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Dame Elan Closs Stephens DBE

Former Acting Chair; Former Member for Wales

A woman with white hair
Dame Elan Closs Stephens DBE, Former Acting Chair; Former Member for Wales

Roles and responsibilities

  • As Acting Chair of the Board, Elan was responsible for upholding and protecting the independence of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ.
  • She was responsible for ensuring that the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ fulfils its mission to inform, educate and entertain and promotes its public purposes.
  • The Chair ensures that the Board's decision-making is in the public interest, informed by the best interests of the audience and with appropriate regard to the impact of decisions on the wider media market in the UK.
  • The Board, under the Chair, also must ensure that the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ maintains the highest standards of corporate governance.

First appointed: 20 July 2017

Term of appointment: 20 January 2021 to 19 January 2024 (term extended on appointment as Acting Chair)

Elan’s appointment as Acting Chair began on 27 June 2023 and ended on 3 March 2024

Biography

Professor Dame Elan Closs Stephens is an experienced chair and non-executive director who has spent a career in broadcasting, the creative industries and academia. Dame Elan is currently the Pro Chancellor and Professor Emerita in Communications and Creative Industries at Aberystwyth University. She is the Electoral Commissioner for Wales and Member of the UK Electoral Commission Board. She is the Chair of the Wales Public Leaders’ Forum and Chair of the UNESCO International Prize for contribution to the creative economy.

Dame Elan has been a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Professor of the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies at Aberystwyth University, where she is now the Pro-Chancellor. She was educated at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle, a comprehensive school in the quarry valleys of North Wales and won an open scholarship to Somerville College, Oxford. She has been awarded nine Honorary Doctorates and Fellowships including from Welsh universities, the Open University, and Somerville College, Oxford. She was High Sheriff of Dyfed 2011–12 and now serves as a Deputy Lieutenant.

Dame Elan has been a member of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ’s governing body since 2010, first serving as Member for Wales on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Trust, until its dissolution in 2017, and then as the Welsh member of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Board. As a ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Board member she has been the Chair of the Wales Committee and also served as Chair of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ’s commercial subsidiary from 2019-22. She served for two terms as Chair of the Welsh-language broadcaster, S4C between 1998-2006 and subsequently served an additional term as non-executive director on S4C, representing the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Trust.

She has served on many cultural bodies including the British Film Institute (BFI) and the British Council. She still serves the BFI as a Non-Executive Director of the IMAX Cinema in Waterloo. She has been a member of the Wales Permanent Secretary’s Board where she was Chair of Corporate Governance. She has served as Vice Chairman of the Welsh Language Board and is a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.

Dame Elan is a native Welsh speaker and lives in Aberystwyth; she has two children.

Fees

The fees for non-executive directors of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Board are set by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

The fee for the Acting Chair has been set at £160,000 per annum. The time commitment for the Chair is at least 3–4 days per week.

Expenses and central bookings

Expenses are costs incurred by ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ staff on behalf of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ and claimed through the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's expenses system.

Central bookings are costs incurred on behalf of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ and booked through the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's central bookings system. Both expenses and central bookings are published every three months.

Downloads

  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q3 2023-24
  • Elan Closs Stephens' central bookings Q3 2023-24
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q2 2023-24
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q1 2023-24
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q4 2022-23
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q3 2022-23
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q2 2022-23
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q1 2022-23
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q4 2021-22
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q3 2021-22
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no central bookings in Q3 2021-22
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q2 2021-22
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no central bookings in Q2 2021-22
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q1 2021-22
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no central bookings in Q1 2021-22
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q4 2020-21
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no central bookings in Q4 2020-21
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q3 2020-21
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no central bookings in Q3 2020-21
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q2 2020-21
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no central bookings in Q2 2020-21
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q1 2020-21
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no central bookings in Q1 2020-21
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q4 2019-20
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q3 2019-20
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q2 2019-20
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q4 2018-19
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q3 2018-19
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q2 2018-19
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q1 2018-19
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q4 2017-18
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q3 2017-18
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no expenses paid in Q2 2017-18

Gifts and Hospitality Register

Gifts and hospitality may only be accepted in line with ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ policy. Information about gifts and hospitality is published every three months.

Downloads

  • Elan Closs Stephens' gifts and hospitality Q3 2023-24
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q2 2023-24
    Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q1 2023-24
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q4 2022-23
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q3 2022-23
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q2 2022-23
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q1 2022-23
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q4 2021-22
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q3 2021-22
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q2 2021-22
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q1 2021-22
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q4 2020-21
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q3 2020-21
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q2 2020-21
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q1 2020-21
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q4 2019-20
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q3 2019-20 
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q2 2019-20
  • Elan Closs Stephens had no gifts or hospitality to declare in Q1 2019-20

Declaration of personal interests

Staff must make a declaration of their personal and business interests, including any memberships or directorships of public or industry bodies, and any shareholdings, as well as any interests that their immediate families may also have.

A summary is published where there is something to declare and where there is nothing to declare. Occasionally an individual will have something to declare but due to the personal nature of the declaration we do not publish details as to do so would breach the General Data Protection Regulation.

This information is published annually, although if any amendments are made during the year an updated summary will be published if necessary as soon as it is available.

Downloads

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