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Samir Shah confirmed as BBC chairperson
Shah is the first Indian-origin to be selected for the post
Dr Samir Shah appointment as BBC chairperson / Image: BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has appointed Dr Samir Shah as its chair for a term of four years effective from March 4, 2023. His nomination for the post was announced by the UK government in December 2023.
A veteran in broadcasting media with over forty years of experience, Shah is the first Indian origin to be nominated for the post. Prior to taking up the role, he served as the CEO of Juniper, an independent television and radio production company, since 1998 and before that served as the head of current affairs and political programmes at the BBC.
In 2022, Shah was honoured by the Royal Television Society in the category of outstanding contribution (AKA Lifetime Achievement award) to journalism.
He was a non-executive director of the BBC (2007-2010), chair of the museum of the home (2014-2022), and was a trustee then deputy chair of the V&A (2004-2014). Shah was also chair of the Runnymede Trust (1999-2009) and One World Media (2020-2024) and was a member of the arts and media honours committee (2022-2024).
In 2019 he was recognised with a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for services to television and heritage and was made an OBE in the 2000 new year’s honours list.
Shah was elected a fellow of the Royal Television Society in 2002 and was appointed as a visiting professor of creative media at Oxford University in 2019.
The University of Nottingham appointed him to a special professorship in the department of post conflict studies.
Born in Aurangabad, India, Shah came to England in 1960. Reacting to his appointment he said, “The BBC is, without doubt, one of the greatest contributions we have made to global culture and one of our strongest calling cards on soft power.”
“The BBC has a great place in British life and a unique duty to reach a wide audience right across the country and I will do all I can to ensure it fulfils this in an increasingly competitive market,” he added.
As chair of the BBC’s board, Shah will be in charge of upholding and protecting the BBC’s independence and ensuring the BBC fulfils its mission to inform, educate and entertain.
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