Meet Dr Samir Shah, Aurangabad-Born Media Veteran Selected As New BBC Chairman

Born in Aurangabad, Dr. Samir Shah came to England in 1960 and was previously the head of current affairs and political programmes at the BBC.

London: Dr Samir Shah, an India-born media executive with over 40 years of experience in TV production and journalism, has been named as the UK government’s preferred candidate to take over as the new BBC chairman. The veteran TV executive replaces acting BBC chairwoman Dame Elan Closs Stephens after the post was vacated earlier this year by former Goldman Sachs banker Richard Sharp, who resigned after failing to declare his connection to an £800,000 loan made to Boris Johnson. In a statement, he said he was “delighted” to have been named the government’s preferred candidate.

Shah will now be quizzed by cross-party MPs of the House of Commons Media Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee for pre-appointment scrutiny before formally taking charge of the public service broadcaster.

“With a career spanning more than 40 years in TV production and journalism, Dr Shah has a wealth of experience to bring to the position of BBC Chair,” UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said on Wednesday, confirming the selection as per the appointment process.

“He has a clear ambition to see the BBC succeed in a rapidly changing media landscape, and I have no doubt he will provide the support and scrutiny that the BBC needs to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future,” she said.

Who is Samir Shah

• Born in Aurangabad, Shah came to England in 1960 and was previously the head of current affairs and political programmes at the BBC.
• Shah has worked in TV for more than 40 years, starting at London Weekend Television in 1979.
• The CEO and owner of Juniper, an independent television and radio production company, Shah has also served as a non-executive director of the BBC between 2007 and 2010.
• Besides, the Oxford University alumnus is a race relations expert who co-authored the government’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report in 2021.
• Shah previously worked as the BBC’s head of current affairs and was responsible for its political coverage.
• The 71-year-old, was honoured with a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 for services to television and heritage.
• More recently, he was named on a three-member panel set up by the government to independently review the unrest that took place in the city of Leicester last year, as community groups clashed in the aftermath of an India-Pakistan cricket match.
• As BBC chairman, a three-day-a-week role with an annual salary of 160,000 pounds, Shah will be responsible for upholding and protecting the taxpayer-funded licence fee-operated public broadcaster and ensuring it fulfils its mission to “inform, educate and entertain”.
• He will also lead negotiations with the government over the future of the licence fee.

Shah’s selection marks a sea change, as it means there will now be a journalist at the top of the BBC. Although the BBC is politically independent, its chairperson is appointed by the government.

His appointment comes at a challenging time for the BBC, which is looking to make 500 million pounds of savings in the face of high inflation and a two-year freeze on the cost of a TV licence.

“We welcome the announcement that Samir Shah has been selected as the government’s preferred candidate to take up the role of BBC chair and look forward to him joining the board once the formal process has been completed,” a BBC spokesperson said.