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The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Trust has today appointed George Entwistle as the Director-General of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ.

George Entwistle, who is currently Director of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Vision, will take over from current Director-General Mark Thompson on a salary of £450,000 per year.

Mark Thompson announced his intention to leave the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ in March this year and will hand over to George Entwistle in the autumn.

Announcing the appointment, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Trust Chairman Lord Patten said:

"George is a creative leader for a creative organisation.

"His experience of making and delivering great programmes that audiences love - built up through many years of working for the Corporation - will prove invaluable as he and his team work to ensure the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ remains the greatest broadcaster in the world.

"Above all George is passionate about the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ, is committed to its public service ethos and has a clear vision for how it can harness the creativity and commitment of its staff to continue to serve audiences in ever more innovative ways."

George Entwistle said:

"I'm delighted that the Chairman and Trustees have decided I'm the right person for the job. And I'm very excited about all that lies ahead. I love the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ and it's a privilege to be asked to lead it into the next stage of its creative life."

Mark Thompson said:

"I think this is a brilliant appointment. George has shown himself to be an outstanding leader with an intuitive understanding of public sector broadcasting. He has a formidable track record as a programme maker and in recent years has also shown his calibre as a leader. I wish him and the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ every success in the years to come."

Lord Patten added:

"I once again want to pay tribute to Mark Thompson. His creativity, vision and leadership have made him an outstanding Director-General of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ and he will be sorely missed."

Notes to editors

1. George Entwistle has been with the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ since 1989 when he joined as a broadcast journalism trainee. His most recent position was as Director of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Vision, which he has held since 2011. Prior to that he was the Controller of Knowledge Commissioning and he has been responsible for some of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's most high profile programmes including Panorama, while he was Head of Current Affairs, and Newsnight, of which he was the editor. His full biography can be accessed here.Ìý
2. George Entwistle will be the 15th Director-General of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ. The Director-General is the Chief Executive Officer of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ and its Editor-in-Chief. The Trust has also determined that the Director-General will chair the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's Executive Board. The Director-General is the editorial, operational and creative leader of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ, with responsibility for a significant global workforce and the Corporation's services across television, radio and online.
3. The appointment was made at a full meeting of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Trust this morning, following a two stage interview process. An initial short list of candidates was interviewed by Lord Patten and Trust Vice Chairman Diane Coyle. Following this a final list of candidates was interviewed by a panel comprising the following Trustees: Lord Patten, Dr Coyle, Alison Hastings, David Liddiment, Anthony Fry and Elan Closs Stephens. A recommendation was then put forward to the full Trust board and agreed this morning.
4. The appointment is a permanent contract and is subject to standard ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ terms and conditions. The package consists of a basic salary and the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's standard pension arrangements. There is no variable component to the pay.
5.  The Trust was assisted in the search for the Director-General by executive recruitment firm Egon Zehnder after a competitive process. The firm carried out an initial succession planning phase of work to identify the key elements required of any new Director-General should a vacancy arise in the future. This involved interviewing more than 30 people with an insight into the role. They used this information to help the Trust draw up a role specification. In the second phase of the exercise Egon Zehnder designed and managed the recruitment process on behalf of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Trust. Egon Zehnder was paid a total of £186,000 plus VAT, covering both phases of the work.*
6. Mark Thompson was appointed to the role of Director-General in May 2004. He is currently paid £671,000 per year.