’t think it’s a very strong list so far.”
Karen Bradley, the culture secretary, has said that she will send her recommendation to the prime minister shortly.